# Steve Ramsey's chess board



## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*

Hello kind sir or madam. 

I watched Steve Ramsey's chess board project like 6 months ago and I determined that I have to make this project. My dad is turning 60 in the beginning of January, so I decided to make this for him. He likes chess and the set we have at home is cheap and like 20 years old. He deserves better.

Now I have started work on this project - yes I am late, I know… Anyhow, I have the wood and I started it, but I have a problem, a huge one to be honest. The boards I purchased had a slight warp in them, and I "planed" it out with a router sled. I am using Sapele and White oak. Here are the boards after router work.









They are different thickness, but I figured I'll split them and then I will see where I am at. Which I did, but I did not do a very good job, I tried to make a quick jig, but that meant that I also did not get the result I intended - didn't think that one through to be honest.









So now I am left with 2 sets of 4, which are out of square, well the sides should be square, but the thicnkess varies from from 5/16 to 1/2.. they are mainly wedge shaped, oak being the thicker version, because the stock I started with was thicker.. And the bad part is that i don't own a planer and the company i used to rent it from went belly up and I haven't found another company that rents these, and getting a proper one would cost me about 950$. As much as I do love him, I don't have the cash to spend.

*So here is my main question:*
1. How do i get it to uniform thickness, I do have a hand held router which seems to be my best option, because I do not trust my table saw that much as well, and these small boards are flimsy. The only thing I could come up was to make an inset in a plywood, where I would fasten the strips with wedges, "plane" them from one side, and then see what is the max height I can leave them at. If I could get them accurate to 1/32 I would be very pleased, I can glue them and sand them down to uniform thickness after.
Can anyone reccomend a good method or a jig?

*Design questions:*
I was planning on using the darker oak for the sides and top edge (see 2nd pic the long board) but it seems too light, my options are:
1. use the sapele for the edges instead and make the inlay around the board in teh darker oak and the sides as well, making the corner posts from Sapele to give it some contrast? 
2. use the dark oak with white oak posts but stain the darker oak? (I do love wood without a stain to be honest)
3. Some other combination - the reason I would like to use the darker oak is that this stock is almost perfectly square.

(I don't know what the "darker Oak" is actually called, english not being my first language I don't know the proper names, so if you could educate me that would be awesome. )

*Additional question:*
Should I oil the board before laquering t bring out the grain?

Sorry for the long post, but I am a bit worried about this project and I needed to get out of my cave and articulate my concerns/questions.

Jake


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Jake,

My preference would be to glue these boards together, then hand plane then as if flattening a long board or a table top. Trying to get them to the same thickness before gluing doesn't provide any benefit, and would be somewhat difficult. Just make sure the sides are straight and you don't have gaps between them. You should only need to plane one side, with the other side evened at glue up.
I can't help with the design question, I usually just set the boards together & trust my eye off what looks best.
Good luck.


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## comboprof (Aug 26, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Two thoughts.
There is probably a commercial shop that would plane it for you.
You may be able to use the wood shop at the high school or Junior high.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


I like the school shop idea, makes sense and I am sure they would be willing


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## mantwi (Mar 17, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Best of wishes on this, it's a nice thing you are doing. I'd be thrilled if one of my kids made the effort you are to handcraft a gift for me. This is one of those rare situations where it really is the thought that counts. God bless and merry Christmas.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


I would glue the pieces up and then find a cabinet shop or someone with a wide belt or drum sander to flatten it for you.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Alright thanks for the feedback. That was kind of what I was thinking as well, I will try to glue it up then and see what I can do after that.

It's not just the thougth that counts, execution has to be top notch also.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Great news!

managed to get a planer for a day. Cost me like 36$, but at least i can plane all of the details to uniform thickness. My hand planing is horrific at best… 

I will glue up the current pieces just in case anyhow and make the other cuts and stocks ready for planing, because I will have the planer on Saturday.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


For future reference, I don't know where you buy your lumber from, but the placer I go to makes most of their income from making custom moldings/doors, cabinet doors, not from selling me wood. Around Christmas they also have cutting boards by the checkout counter. Point is, if I were in your situation I would just ask them to run it through their machine for me, and I don't doubt that that they would. If you buy from a place like that and have a good relationship there that they'd run it through the planer or sander for much much less than $36.

Edit : I would use BLO and let it cure before finishing.


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## lepelerin (Jan 13, 2012)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


hand planing would be my pick. good luck


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


It would have been a lot easier for you to use veneers for this job and glue them to a substrate after assembly. Check out psalm's chessboard build here.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *No planer, no jointer - a lot of problems*
> 
> Hello kind sir or madam.
> 
> ...


Thanks all for your feedback

I was looking at the veneer chess board it and it looks awesome. But the closest veneer I could find is 0,6mm at max and I have to buy a metric f***ton of it, they don't sell strips. And obviously I don't have a veneer vaccum.

As far as the supplies and companies go I am in a bit different situation that you guys are. I live in a country with 1,3million people and the supplier list is extremely short, example: after scourging around the interwebs for 4 months I only found one company that sells quality exotic lumber (we only have aspen, pine, spruce and alder available in stores) anything above that is considered expensive and exotic…. So I have to make do with what I have.

And I will make do with what i have and do the best i can, I made the first glue up today, came up horrendeus, I will plane it tomorrow, see how it goes, in the mean time I am designing the chess board with different wood options in SU and put it up for feedback from you guys.

Once I get the wood set up complete I will make the rough cuts and once I have the thicnkess planer on Saturday I will start the "production" with fresh stock. Should advance a lot over the weekend.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Which woods to use? (design poll)*

Hello again, I am revisiting my idea abouty the woods to be used for the chess board. The top will be White oak and sapeli as originally planned, but I am having doubts about the other parts. When Looking at Mr WWMM legend Steve Ramsey's videos, his chess board looks awesome with just 2 woods, but mine looks kind of plain when I put it in SU. So now I am toying with the idea of using more than 2 woods.

Please have your say which one of the 4 you would choose, the colours are as close as I could get, you can see the original pics on post #1 of this series, everything except the dark African Teak corner post are there. Also I don't have a lot of that African Teak, so corner posst are almost the max i can use.

So choices: 
no1









no2









no3









no4









What do you think, persoanlly I lean towards no 3 or 4, I know the wood won't be as plain as it seems in SU (also the grains on the horizontal boards would be horizontal, rather than veritcal), so might be that no1 is actually fine, but Sapeli has a reddish tone, so I think it might be too much red if i only use that.

Looking forward to getting the rough cuts done tomorrow and using the thickness planer over the weekend, to make some real progress.

Additional question:
For inlay i was planning on using 5/64 Aspen, but it seems a bit too thin according to the SU, maybe a 1/8 would be better? The Aspen has a white tone so it seems like a great idea for the inlay around the actual board. (the dimensions for the board is 2" squares and 2,5" sides.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Slippery slope of handplanes*

So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.

I remember someone on the handplane forum saying that handplanes are a slippery slope… Well i feel like it it's more of a botomless abyss, the fall from not using one to shopping for new ones has been a swift one… 

Anyhow, planed about 1/4 off of the chesss board top. The planing was fine, took me like 2-3 hours with sharpening and testing - this was my first time actually trying to plane something resembling a flat surface. But the initiall strips were not uniform, meaning that the glue up wasn't as great as i had hoped - there are gaps in the chess sboard top. No worries though, this will serve as my test piece, starting work on new pieces tomorrow.

The table saw marks on the strips are nice are they not? Guess I should get a better TS, but not yet.








Those 2 colour shavings are so beautiful!! I actually saved a bag full of those and chucked it on my dresser, until I can find inspiration on what to do with them.








dry fit of the pieces


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## WhoMe (Jul 9, 2009)

j1212t said:


> *Slippery slope of handplanes*
> 
> So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.
> 
> ...


Oh yea it is a slippery slope indeed… and those nice two colored shavings don't help either.
In the picture of the planes, the black handled one looks like a #10 variant, maybe a 10 1/2. Am I correct?

From the looks of things, the chess board turned out ok too.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Slippery slope of handplanes*
> 
> So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.
> 
> ...


I honestly have no idea, these planes were handed to me by my great uncle, the brown handle one I touched up some week ago or something, and the blakc handle one I just refurbished some yesterday. It had a big blotch of rust in the back and some corrosion on the body, but the blade was in great shape.

The blade is not 90 degrees to the base, it has a small angle, and you don't drop the blade in from above, but put it in from the base.

Here's a closer pic:









If you know what this is and what it is used for I would be very thankful for any info, as I am heading down the abyss anyway, I might as well Embrace the dark side.  I have one more which is like a 1" blade, I will have to have all of these vetted by you guys and tell me what they are and what they are used for.


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Slippery slope of handplanes*
> 
> So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.
> 
> ...


Can't tell you model numbers, but the black handled one looks to be a rabbeting plane…You use it to cut rabets along the edge of a board…the blade can cut right to the edge of the plane due to the cut-out.

The other one (brown handled) will be better for general smoothing.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Slippery slope of handplanes*
> 
> So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.
> 
> ...


Awesome, thanks for the info!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *Slippery slope of handplanes*
> 
> So I did what was reccomended, the big differences in width I just used my handplanes to plane it down.
> 
> ...


Nice looking shavings. Enjoy the ride.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Getting somewhere, no going back form handplanes*

Alright, from last entry I have done a few things, including decided on the end design, and new glue-up of the chess board itself.

Also, I am now in the dark abyss of handplanes - no coming back. Bought a stanley sharpening kit (angle holder) which made a world of difference for me, I am getting such lovely shavings that I can't bear to throw them away, this is crazy, but I love it.

Anyhow, this is just a post of a lot of pics and also progress report. In the process so far I have learnt that my equipment is not very good, my table saw is quite inaccurate and I don't know if this is my cross cut sled or my saw in general, but it seems to be the saw. So I get to do a lot of handplaning, but it is nice, I just leave a 1/8 extra everywhere, so I can handplane it down to uniform if I need to.

So far I have completed the new glue up of the ches board and also glued the chessboard to plywood, also routed grooves into the sides for the chess board. Today I am hoping to finish my 45 degree sled and make and glue the edges of the chessboard.

I am loving it, I can somewhat see the finish line now!
Pics:

Set up for new glue up:









new glue up:









Pattern glue up:









Creative clamping learnt from Mr Ramsey:









After glue-up:









I thought I took more pics, but evidently I did not. I will make new pics after I finish the glue-up of the top. Hopefully that will be by the end of day today.

*Additionally 2 questions:*, 
1. Reccomendations for the finish? I think I am going with linseed oil to bring out the grain and colour, but I need a fast curing laquer or similar. I need to put on about 5-8 layers and sand it down to gloss, and i probably will only have 2-4 days maximum for that. So any reccomendations would be highly appreciated.

2. What angle should my hand plane blade be ground to? I have been grinding it to 35 degrees, but I don't know if this is correct or not? What is the difference in angles, what does a steeper angle do?

Thank you all for the knowledge you have given me and enjoy the holidays!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

j1212t said:


> *Getting somewhere, no going back form handplanes*
> 
> Alright, from last entry I have done a few things, including decided on the end design, and new glue-up of the chess board itself.
> 
> ...


Ahhh, another convert to the dark side of hand planes! You are right, they are a slippery slope.

Progress is looking good. For a fast drying gloss finish, lacquer is a good choice, but I wouldn't use linseed oil underneath. Not that it won't work, but it can take a long time to fully cure so that you can topcoat with something else. Even one coat thinned with mineral spirits is going to need at least a day or two, depending on environment. Hopefully someone with more finishing experience will chime in with some ideas.

Hand plane sharpening, however, I can be a bit more help. On a typical bevel down plane, the frog is at a 45 degree angle to the sole. Since the back of the iron is the leading edge for cutting, that 45 degrees is also your attack angle. What the bevel angle does is allow for the wood fibers to spring back a bit after being gone over by the cutting edge. So essentially, the bevel is just a relief angle. For this purpose, you need at least 10 degrees, according to the experts I've read or listened to, so any angle from 35 degrees down will work. I'd say that 25 or 30 degrees are probably the most common bevel angles seen, but you should be fine with 35, as well.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Getting somewhere, no going back form handplanes*
> 
> Alright, from last entry I have done a few things, including decided on the end design, and new glue-up of the chess board itself.
> 
> ...


Ok. So i am going to skip the oil. The schedule is tight on this project so I can't take any chances.

Thanks for the input on the plane, need to sharpen it again soon so I am going for the 30 degrees, test how that works out. Well thanks for the input I have got to get back. Got some planing to do. ...


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## sgmdwk (Apr 10, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Getting somewhere, no going back form handplanes*
> 
> Alright, from last entry I have done a few things, including decided on the end design, and new glue-up of the chess board itself.
> 
> ...


I recently completed a chess board made of maple and walnut. I chose a gloss poly for the finish. It won't yellow and alter the beautiful color of the wood, and poly is very hard, when cured, so it will last through a lot of use.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Paying stupid tax*

A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!

Pic really tells most of the story









Got very stupid and very lucky all at the same time. Was cutting the inlays for the top of the chess board. (the bottom is glued up already).

Was running some maple through the tablesaw to get some thin strips, as they were going through I figured I should catch them from the other side, because they were moving a bit… And the funny thing is , right before that I thought that - "Gee this is exactly the kind of place where I should use pushsticks" (Which i do 95% of the time to be honest, I just had been running the table saw for the full day and I wanted to get this part over with, which meant that I was "in a hurry" and careless all at the same time, never a winning combination)

Cue a slip of the finger, a lapse of concentration or whatever and my thumb meeting the tablesaw. I got extremely lucky, the cut was a bit less than 1/2", only needed 1 stich, did not cut the fingernail or the bone, just threw out a chunk of meat and skin.

So yeah, here's my stupid tax paid for this year, luckily it was a very cheap fare to go around this time. I am taking 2 days off now, maybe only a small glue up tomorrow, no powertools.

Also extending the deadline by a week for this project, I am sure my dad would prefer me with 10 fingers and the present 1 week late, rather than me with 9 1/2 fingers and project on time.

Again, just a friendly reminder, keep safe fellow LJ's!


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## whitebeast88 (May 27, 2012)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


glad to hear your injury wasn't more serious.i kow i'v been in a hurry before andshouldn't be.i really tried lately to quit if i'm tired or get to rushing to much.hope you heal quickly.thanks for the reminder..


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Sounds like you were very lucky indeed. It does not take much for serious injury


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


I feel lucky. Can't sleep at the moment, thinking of all the worse case scenarios. I know for sure that I got lucky with a small reminder of what not to do.

Also, looking forward to doing some handplaning and sawing tomorrow.


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Damn Jake!

How many times do I have to tell ya…

Be Careful!

Glad it wasn't worse (and I know about worse…) Hope your recuperation goes well.

Again…

Be Careful!

Herb


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


I read your post and will have to get on your case. Don't use a push stick 95% of the time. If it is a narrow piece use a push stick. Sorry for the injury. Mark it up as a lesson learned and keep alert.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Thanks for that Grandpa, this is the exact thing my grandpa would tell me. Instead of feeling sorry for me, he'd make sure I get the lesson. I love it, oldschool.


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## CincyRW (Nov 18, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Glad to hear you're OK and there doesn't appear to be any long lasting injuries. I really appreciate you sharing this with us. I don't know how many times I've not been fully focused on something because I was thinking about the next step.

Maybe we should have a "near miss / close call" category on the blogs.

Again - glad this wasn't any worse.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


I'm glad that you came out of it with just a superficial wound. You were very fortunate but you can be sure that it can happen to anyone who suffers a moment where they are in a hurry or not concentrating.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Warning, graphic image for some vieweres, viewer discretion is adviced… 

The cut is healing up nicely, and the chessboard is moving on nicely as well, glued up the top yesterday, puttin in the inlyas today, then I will square up both bottom and top (obviously I could not make them uniform size… ) and after that i will make a new entry showing how far along I am currently.

Here is a pic of the finger:


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Ouch!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Nah, no ouch anymore, only thing that is still hurting is my ego. 

I was doing research yesterday about safety in the shop, and i found that I have been a moron with my tablesaw "safety" mainly due to the fact that I have ever seen it used one way all through my life and thought that was the way to go. Made a lot of adjustments yesterday, taking a lot of time to think eveyrthing through, first safety and then execution, so this accident was a good thing for me.


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## prospector45 (Aug 30, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Jake, 
Similar story here, lucky my neighbor is an orthopedic surgeon. The finger will heasl, but the memory will guide us for a long time. I even left the blood drops on the floor as a reminder to slow down and be careful
A great teacher will share the knowledge. What adjustments did you make? Teach us!!!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Paying stupid tax*
> 
> A friendly reminder to be safe in the shop!
> 
> ...


Main adjustments in no particular order:

1. Put my riving knife on the TS (didn't even know it had to be there) then I took it off, because I can't use my riving knife with my sleds, but as I did that I ONLY do my cust with a sled now, if I ever need to make a cut without it, the riving knife goes on. I'd rather 'lose' 20 minutes putting it on, than taking the 2 hours to go to the trauma centre

2. I leave the shop as soon as i feel tiered, I take a break and return in 1-2 hours

3. I always use a sanding mask when sanding.

4. I screw fences on the sled to fasten my detail if I need to, if i need to go closer than 2" to the blade, I rather make a few screw holes in my sled and make a new sled in 6 months, but I will clamp it down however I can and keep my hands away, even if I use a push stick.

5. I turn the TS off and wait for the blade to stop nefore removing any pieces from the sled.

While these might be pretty self-evident for my fellow LJ's, this is a whole new approach to me, before all of my safety was just to try to eliminate kickback and try to stay out of the way if a kickback might occur… But after watching videos of accidents on youtube, I realised what an idiot I had been. In general, I take more time now to be safe, screw the deadline, I'd rather keep my limbs attached to this lovely body.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Getting close to the finish line*

Ok, a lot of pictures in this one. After my accident on saturday, I have just been taking my sweet time to be safe and work while I am at a 100% concentration, when I fall under that, i just leave the shop and come back later.

Please excuse the pic quality, the lighting in the shop is still crap, I will get around to it once I get a few projects out of the way first.

So, pics from production:

Glueing up the bottom, messed up the plywood was about 1/8 too small on 2 sides, so I tried to fill in with glue and sanding dust, but it looked like crap, I will try applying some of the fine sawdust with a glue, hopefully it gets better, if not, i will learn to live with it.









Glueing up the top without the inlays (I tried to do it all at once the previous day, But I could not get the mitered cornes to fit, so I had to take it all apart and wash the glue off and after that i just needed a break from the shop to avoid mistakes, so I did that)









After that I put in the inlays and tried a dry fit with the corner posts (no sides done yet)








That was extremely satisfying, even though the top looks like crap and it is hardly even square, I could finally see at what the end product will look like and the proportions were fine, so that felt great and gave me a much needed energy and motivation boost.

Today I made the sides and glued them up, I also did some finish sanding on the sides, as I wont be able to get to them later, here is the wood done with an OS 80,120,180,240 and then 320 grit. Please take note on the lovely *********************************** clamping (scraps and screws) I don't mind though, because this is a temporary workbench, after my kitcehn a new workbench will be priority no1. But that wood sanded to 320 does look pretty sweet:









The top before planing - I put too much weight on it when I glued it in, so the top is about 1/8 or so curved, but I don't care, after all the sanding is probably at 1/16, it is noticebale form the side, but it also can pass as a planned look, so that's what I am going for









After planing with my trusty old plane (the new one on the other pic I could not get to work, the 25 degree angle on it seems to be to steep)









The top after sanding through the grits to 320:









Now for next steps in order of doign them:
1. Putting a 1/4 round over on all the sides of the top and bottom. Sanding the bottom to 180 to have it ready for finish. *Or should i go up to 320?* Done tomorrow
2. Planing the top of the sides to make a perfect fit on the top and bottom of the board. Glueing up the sides. Hope to get it done tomorrow.
3. Making the middle support pieces and glueing them in, probably saturday morning or sunday.
4. Making the drawers for the chess set, as well as the stop blocks, runners etc.
5. Sanding the top up to 400 with an OS, glueing up top and bottom. 
6. Start of finishing (hopefully tuesday of next week)
7. After 5-7 layers of laquer sanding it from 180 with an os to 400, from 400 go to wet hand sanding with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 1500, buff up with felt, buff up with lamb wool, apply beeswax, buff with lamb wool.
8. Pack with the shavings in a big box and deliver to dad on the next weekend.

If you have any suggestions on how much I should sand the sides and bottom to that would be highyl appreciated, is 320 too high? My main focus will be on the top of the chessboard itself to get it to a near mirror finish.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

j1212t said:


> *Getting close to the finish line*
> 
> Ok, a lot of pictures in this one. After my accident on saturday, I have just been taking my sweet time to be safe and work while I am at a 100% concentration, when I fall under that, i just leave the shop and come back later.
> 
> ...


Anytime I wonder about using a finer grit, I test it out and almost always use it. I think after 180-220 it becomes a matter of preference…


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

j1212t said:


> *Getting close to the finish line*
> 
> Ok, a lot of pictures in this one. After my accident on saturday, I have just been taking my sweet time to be safe and work while I am at a 100% concentration, when I fall under that, i just leave the shop and come back later.
> 
> ...


Just remember when you think you are finished there is still 1/2 hour of sanding to go….


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Getting close to the finish line*
> 
> Ok, a lot of pictures in this one. After my accident on saturday, I have just been taking my sweet time to be safe and work while I am at a 100% concentration, when I fall under that, i just leave the shop and come back later.
> 
> ...


Yes sir, I have noticed that. Like Mr Ramsey himself says, "Woodworking is 5% planning, 5% cutting and 90% sanding"

My way is something like that, in terms of time actually spent on the projects: 5% planning, 1% cutting, 9% fixing my mistakes, 85% planing and sanding

Having a hard time getting any work done at the office, really need to get back to the shop, it hurts to be away!!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Drawers made a lot of hand sanding to be done*

Just a short post with some pictures on where I am at. I am right on schedule with what I planned in my last entry:

Top and bottom rounded over, this really made a world of difference in appearance, now it looks a lot more professional:









Glueing up the sides, that was somewhat difficult, they did not line up perfectly even after some planing and handleing. To be honest i did not worry about it a lot, just because I don't know about the moisture content of the wood or of my shop so probably the wood will shift once it gets to my father, so I will have to adjust the legs at some point any way.









Dry fit with top, and drawer fronts. Can't wait to glue up the top and start finishing!







(Notice the lovely pine slabs in the back, about 22" width, altogether probably like 20-23 bf of them, 2" thick. I will make something ncie from them once I get my kitchen done.

Inside view, dry fit:









What I have in line for today:
1. Add drawer guides, the drawers are quite a snug fit, so I need to make guides inside, so it moves more easily.
2. handsanding all the gluemarks, I did wipe them with a rag, but i did not get rid of them all.
3. Handsanding the roundover on top and bottom
4. Glue up of top and bottom
5. Cleaning of shop, trying to get all of the dust off, so I can go in with a vaccum tomorrow to make it dust free for coating.

For tomorrow and wednesday:
1. Last sanding of sides and final sanding of top to 400 grit.
2. First coat of laquer (Managed to score some semi gloss laquer that is fast drying (30 min to an hour) but as I understand it is toxic as hell, so i will have to be careful with all the safety equipment.
3. Putting on 2-3 coats on sides and so on, on the top I will put on 6-7 coats.

Then I will ahve it cure for 24-48 hours, then off to finish sanding and buffing. next post will be the finished product. 

I can't believe I am getting to the end of this project. I am very pleased so far and I am glad I had the audacity to take on this project. I did not have the tools or skills to make this project quickly and exactly as Mr Ramsey did and as many of you guys could do it. But I am extremely satisfied that with my TS, handheld router, handplanes and an orbital sander I have managed to come up with what I have so far.

It has been a great learning experience and I will be mighty pleased if and when I get it finished. At this point I am taking my time with the last steps, I want to make sure I line up the top and bottom perfectly and that I get the finish just right. it does not matter if I get it done by sunday this week or next week, but it matters that it comes out as good as possible.

*Thanks for reading, thank you for all the tips and encouragement, I could not have done it without you guys!*


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Drawers made a lot of hand sanding to be done*
> 
> Just a short post with some pictures on where I am at. I am right on schedule with what I planned in my last entry:
> 
> ...


Been following this quietly for a while. Looking pretty great so far!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Drawers made a lot of hand sanding to be done*
> 
> Just a short post with some pictures on where I am at. I am right on schedule with what I planned in my last entry:
> 
> ...


Thanks! Glued up the top and bottom yesterday, can't wait to get home and sand and prep for finishing. The glue up's have been somewhat of a mess, always too much glue squeezeout, which ususally is not a big problem. However, with the sides and all pieces sanded to 320 it is a pain to sand teh glue after, so I had to go on and sand eveyrthing to 240 instead of 320 to get the bottom glue squeeze out off.

Tonight it will take me a few hours to get sanding done and then I can start wiuth the first coat of laquer. AWESOME! 

Also, took time to clean the shop yesterday, took me like 2,5 hours to dust off all of the surfaces. I don't think I am gonna go over it with a vaccum, just do another sweep today, let the dust settle and start with the finishing.

2 pics from yesterday:
1. was doing the touch up sanding in my livign room because the damn dust I stirred up while dusting the workshop would have killed me and I was sick of the mask for the night.









2. Top clamped in - also, the shop floor is clear-ish finally!!


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Surface coating in progress*

I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.

I really just wanted to show off the big difference in laquer and no laquer versions. I was a bit hesitant at first, because I was not sure how the laquer would make the chess board look. But after searching around for my balls and finding them I just went ahead and put the laquer on without worrying about it…

And it looks great!!

Before coating, sanded to 320 (actually sanded top and drawers to 400, just did not take pic of that) By the way the cabinet that can be seen partially in the background is also made by me, my very first project to be honest. 









After first 2 coats of laquer:


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## sgmdwk (Apr 10, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


It is exciting to put on that first coat of finish and see the grain pop, isn't it?


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


Very exciting indeed! In an hour I will have the last coat put on. Then it will be a long 24th wait for the laquer to cure then I can finally start the finishing.

Any suggestions on hand rubbed finish? I am thinking of starting off with 400 grit ROS at speed 1 to flatten it out quickly then go with wet hand sanding through the grits to 1500

Or do you think the start with 400 ROS would be too aggressive and I should only do it by hand? A lot of what I found on YouTube they started at 320 by hand, so I want to think that ROS 400 grit would be ok.


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## kenn (Mar 19, 2008)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


Don't chance the ROS! This looks too good at this point to worry about a little elbow grease. Hand sand it, start at 320 or 400, wipe it down between grits. Use a sanding block to help keep it flat. Good luck, you are almost there.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


Alright, thanks for the input, elbow grease it is!


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## sgmdwk (Apr 10, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


I'd stay away from the ROS, too. It would be a real shame to mess things up, and it could happen real quick. A chess board is small enough that hand sanding, with a block, using wet/dry paper, isn't really very tedious.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Surface coating in progress*
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't post before I am finished, but I can't help myself. I started putting on coats of laquer yesterday, will finish up today with 7 coats on the top and on the drawer fronts and 2 coats on everywhere else. Then i will start handpolishing tomorrow to have the present ready for delivery by saturday.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your input, in general terms What do you think, how long will hand sanding take. I realise the first grit will be the longest to get our all perfectly flat. But going through 400/600/800/1000/1200/1500/felt pad/lamb wool. What kind of time I am looking at.

2 hours, 4, or 10? I am trying to figure out if I can afford to let the lacquer cure until Friday, to sand on Saturday morning or not…

Any input would be appreciated as I am having trouble finding any reliable info.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

*Trials and tribulations*

I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday










Since I did not fille the wood pores (did not find a suitable product in our hardware stores) the laquer was all over the places in ridges and valleys and to get it all even I should have put atleast 7 more coats on, then I could confortably sand it down to totally flat.

But after first 20 minutes of handsanding









I went to 400 grit OS.









And that didn't work out quite as I wanted either, the sandpaper was clogging up so much, had to change it every few minutes, really need to get my hands on a wet ROS paper.









Of course, at this point I should realize that I have sanded off a lot of lacquer and I should be considering different options already…But that is not what I do…. against all of your guys better judgement, what do I do?

That is correct, I switch to 320 ROS….Of course, at this point with brand new ROS 320 paper I make a mistake. 


















At this point I am just like @£$€!!!!! this POS, BS project… and I go to figuring out another option. Since the base laquer was a semi-gloss I run to the shop, grab a can of high gloss spray on lacquer, I figure I can coat it with that and see what happens, since the base is very flat now it might cover it up nicely, but you never know. (This is where I should have started by the way, but being an amateur I did not ask specifically for spray on lacquer before I started this project, I went with a brush on version)

I come back form the shop, cover that little piece with the brush on lacquer, leave it to dry and go to play bandminton to vent off some of the steam. Return 3 hours later, put handles on my drawers and do a test piece with the spray on laquer - on just wood it works well, so if it doesn't bring the top on to shine with the current base coat of semigloss lacquer I will have the option to sand the top all down to wood and do a new build up with spray on. The big advantage is that it dries in like 15 minutes, so I can still deliver the piece this Satruday or Sunday.

Boy do I love to learn new things but I hate that I need to learn by making mistakes, especially when I make these mistakes by specifically going against your guys expertiese. 

Anyhow, today when I get back home I will start coating the top and lining the drawers with felt, I am determined to win, even if that does mean that I need to sand the top down to bare wood and start from scratch. I have put in too much work to quit now. And I need to start work on my kitchen next week. I got a lot ofprojects coming up, can't afford to push the project for another week.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Do you want a really glossy surface? Spraying satin lacquer will give a moderate sheen, not that really glossy, glass like sheen. I dont particularly like the super glossy look. I think it detracts from the look of the contrasting woods. Single color projects look OK glossy. That said take it down a little more with 400 grit wet dry sand paper. Use 1/4 sheets cut from a full sheet. Fold twice giving you four sanding surfaces. Reshoot with rattle can. Light coats, do not overspray. Put on three or four coats. Let it cure overnight at room temp (that is indoor room temp) Hit it again with 600 lightly you are just knocking down the nibs. You should be left with a VERY smooth surface. Shoot one or two more coats. Again with the 600 VERY lightly. But please let the lacquer dry overnight. The paper should load with white powder. You can feel/hear when you are there. A light rub with 1000 grit if you want a little more sheen. Then wax with paste wax. Two coats will do. The surface will feel sooooo smooth.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


by the way I shoot that brushing lacquer with EXCELLENT results.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


and when you are getting close to wood with the ROS, stop. Go to hand sanding. You want to leave the lacquer in the pores of the wood. DO NOT OVERSAND. You have a nice 'fill' with the lacquer.
The nice thing about wet/dry is you can rinse it for a fresh cut.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for the detailed explanation, it is highly needed and appreciated!

Unfortunately I only have about 24 hours until delivery, otherwise I will have another week in between since we live in different cities, so I might just go with like 4 coats of spray lacquer tonight, let it dry and do a light sanding with 1000 or 1500 to get it smooth, then wax it and deliver it tomorrow.

Hopefully it will work.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


I like to use some auto rubbing compound on the last coat. It leaves a super smooth surface which looks polished and very clear rather than just shiny. It is great to the touch as well. Not a good idea for open grain woods though as the polish will stick in the pores.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Stefang can you reccomend any European products that you use for filling in pores? I can't seem to find anything here, since most all of the youtube videos and step-by-step isntructions seem to come from the States.

I would have used a wood filler if I only had found any. the auto compound seems to be a great idea, I will use it in my next projects if I find a wood pore filler.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


You can certainly use the finish as the pore filler. With repeated coats and light sand back the pores will fill with your finish. With this project I think you would have been disappointed with a filler. The filler color is matched to the color of the wood, or dark with dark wood etc. You may have done yourself a favor with the brushing of lacquer as you got a fairly thick coat and sanded it back.
I hope every thing turns out. You have built a very nice board. The recipient will be VERY pleased. 
We as craftsman are our own worst enemys/critics.


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## sgmdwk (Apr 10, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


For future reference. I have had best luck using foam brushes with polyurethane finishes. It is important to just brush it on and leave it alone. Don't keep going back over the same area. I sand lightly with 400 grit between coats, then I also use automotive polishing compound, and finally a good auto wax. I like New Finish.

Anyway, that is what I did on the chess board I gave my son and daughter in law for Christmas, and the finish turned out pretty well.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Thank you all for your help and encouragement!

The project is finished, just buffing the wax left now. Going to deliver it in a few hours, I will post the last entry and project when I have time.

Once again, thank you all for your words of encouragement and help, I could have not done it without you!


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## InsideTheBox (Oct 25, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Jake-Just reading up on your process, as I am embarking on a new chess board project for a friend. But then I got caught up in the story and am curious about the final, FINAL product.

Did your father love it? Was it incredible? Want to see photos of the final and maybe even one with your father's smile.


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## j1212t (Dec 7, 2013)

j1212t said:


> *Trials and tribulations*
> 
> I can't help myself, I just keep messing up… The Trials and tribulations of being an amateur. Started sanding yesterday
> 
> ...


Sorry, as always, when the project got finished I did not end the blog as I should have and I probably won't, but here's the end product:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/95459

In addition to all I wrote in my blog, there is one more consideration, if you are going to inlay the drawers with felt, you might consider using carpet tape or hot glue, I used soem genereic, pretty strong double sided tape, but the felt is peeling off a bit, so I am probably going to redo that part during the summer, other than that, the project seems to be holding up nicely, over the last almost 5 months it does not yet show any cracks or anything, so I must have done something right, which is a good change of pace. 

Best of luck with your project!


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