# Turning Chess Pieces



## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Prototypes a work in progress*

These pawns I turned out of various pallet wood, deadfall, offcuts etc, the three on the right are out of african blackwood, once my final design is pleasing unto me I will turn a whole set. Each pawn becomes a little quicker. I turn them all on 3" faceplates but a chuck would be just as good. I didn't bother to put a finish on most of them. I could probably have a game of chess just on prototypes alone! A work in progress may inspire others to try as well. I swapped out my 1.5 hp electric motor over to a 1/3 hp as chess pieces take very little to run. Chess Pawns turned manually on a wood lathe.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Prototypes a work in progress*
> 
> These pawns I turned out of various pallet wood, deadfall, offcuts etc, the three on the right are out of african blackwood, once my final design is pleasing unto me I will turn a whole set. Each pawn becomes a little quicker. I turn them all on 3" faceplates but a chuck would be just as good. I didn't bother to put a finish on most of them. I could probably have a game of chess just on prototypes alone! A work in progress may inspire others to try as well. I swapped out my 1.5 hp electric motor over to a 1/3 hp as chess pieces take very little to run. Chess Pawns turned manually on a wood lathe.


Very nice. And your use of found and offcut material is a great idea. I think that an entire set would be a post that I would like to see.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Prototypes a work in progress*
> 
> These pawns I turned out of various pallet wood, deadfall, offcuts etc, the three on the right are out of african blackwood, once my final design is pleasing unto me I will turn a whole set. Each pawn becomes a little quicker. I turn them all on 3" faceplates but a chuck would be just as good. I didn't bother to put a finish on most of them. I could probably have a game of chess just on prototypes alone! A work in progress may inspire others to try as well. I swapped out my 1.5 hp electric motor over to a 1/3 hp as chess pieces take very little to run. Chess Pawns turned manually on a wood lathe.


I see you got it there. great job.

They look great.


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## Mario (Apr 23, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Prototypes a work in progress*
> 
> These pawns I turned out of various pallet wood, deadfall, offcuts etc, the three on the right are out of african blackwood, once my final design is pleasing unto me I will turn a whole set. Each pawn becomes a little quicker. I turn them all on 3" faceplates but a chuck would be just as good. I didn't bother to put a finish on most of them. I could probably have a game of chess just on prototypes alone! A work in progress may inspire others to try as well. I swapped out my 1.5 hp electric motor over to a 1/3 hp as chess pieces take very little to run. Chess Pawns turned manually on a wood lathe.


Really nice job. I would love to see how you do all of them.

Thanks.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Prototypes a work in progress*
> 
> These pawns I turned out of various pallet wood, deadfall, offcuts etc, the three on the right are out of african blackwood, once my final design is pleasing unto me I will turn a whole set. Each pawn becomes a little quicker. I turn them all on 3" faceplates but a chuck would be just as good. I didn't bother to put a finish on most of them. I could probably have a game of chess just on prototypes alone! A work in progress may inspire others to try as well. I swapped out my 1.5 hp electric motor over to a 1/3 hp as chess pieces take very little to run. Chess Pawns turned manually on a wood lathe.


A really nice project, I've always been going to make a chess set.

I'm glad you got the pictures working.

I'll be waiting to see some more in the future.


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Knights*


























Welcome back to another installment of the chess corner! Today's topic are turning knights for a chess set.
I would say the knights are the most difficult piece to create as you have to turn it, then carve it out of whatever wood you are using for the set which may end up being tricky. There is two ways to so this, turn the base on the lathe then carve out the head with chisels and rifler files or carve the head separately then glue it onto a ready made base. I personally opt for the first just because then the grain of the wood would be more consistent right thru the piece. This is my first and only knight and I have never carved before. It looks a bit like a duck but the wood I selected for practice was actually quite punky just under the back of the head and I had to stop. The wood turned was from box elder with no finish. Knights are typically 2" - 2 1/2 " tall with a 1 1/2" diameter base which suits about a 2 1/4" square chessboard +-1/4" Thanks for joining me again for another installment of the chess corner, until next time happy turning! I'll be happy to answer any questions.


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## Harold (Nov 13, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Knights*
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Hello Mike, Is there a rule or standard regarding the scale or size of the pieces in regards to the board squares? I like the direction your headed with the knight. apx what is the size of the stock you are beginning with?


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

Chessnut said:


> *Knights*
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The turning stock I start with can vary from piece to piece but you want to make sure you start at least about 1/4" larger than your finished diameter. So for pawns say they are 1.25" finished you could go 1.5" to start because after turning and sanding your base will be very close to whichever specs you have set. 
Yes there are somewhat specific guidelines as to what the board squares should be in relation to piece base diameters,let me dig it out for you here, lets see…

Preferred Size for Tournaments and for Classrooms. As to size, most tournament sets have a King somewhere between 3 3/8" (8.65 cm) and 4 1/2" (about 11.5 cm)-this is a nice, comfortable size.
Many "clubhouse" and schoolroom sets are a bit smaller, with a King at about 3 inches-these are also fine for casual play, as long as they're still Staunton and still proportional. In fact, they may be easier for children.
The pieces should also be nicely weighted, so that they don't tip over or fall easily. The base should be about 50% of the King's height.
Squares of the chess board should be large enough so that a small rim of color shows all the way around the base of the piece that is sitting on the square; this lets the players more easily follow diagonals, etc. In practice, this means a square of around 2 1/4" on one side (around 5.5 cm).

Colors and Materials of the Set
The pieces can be any neutral contrasting colors, but most people prefer either a dark wood/light wood color, or black and white. The squares of the board should CONTRAST with the set: that's one reason that many tournament players use black and white pieces on a green and white board. This keeps the black pawns from being "overlooked" on a dark square.

US Chess Federation Official Rules for Tournament Sets
In the US Chess Federation's OFFICIAL RULES OF CHESS, they state as follows:
EQUIPMENT
40B SIZE. The King's height should be 3 3/8 - 4 1/2 inches. The diameter of the King's base should be approximately 40-50% of the height. The other pieces should be proportionate in height and form…All pieces should be well balanced for stability…
40C FORM. The conventional Staunton pattern is the standard….
41. CHESSBOARDS 
41C PROPORTIONS. The pieces should fit comfortably on the board, being neither too crowded nor too isolated on the squares. The King and Queen, for example, should be subject to easy placement on a square without touching any of the edges. Boards for standard sets should have squares of approximately 2 - 2 1/2 inches….
If you look at our descriptions of chess pieces you will notice that we always include the height and base diameter of each King. That's because we have found this ratio to be an effective method of choosing a board for a given set of chess pieces. The proper square size for a set of good Staunton chess pieces is such that the width of the base of the King should be 78% of the width of a square. So, divide the King's base diameter by 0.78 and you get the proper square size. You can increase the square size by 1/8", but the square size should not be any smaller. For example, a Staunton King with a base diameter of 1.75" would require a square size of 2.25" x 0.78 = 1.75". Hence, you should use a chessboard with squares of either 2.25" or 2.375" (+1/8"). 
We have made it easy for you to select the the perfect chess board by placing a chart with each set to help with chess board square sizing. If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to email us at: [email protected] <mailto:email>
Matching the pieces and chessboard together for an aesthetically pleasing look is relatively simple. Think about the coloring and wood type of the dark pieces in your chess set and the dark playing squares of your chess board, then match them accordingly. 
The white squares of most good chess boards, made from wood, are carved from Bird's Eye Maple (BEM). The dark squares are varied in material left to your personal taste. Consider where you plan to place the board. Will the chess board rest on a Rosewood table? Then you may wish to choose that wood for your chess board's dark squares. Or you may wish to contrast, such as a deeper-colored dark square like Striped Ebony to add grace and elegance.


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## USCJeff (Apr 6, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Knights*
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Very Nice. I've been using some diagrams from PSI when turning. I don't have the duplicator, but the images in the instructions showed enough dimensions to try it by hand. The Knight being the hardest, I have looked for more info after some bad results at carving the details. This one's nice. It doesn't match the style of the one's I'm going for, but having butchered several, I recognize the skill. My answer as far as size would be similar your's. I went for a 1.3 ratio in regards to the base of piece and size of square. I wanted to use a bird eye veneer for the lighter squares but was short on it and too impatient to wait until the next trip to the store. I used maple, not much figure to it, but it worked. I went with Walnut (I like Rosewood as well). I used Ebony to for a thin border followed by a larger walnut frame. Again, Great knight. Was it tough to duplicate 4 times?


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Bishops*

















Hi there welcome back for another installment of the chess corner. Today's topic is turning bishops for a chess set. It's very satisfying to be able to be in a position when creating your own chess set to put your own style on the pieces. For instance let's look at a few bishops I cooked up in the chess corner. These look very close to a standard bishop except for the very top. Instead of the tiny little tip on most I flared it to give it a little bit of a different look but at the same time simplistic. When designing your set try to keep in mind if a person looked at the pieces, can they easily distinguish between them, is there a nice contrast between the two wood colors. Bishop dimensions tend to be 1.5" diameter base and usually about just over 3" in height to give you a feel for the finished turning. The first one working left to right is of the caragana shrub that comes from the pea family. The second is unfinished curly maple, the third is finished cherry, the fourth is finished crotch maple. These were all prototypes for a chess set and I was experimenting with different heights, base profiles, rings and tops to get me closer to the final style. I hope you liked these pieces, until next time happy turning and may this be an inspiration.


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Bishops*
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Nice pieces. something on my inevitable to-do list.


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## itsme_timd (Nov 29, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Bishops*
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Thanks for posting this series, I've been thinking a lot lately of making a chess set and this is a great help.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Bishops*
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Thanks as well for this series. I really enjoy seeing these pieces and the different woods being used. Bring on the next installment.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Bishops*
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Ahhhh !, I must do this one day. Looking good. I bet the knights will be a bit of a challenge.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Bishops*
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These are an interesting series of posts. Maybe some day….


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Queens*

















Welcome to another installment of the chess corner. Today's topic is turning queens on the lathe.
A queen's base diameter is usually around 1 3/4" and the height around 3 3/4". I use a caliper to measure while turning and turn everything gradually usually in three parts. The base, the stem of the piece and the crown and bring a pencil to the workpiece while it's still turning after it has been turned round to mark the three segments and the decorative rings. This gives a better approximation while turning so I can be more accurate when duplicating a piece style that I am happy with. I cut the queen's crown with a hacksaw and turned the first queen with a small mortising chisel out of a 2×4. The second queen was from douglas fir tree and I used a proper turning tool a fingernail gouge. The third and forth are both mountain ash, fourth one with a finishing coat. When designing your set , there is no hard and fast rule about how many decorative rings to use or how thick, but here are a few questions to ask yourself when designing your set. Are they top heavy? do they tip over easily? How is the contrast in the two woods, how easy would it be to make a board that keeping in mind the piece color and grain. Hopefully this will help to give you an idea of how to make a superb chess set to look at and to be a joy to play with also. Until next time keep on turning!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Queens*
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Hi Mike,

i just wish I could keep on turning. Until I get a lathe I will have to simply enjoy your posts. These are really nice pieces. You are in the home stretch now- only the king is left.

I can say without a doubt I am enjoying this.


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

Chessnut said:


> *Queens*
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I appreciate that Scott, it takes a certain amount of encouragement to turn chess pieces.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Queens*
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Great pieces Mike. you will now have something for the family to treasure for many years. Did you use the indexing pins on the lathe to assist with the carving?.


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Kings*

















Hello again and welcome back to the chess corner! Today's topic is turning kings for a chess set.
The height and base diameter of the king is the cornerstone for the rest of the pieces. All pieces get smaller both in height and base diameter than the king. I might do another installment on this topic and show the flow of the chess pieces in relation to one another and how to create the "feeling" this is a set and that they belong next to each other. Kings typically have a base diameter of 1.75 inches and a height of 3.75 inches. These two kings depict when I started to turn chess pieces to my latest and how it evolved to present day. King #1 on the left was turned out of a 2×4 cut in half lengthwise. The tool next to it was just a mortising chisel as I did not have hardly any tools about five years ago. I showed the lathe instructor who does retail as well and said that I'm not supposed to be able to do curves with that tool according to theory. Being my first turning ever I was encouraged to try again. My last series on chess pieces:Queens, the queen on the left was done with that same tool. The king on the right, king #2 was done with part of an old pallet laminated, I think it was rock or red maple. You can still see where the nail went through near the crown and rusted and discolored the wood. My only complaints with piece #2 is that it looks a little "Heavy" I might do another one a little trimmed down and give the base a curve somewhere to breakup the blocky look. The tool on the right was used to make king #2. Using the right tool for the job makes it faster and safer. I bought six different turning tools in a case at Busy Bee Tools for $89.00 and they work just fine. Make sure and try to buy them with "HSS" High Speed Steel, they will stay sharper longer and will produce less heat off the workpiece. Notice how the king is much better proportioned than king #1. That came from practice, patience and perseverance not to mention looking at many chess sets to see in my mind what might make the ultimate chess set for design and choice of wood. The kings crown is unique in that it does not exist like that anywhere that I have seen. It was carved three dimensional and would be my signature of identification. It's a way to personalize your set, to put your own touch on it. So when designing your set, try to create something unique yet still identifiable. It could be your thicker rings on each piece or more of them or the stem is super thin etc. It's one thing to copy and duplicate someone else's work which can logistically a "knightmare" pun intended or to create your interpretation of art and beauty. When duplicating your own pieces, don't worry if they are not exactly the same, it might even add character to the set, people can look and see that these were not done on a CNC machine or mass produced anywhere but in the home. I hope you enjoyed this and happy turning, please ask if you have any questions.To this day I have never taken a lesson on wood turning or carving so don't worry too much about starting off, however for at least safety sake maybe get a hold of a couple of books on wood turning either from the local library or bookstore to at least give you the gist of the do's and don'ts.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Kings*
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Great looking pieces chessnut. What is left now?.


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## Mario (Apr 23, 2007)

Chessnut said:


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nice work, you are doing an exelent job and I look forward to seeing them together on a board.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Kings*
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the intricate work on these .. don't think I'd have the patience or the steady hand!


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## snowdog (Jul 1, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Kings*
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I just found these posts. Great job. NOw let me see if there is a way to add the series to my watch list  thanks for posting these.


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## damaynard (Apr 12, 2009)

Chessnut said:


> *Kings*
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Have you looked into the mystery of single / double and triple weighting?

i can't seem to find any consistant information on what this exactly means.


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

Chessnut said:


> *Kings*
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Triple weighted used to refer to the three lead discs that Drueke used to place in the bases of some of their sets. Other sets used two discs. Over time the term got used by other piece makers/sellers to just mean heavy. You can even find "quadruple-weighted" sets now for that matter. In the end you'll have to get a reliable weighing or actuallly heft them in person to know if they qualify as heavy or not since we can't trust the hype. I myself if I was making an ebony chess set I would use either brass key filings or powdered tungsten to weigh the bases and to make them heavy as possible, usually a sign of quality. The problem with solid filled bases is changes in humidity will usually result in cracking along the bases and the weights have a tendency to fall out.


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## Chessnut (Feb 4, 2008)

*Rooks*

Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.








I like how #2 turret on top flares outward at a slight angle versus #3 giving it a little more complexity yet not overdone. The problem with #2 is it is a little too top heavy looking. The turret is just as wide as the base. Now #3 has a smaller turret and looks more balanced however I'm not happy with the bases on either yet. Rook #3 is my closest replica and final specs for my set will be a rook that is 2" tall, right now it's 2 1/4 tall so cutting that base down 1/4 inch will help it look more proportional with itself but also with the set.








Now from this angle we can see the inside of the turret. I much prefer this type of turret versus most other chess sets for it's elegance and the way it flows. I put six notches versus four in some sets and the way it displays the inside, not just a hole drilled into the top but eases it's way out, almost like a flower with petals. Simple but convincing. Once one has a few pieces turned for practice, you can look at them all and take the best elements of each piece and do up a "masterpiece" pun intended again! I have had no formal training on turning so please feel free to critique.

Until next time for another installment of "The Chess Corner" have fun and happy turning!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


I have absolutely no experience with turning but to tell you the truth I like the maple turning and the proportions of the maple base. I am not sure how the maple would look with the ash turret.

But this is an interesting exercise. Going through these iterations gives you an excuse to spend more time at the lathe too.

Thanks for sharing.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


I remember turning the bodies of my chess set. What a pain to keep the alll the same.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


Mike looking great. You've got the picture problem, solved. Great job.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


Very nice.

I had some mountain ash wood once, but it ended up as a friends firewood, before I realized how pretty it was.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


Doing well there Mike.


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


I actually like the maple one better - even with the "problem" of it being top heavy. Before you mentioned it, I didn't see it at all… I suppose it could be a little smaller, but I don't think it needs be as small as the ash one.
Lots of good points to consider - great series!


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Chessnut said:


> *Rooks*
> 
> Welcome to another installment of the Chess Corner! Today's topic is turning rooks or aka castles.
> The large looking one on the left was a first try out of some sort of mahogany pallet scrap and after turning it round realized how open-grained it was, not a desirable trait when wanting to work with small details. So I found a more close-grained wood such as maple that I laminated out of offcuts from a local cabinet shop. This one "turned" out pretty good, pun intended! The last one is out of mountain ash, it's much different looking once I apply a finish. Now let's look at the styling between the last two, shall we call them #2 and #3.
> ...


Great turning. I tried a mahogany pen once, and it was indeed too open grained.


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