Checkerboard and Checkers

The field of the checkerboard is constructed from maple and walnut. To separate the field from the border I cut some thin strips of purple heartwood and glued those to each piece of maple border. Then I mitered and fit the combined purple heartwood and maple pieces together rather than separately.

The checkers are made from 1″ walnut and birch dowels — I couldn’t find maple dowels and Birch seemed to match pretty well. They look a little small compared to the size of the squares on the checkerboard, but I didn’t want to pay for thicker walnut dowels. I may try turning some thicker dowels on my lathe or some chess pieces, but my family can play checkers now, so I’m not in a hurry.

I finished the board with two coats of Arm-R-Seal, an oil and urethane mix. Then I coated the board with two coats or wipe-on urethane. I just gave the checkers three coats of Arm-R-Seal. One the finishes had cured for a few days, I gave the board and checkers a coat of paste wax.

-- Benjamen Johnson, Burbs of Minneapolis