Wow at nearly 3 years old this video has exploded! (At least for me). I appreciate all the views and comments of advice. Just a bit of background. This was my very first TH-cam video and is cringy to watch for multiple reasons! The saw technique being the biggest reason. My editing and voice over skills being another big one for me personally. I still consider myself a beginner in both regards, but the recent response to this video has inspired me to continue to make videos and improve my skills. Rest assured I do not use the table saw like this anymore 😀 Thanks so much for watching and subscribing! If you have a sec check out my other videos!
@@edmilner On NPR they had a news item that chess sets are selling out because of "The Queen's Gambit". They also claimed people socially distancing and staying home seem to prefer a physical set to play.
Don't sweat the early mistakes. You've got a decent mix of tools, and you'll gain the experience over time to do some nice stuff. When glueing strips, clamp a couple of straight rigid boards across the strips, top and bottom, to keep them flat. Use wax or parchment paper to keep them away from the glue. This will really cut down on the planing and sanding.
I am a complete amateur, but even I can see this is some horrible H&S. No knife, no blade cover, leans over the blade, no push stick thing and also no dust collection.
That was a rough journey. And I only say that not to dog you, but because I know exactly how that feels. Man, you perservered and you made a lot of small mistakes (we all do) but the point to take home was you ended up with a beautiful piece at the end! The mistakes don't matter. What matters / mattered was you stuck it out and fixed them. Great work. I hope mine turns out that nice in the end!
You made this video some 3years ago and this is my first visit. I think it’s inspiring to any wood worker beginning or experienced. You learn from your mistakes and find a way to make it right. Your shop looks well equipped and one thing I can offer is to use them, it’s a lot easier and safer. Your honesty and narrative made this a pleasure to watch.
Absolutely beautiful - very generous to share that. I have seen lots of videos with perfect presentations which are obviously geared towards selling. But your video is actually inspiring dudes like me who have never done this and don't have fancy machinery to make something like that. YOUR chessboard and especially the way YOU made it is my favored. THANK YOU
You are very welcome, the world needs more and more people like you, who simply share their experience, instead of pretending or trying to be perfect due to a lack of self-acceptance. All the best!! @@benofalltrades
Dont beat yourself up too much over this. Anytime you make your "prototype" project, it always takes a lot longer as you are working through things as you go. The next time will be a lot easier. In the end, you have a really nice chessboard, and unless you are making these for production, thats all that counts.
There are (and will be) lots of people just starting out to work with wood and woodworking machinery. Experts can explain how they easily make something but the beginner will struggle to accomplish close to the same thing. Watching YOUR mistakes and learning just as you did is much, much better than watching an expert craft a perfect piece. Thank you, tremendously, for showing your mistakes. This video is a treasure!
I love your honesty and humbleness. Mistakes happen and we learn from it. This video inspired me to make one. I hope you stay safe and healthy and nothing bad happens to you in shop. Love your videos man. Keep up the great work.
I have now watched several very skilled craftsmen making chessboards. They come in ultra high-end, using expensive materials, down to this one, which uses off cuts. They are all fantastic, but this one brings it down to MY level. I have to hunt down some wood now. Thanks for the video. It is great!
It honers you that you talk about the mistakes , but still improvised , adapted and overcame. The result is super and you will treasure this board for years. The little imperfections make it unique and human.
Dude! Make yourself a decent push stick! A scrap piece of wood is not a push stick. I cringed when I saw you using that thing. As far as bar clamping, use more clamps and alternate them top /bottom to even out the forces and as you say, do not overtighten. Clamping cauls may help to even out the pressure as well.
I enjoyed the video and I made the same mistakes as you and I will making my next chess board soon, hope I've learnt some thing. You learn by your mistakes. Well done.
As you can see, I love to watch and it doesn't matter as long as I enjoy it. Maybe in some time I'll come back to congratulate you, one more time aguien jejejej
I just made my first chessboard and even if I had watched your video, I probably would have still made some of the same mistakes. I learn by doing, and I learned a lot. One thing that amazes me about woodworking is how similar it is to PGA golf. While it’s nice to be in the fairway and on the green, the most important skill is recovering from a bad situation. In woodworking this typically involves a lot of sanding!!! 😂😂😂😂😂 Great video!!!
Using your push stick right next to the fence tends to rotate the stock into the blade-a recipe for mangled stock and a mangled body from kickback. Get or make yourself a decent push stick, one that applies pressure to the top of the workpiece as well as pushing it forward. [Ah, I see one in use at 7:25.] When cutting really thin strips, it is far safer (for you and the stock) to cut the strips so they fall away from blade, not between the blade and the fence. It's a bit more fiddly to get the thicknesses consistent, but it's not that hard and decidedly worth it. When filling gaps, it's best to use wood glue; superglue will darken the wood, making the repair more evident. You ended up with a nice piece, and without having been told about the mistakes made along the way, it's unlikely anyone would ever know.
Can make a stop block at the infeed to have a consistent size so all you gotta do is slide the fence over and sandwich the board between the stop block and the fence. The fence only moves the width of the cut plus the saw kerf every time. Should - in theory - get consistent size strips then. Still scary to me though since my table saw has an actual chasm next to each size of the blade. 😂 Kickback damn near broke my hand / wrist once already trying to cut thin stock. Have a zero clearance throat or buy a bandsaw for that kind of work.
It’s easy to rave about your successes, but it takes real sand for a man to show others his failures. Cheers for that. You’re ahead of the game for two reasons: First, TH-cam. I wish I had access to so much visual instruction when I first started woodworking. And second, you seem smart enough to ask for help. Best of luck on the journey.
When I have some trouble with varying thickness of boards causing trouble on the table saw like you described, I use some hot glue or double sided tape to attach a smooth carrier (MDF of somthing similar) to the bottom and let that slide on the table saw surface. Easy peasy for taking care of that until you get it dressed down smoother. There are also lots of videos using a router sled to smooth the surface down. I have used this method a couple of times and it is great for reducing the amount of sanding required to get the surface smooth.
What a great video! The board turned out great in the end. I liked the explanations of the mistakes knowing that I would make numerous errors also the first time doing anything. It’s good to know I’m not alone 😮
Despite your "learn as you go" errors, it really turned out beautifully! The contrast between the wood squares is really nice. I also liked your choice of finish going with the satin. I am going to try to build my first entire set, starting off with the board and then on to the pieces, but at a smaller scale of 75% USCF size (1.5" squares). I just bought a Dremel 4" table saw for the board and a small Dremel lathe for the pieces. A full size set would likely exceed the capacity of my tools, so I'll just plan on scaling everything down. Great job again!
You weren't born a master woodworker. You learn by doing. Your chess board was a great challenge and learning project. Something to be proud of. Display it with pride. It would be great to see where you are now in your woodworking journey. Keep "doing" and learning.
You're Perfect👍🏻 In your first time. Like me, learning by ourselves. Also, learning from the mistakes. Thoroughly enjoyed your woodwork. I love that two-wood colors.
Great looking chess board! Observation : You need to align your fence to your saw blade, or you will be sanding more than you will be sawing. Spend a few days calibrating your saw fence and making sure your saw blade teeth has enough clearance to material as well as a thick steel so it will not bend during the cut. After the cut you should only need light sanding instead of trying to sand off the burn marks. Let the blade rest on hardwoods and even use lubricate to cool the blade to prevent it from overheating & bending while going through a lot of material.
I love it. Thank you for sharing! I cringed at your mistakes and cheered at your "but I can fix it". A chess board is hard to execute. The theory is really simple but you have to do everything right. A day of woodworking that doesn't involve bleeding is a success. I appreciate your humility. Your board looks great!
the best way i find to do accurate forty fives is by fussing and caliberting your saw to a couple thousandths or so true. It is easier to have a high end miter gage like the incra which is tedious to set up true but stays there and will only need to be trued to ninety degrees the forty five settings are true to the ninety to a couple thousandths or so. it has taken me quite a few years to actually learn how to set up my mitre gage correctly using the five sided board method.
Agree with all the safety comments. But you are on the right track. Build yourself a router sled to flatten after glue-ups. You dont need the final thickness to be much more than a half inch. You can back it with plywood and then cover the edges with hardwood
You can glue the boarder on as a square pieces to get perfect miters, then cut the bevel after the glue up. this allows you to sneak up on the perfect bevel keeping your fingers well away from the blade.
It looks like it came out great after any missteps. Wood is pretty able to help you cover mistakes. On the glue-up with thin strips (similar to doing cutting boards) I think the wonkiness is eliminated by first laying your chess board strips between opposing 3/4" strips of a hardwood like maple wrapped in plastic wrap so they don't stick to the wood. 3 pairs of these wood strips on top and bottom of your board clamped with C clamps prevents flexing of the board that happens if you only use the long pipe clamps.
I'm sure you'll excell at whatever you do - as you clearly seek and accept advice rather than thinking you know everything as (some) others do. Great honest video, which gives someone with far less skill some hope. Thanks for posting flaws and all - it really helps.
You did a great job. The only thing is, evenly distribute finishes onto your cloth. It makes it much easier to evenly apply than to apply directly and spread it.
Thanks for your humble presentation. Many of my projects are the "second" attempt. You were able to salvage your first attempt with surprisingly good results. The gap filling on the 45's was particularly impressive. If you'd like to play a game... I'll play white... E4...
Thank you! Yeah first projects are always tough. And I'll admit, I rarely play chess even with a board. I wouldn't even know how to play by just describing the locations of the board 😀
Nice board, interesting project. Not sure if anyone else has commented on the 45-deg corner issue, but I would highly recommend a shooting board and hand plane so that you can cut them a hair overlong and then plane the corners by sneaking up on the exact final length, doing one corner at a time. It works like a charm. It is SO difficult to do these kinds of joints on a machine to the degree of accuracy you need/want.
@@benofalltrades I used to be a trim carpenter and we used them pretty often. You can also use pieces of scrap between what you’re gluing and the clamps to prevent minor damage to your project. I learned from working with other people. Keep up the good work.
Looks great.Love that you shared your errors and mistakes.Everone makes them but not all have the guts to admit it. I don't have a riving knife so don't worry.The sad ones that criticize are usually the ones that don't do anything
Thanks for watching! Yeah honestly I'd feel a bit better with one, but the one that came with the saw is to thick and prevents wood from being pushed through soooo 🤷🏼
@@carlnikolov they're similar to a domino of you're familiar with that. Basically you use a biscuit jointer to create a groove in both faces that will be glued together and then you slide a shim (biscuit) into the groove when glueing up and it keeps the pieces from sliding around vertically. Tons of videos out there on biscuit and domino jointers of you want to learn more!
I just tried this, and made it a lot harder on myself than it needed to be. Lay down some wax paper on your table saw top, then lay down your glued pieces and clamp. Worked pretty well for me!
@@benofalltrades Just to add about the cupping or slippage when clamping you can get a flat bit of wood and use it to press the wood Laminations down. So get a strip and place it running across the laminations so as to press them down and keep them all registered against flat bit of wood. and when you feel you have them flat you can lift the wooden strip away and swipe the excess glue away. After you can sand it all away and then plane if need be.
Yep, you made all the mistakes i did when starting out woodworking. In addition to the saw/push block/sticks and glue up recommendations, i would recommend getting a nice, relatively inexpensive “lunch box” planer like the Dewalt DW 735 as well as a jointer for 8” wide boards. Most everyone that bought a six inch jointer eventually wished they got the larger one. These tools will save you a lot of time and grief while making your projects better. I also made a slab flattening mill out of plywood to surface cutting boards, which would also do great on chess boards. Finally, exotic hardwoods are usually oily which interferes with glue bonding to it. Prior to gluing, rub/clean the wood area to be glued with acetone to remove the oil so the pieces don’t eventually separate. I enjoyed your video, especially as i tell people the most valuable skill I’ve learned is how to fix my many mistakes so no one could tell i made them in the first place.
I'm interested in how you got all that equipment for such a beginner - I've been doing it as a hobby for years and gradually add and replace tools - still don't have a decent table saw or many of the branded measuring tools, saws, jigs etc
Most of these tools are my dad's. He's been a DIY'er his whole life and has been collecting them. I've added just a few tools to the shop. I'm definitely lucky in that regard
@@benofalltrades thanks for the reply man, a very jealous Brit over here looking at all that stuff! Great job by the way, even though it was a while ago. I'll be subscribing to catch more videos
Since this video is almost 3 years old, I'd like to know how it has held up? The internet says not to put boarders around such a glue-up because the swelling and shrinking of the squares (seasonal wood movement) will pull the 45's apart. Did you find that to be the case? I guess it also depends on where you live and how the humidity swings between seasons.
I actually sold this board after about 6 months. I know that's not very long, but I didn't notice any changes in that time frame. It's also the only one I ever made, so maybe it's time to make another!
@@benofalltrades That show on Netflix is driving a ton of interest in chess right now. This would be an excellent time to make a new video and do another chessboard. Strike while the iron is hot! Get those clicks!! :)
Bro! I just went to home depot and cut out a 17x17 , measured out 2 inches for 8 squares and had enough space for the squares to be good enough. I spray painted and enameld my board to whatever the customer. I made about 15 chess boards and sold about half of that now. You still did awesome Bron. Hellz yeaa!
Hi. I made a board about 20 yrs ago , and after I reversed them to make the checker pattern , I glued and clamped , just Like you ..... and when I removed the clamps the next day , I also had a wonky result. I had to do it all again but this 2nd time, I placed a heavy object (25lb plate, I used to lift weights ) on the board. Then I clamped , and now the board was truly flat. I learned the lesson - you have to put something heavy on it so it won't warp.
I made a thinner chessboard in woodshop when I was in high school; we glued the board to another piece of wood and I had no problems plaining the board since it was attached to a base at that point.
@@benofalltrades I would just get a smoothing plane and learn how to use it. When you do get proficient with it can be fast and extremely accurate with it. Hand tool woodworking with some power tools can be extremely fast and very accurate. There is no machine that can get near to the quality level of a hand plane for a surface finish.
I did my glue up and had the same problem. I had made a gig a while back to flatten boards. I used this with my router and a flattening bit.. It is in one of my videos I am sure. Another thing I do is since my planner will only take 13.5 inch material. I make my boards in two glue ups, then run them through the planner until they are the same thickness, then glue the two halves together. As the comment just below mine says, I use straight boards on edge clamped to the pieces to keep the pieces flat while tightening the clamps. I also use wax paper on the work bench to keep the whole thing from sticking to the table while gluing.
For cutting board glueups I have a few pre cut/tape wrapped 1\2" plywood squares that I lay on top of the glue up. About 1/4 inch edge exposed around edge, and I use pipe clamps. Helps me.
Hi BA, just in the process of putting the boarder around the playing area, I'm going to do square joints and not mitre as I know the board is not square. I done the same mistakes as you I just didn't record it, but so pleased you did, just to know I'm not the only one to have made those mistakes. Great video so informative. All I have is a festool orbital sander, dewalt table saw, and my makita plunge saw.😂. I love it though.
I thought at first to advise you to become a firewood supplier but joking aside it's refreshing to see your honesty and watch your self learning process you have very good kit especially the Festool and I'm sure you'll be a master carpenter/ joiner in the future good luck.
Great vid, thank you! I'm going to give this a go this year (when it's warm enough to be out in the shop) and your video has been really helpful. I think I'll keep the border square, cut the 45 degree angles and then add a chamfer with a router after its glued. I don't have a table saw so that's going to be my biggest challenge I reckon. If it comes out half as nice as yours I'll be happy!
Brave soul for putting your mistakes out there Haha. It’s sad how TH-cam can be such a negative place where people put others down and think they are the greatest at everything. This is excellent work because you learned something and you will only get better with time. Everybody starts somewhere and the board came out great! What else matters? :) keep making dust man!
It turned out pretty nice in the end. One thing though, the direction of the grain of the squares should be horizontal to the player. All old boards are like this. I'm probably not the first to point this out.
I started using biscuits for glue-ups years ago, and it changed the game for me. It doesn’t totally eliminate the need for cauls, but they are awesome for paneling.
Checkmate!! Looks like years of fun. It will be handed down. Still have my grandfather’s that he made about 100 years ago. Yours turned out beautiful❤️
I got a nice piece of granite from the granite place. Told them what I needed it for and they gave me a nice piece of leftover. I use it for my glue table keep it clean and polished and the glue does not stick to it. Using clamps vertically for holding down to the granite surface. and of course the horizontal clamps for squeezing the boards together.
I'm not an experienced woodworker, but the strategy that Wood You Make It uses for the glue up is to put weight on the top of the board before clamping the sides. He has a custom jig for clamping chessboards, but yeah having some downward force to prevent bowing seems important.
I like it that three years later, you have learned much.....it's keeping our fingers whist we do so, eh? That was a very nice looking chess board, by the way....you might have gotten there 'the hard way' but ya got there. -Veteran '66-68
Thanks! Yeah I've learned a lot over the years and still have all my fingers! Seems like all my projects are a "first" for me so I'm learning the hard way a lot 😂 but it's all good
Hi I just found your channel. I came across a guy making a chessboard so I searched for more. i am also very much a beginner. So i think I'll hold off on the chessboard. mostly because i do not have a jointer or a planer yet. I am learning to make a jig for jointing a board. hopefully it will work well.
I think this could be done with hand planes as well. But I've never done that. If you got some wood that was already planed and made sure both boards were the same thickness I bet you could still pull it off
Sandwich the strips between 2 pieces of plywood when you're gluing it up, and use some clamps to apply vertical pressure to the plywood, as well as the horizontal pressure from the clamps directly on the board. That should help with the bowing significantly.
Well done, nice result in the end. My (humble) tips on doing chessboards and reckon some the issues named: *gluing : the more glue up I do, the less I clamp. If edges are properly jointed, just rubbing on to the other require very minimal clamp pressure *even thickness of the strips is highly recommended. Actually I do cut 4 and 5 of the other and instead of flipping upside down, I slide one to the other keeping same first gluing reference plane *edge around: sanding never gives a perfect edge, jointing with plane and jointer is the way. To even out over height of the edge strips, a block plane would have tackled the job in less than 5 mn * 45 miter: simple jig on table saw like an arrow pointing gives good result And please! add a riving knife behind your table saw blade, safety first !
It takes a lot to create TH-cam content. You will always be your biggest critic. Good job finishing the project and posting it. You will want to make a table saw jig for perfect 45 degree cuts. The miter isnt good for it unless you have a high end one.
Use cauls to put across the board - clamp then to the table/workbench and then clamp the glued surfaces together. You do not need to clamp super tight just enough to get the glued surfaces to adhere to the next one.
Wow at nearly 3 years old this video has exploded! (At least for me). I appreciate all the views and comments of advice. Just a bit of background. This was my very first TH-cam video and is cringy to watch for multiple reasons! The saw technique being the biggest reason. My editing and voice over skills being another big one for me personally. I still consider myself a beginner in both regards, but the recent response to this video has inspired me to continue to make videos and improve my skills. Rest assured I do not use the table saw like this anymore 😀 Thanks so much for watching and subscribing! If you have a sec check out my other videos!
I think it's almost certainly a result of the Netflix 'Queen's Gambit'.
@@edmilner that totally makes sense. I'll take the exposure!
@@edmilner On NPR they had a news item that chess sets are selling out because of "The Queen's Gambit". They also claimed people socially distancing and staying home seem to prefer a physical set to play.
I thought it was great through and through.
@@nicolasmartinez6288 thanks!
Don't sweat the early mistakes. You've got a decent mix of tools, and you'll gain the experience over time to do some nice stuff. When glueing strips, clamp a couple of straight rigid boards across the strips, top and bottom, to keep them flat. Use wax or parchment paper to keep them away from the glue. This will really cut down on the planing and sanding.
Two words --- riving knife.
two more --- dust collection
Another 2 - luna-tic. stand back and stay outta the way? great advice. this is definitely a what not to do vid.
I am a complete amateur, but even I can see this is some horrible H&S.
No knife, no blade cover, leans over the blade, no push stick thing and also no dust collection.
crosscut sled, that was scary to watch - accident waiting to happen...
@@rl8631 your right. This is a what not to do video. READ THE TITLE
I'm sure after 4 years your skills have truly improved. I wish you best of luck in your woodworking endeavors.
That was a rough journey. And I only say that not to dog you, but because I know exactly how that feels. Man, you perservered and you made a lot of small mistakes (we all do) but the point to take home was you ended up with a beautiful piece at the end! The mistakes don't matter. What matters / mattered was you stuck it out and fixed them. Great work. I hope mine turns out that nice in the end!
You made this video some 3years ago and this is my first visit. I think it’s inspiring to any wood worker beginning or experienced. You learn from your mistakes and find a way to make it right. Your shop looks well equipped and one thing I can offer is to use them, it’s a lot easier and safer. Your honesty and narrative made this a pleasure to watch.
Thanks for showing us this. Turned out real nice
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
Absolutely beautiful - very generous to share that. I have seen lots of videos with perfect presentations which are obviously geared towards selling. But your video is actually inspiring dudes like me who have never done this and don't have fancy machinery to make something like that. YOUR chessboard and especially the way YOU made it is my favored. THANK YOU
Wow, thank you!
You are very welcome, the world needs more and more people like you, who simply share their experience, instead of pretending or trying to be perfect due to a lack of self-acceptance. All the best!! @@benofalltrades
Dont beat yourself up too much over this. Anytime you make your "prototype" project, it always takes a lot longer as you are working through things as you go. The next time will be a lot easier. In the end, you have a really nice chessboard, and unless you are making these for production, thats all that counts.
Gorgeous looking wood. Board looks lovely!
Looks amazing well done
Thanks very much!
Great video, i really appreciate all the mistakes! :)
There are (and will be) lots of people just starting out to work with wood and woodworking machinery. Experts can explain how they easily make something but the beginner will struggle to accomplish close to the same thing. Watching YOUR mistakes and learning just as you did is much, much better than watching an expert craft a perfect piece. Thank you, tremendously, for showing your mistakes. This video is a treasure!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad it was helpful!
I love your honesty and humbleness. Mistakes happen and we learn from it. This video inspired me to make one. I hope you stay safe and healthy and nothing bad happens to you in shop. Love your videos man. Keep up the great work.
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I'd love to see what you come up with. Tag me on Instagram @bawoodworking82 with some pics of the final product
I have now watched several very skilled craftsmen making chessboards.
They come in ultra high-end, using expensive materials, down to this one, which uses off cuts.
They are all fantastic, but this one brings it down to MY level.
I have to hunt down some wood now.
Thanks for the video. It is great!
I'm glad the video helped in some way! That means a lot to me. Happy hunting/crafting!
You done good! It looks very nice, and professional !
It honers you that you talk about the mistakes , but still improvised , adapted and overcame. The result is super and you will treasure this board for years. The little imperfections make it unique and human.
Thanks!
Wonderful. What a helpful tutorial. Love it. Thanks for your humility and candor.
fun process if I get some smiles but it was worth it this beautiful congratulations
Excellent tutorial !
Dude! Make yourself a decent push stick! A scrap piece of wood is not a push stick. I cringed when I saw you using that thing. As far as bar clamping, use more clamps and alternate them top /bottom to even out the forces and as you say, do not overtighten. Clamping cauls may help to even out the pressure as well.
Thanks for the video. I'm a beginning woodworker too. It's nice to see someone else who makes mistakes and has to figure out how to fix them.
Thanks for watching! I'm just learning as I go and almost every project I post is a first for me so mistakes are kinda my thing! Haha
Thanks for Sharing Ben. Interesting.
Really helpful to see how you fixed your mistakes.
Oh good! I'm glad!
Never mistakes, we call them happy accidents. (Bob Ross)
I enjoyed the video and I made the same mistakes as you and I will making my next chess board soon, hope I've learnt some thing. You learn by your mistakes. Well done.
Thanks much!
Hey, that turned out to be a lovely, classy-looking board! I'd buy it. 😀
very nice job! great video.
Thanks!
As you can see, I love to watch and it doesn't matter as long as I enjoy it. Maybe in some time I'll come back to congratulate you, one more time aguien jejejej
I just made my first chessboard and even if I had watched your video, I probably would have still made some of the same mistakes. I learn by doing, and I learned a lot. One thing that amazes me about woodworking is how similar it is to PGA golf. While it’s nice to be in the fairway and on the green, the most important skill is recovering from a bad situation. In woodworking this typically involves a lot of sanding!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
Great video!!!
Using your push stick right next to the fence tends to rotate the stock into the blade-a recipe for mangled stock and a mangled body from kickback. Get or make yourself a decent push stick, one that applies pressure to the top of the workpiece as well as pushing it forward. [Ah, I see one in use at 7:25.]
When cutting really thin strips, it is far safer (for you and the stock) to cut the strips so they fall away from blade, not between the blade and the fence. It's a bit more fiddly to get the thicknesses consistent, but it's not that hard and decidedly worth it.
When filling gaps, it's best to use wood glue; superglue will darken the wood, making the repair more evident.
You ended up with a nice piece, and without having been told about the mistakes made along the way, it's unlikely anyone would ever know.
Thanks for the advice. Yeah definitely still learning all the tips and tricks!
Can make a stop block at the infeed to have a consistent size so all you gotta do is slide the fence over and sandwich the board between the stop block and the fence. The fence only moves the width of the cut plus the saw kerf every time. Should - in theory - get consistent size strips then. Still scary to me though since my table saw has an actual chasm next to each size of the blade. 😂 Kickback damn near broke my hand / wrist once already trying to cut thin stock. Have a zero clearance throat or buy a bandsaw for that kind of work.
It’s easy to rave about your successes, but it takes real sand for a man to show others his failures. Cheers for that. You’re ahead of the game for two reasons: First, TH-cam. I wish I had access to so much visual instruction when I first started woodworking. And second, you seem smart enough to ask for help. Best of luck on the journey.
I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!
When I have some trouble with varying thickness of boards causing trouble on the table saw like you described, I use some hot glue or double sided tape to attach a smooth carrier (MDF of somthing similar) to the bottom and let that slide on the table saw surface. Easy peasy for taking care of that until you get it dressed down smoother.
There are also lots of videos using a router sled to smooth the surface down. I have used this method a couple of times and it is great for reducing the amount of sanding required to get the surface smooth.
Wooooooooow amazing 👏🏻
What a great video! The board turned out great in the end. I liked the explanations of the mistakes knowing that I would make numerous errors also the first time doing anything. It’s good to know I’m not alone 😮
Despite your "learn as you go" errors, it really turned out beautifully! The contrast between the wood squares is really nice. I also liked your choice of finish going with the satin. I am going to try to build my first entire set, starting off with the board and then on to the pieces, but at a smaller scale of 75% USCF size (1.5" squares). I just bought a Dremel 4" table saw for the board and a small Dremel lathe for the pieces. A full size set would likely exceed the capacity of my tools, so I'll just plan on scaling everything down. Great job again!
Thanks! That's awesome! Good luck on the project! Share pictures on Instagram and tag me @bawoodworking82
Great! i made one for a school project back in 1995 I've still got it. They are things of beauty to me. 👍👍
That's awesome! Yeah they really are beautiful!
You weren't born a master woodworker. You learn by doing. Your chess board was a great challenge and learning project. Something to be proud of. Display it with pride. It would be great to see where you are now in your woodworking journey. Keep "doing" and learning.
You're Perfect👍🏻 In your first time. Like me, learning by ourselves. Also, learning from the mistakes. Thoroughly enjoyed your woodwork. I love that two-wood colors.
THANKS MOST WOOD WORKERS WONT SHOW THERE MISTAKES, GREAT JOB. I ALSO A BEGINNER!!!!!!
Great looking chess board! Observation : You need to align your fence to your saw blade, or you will be sanding more than you will be sawing. Spend a few days calibrating your saw fence and making sure your saw blade teeth has enough clearance to material as well as a thick steel so it will not bend during the cut. After the cut you should only need light sanding instead of trying to sand off the burn marks. Let the blade rest on hardwoods and even use lubricate to cool the blade to prevent it from overheating & bending while going through a lot of material.
awesome! and very useful tips! going to try to make one of these sometime
Thanks for watching! Glad you saw some value in the video
I love it. Thank you for sharing! I cringed at your mistakes and cheered at your "but I can fix it". A chess board is hard to execute. The theory is really simple but you have to do everything right. A day of woodworking that doesn't involve bleeding is a success. I appreciate your humility. Your board looks great!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
the best way i find to do accurate forty fives is by fussing and caliberting your saw to a couple thousandths or so true. It is easier to have a high end miter gage like the incra which is tedious to set up true but stays there and will only need to be trued to ninety degrees the forty five settings are true to the ninety to a couple thousandths or so. it has taken me quite a few years to actually learn how to set up my mitre gage correctly using the five sided board method.
Agree with all the safety comments. But you are on the right track. Build yourself a router sled to flatten after glue-ups. You dont need the final thickness to be much more than a half inch. You can back it with plywood and then cover the edges with hardwood
You can glue the boarder on as a square pieces to get perfect miters, then cut the bevel after the glue up. this allows you to sneak up on the perfect bevel keeping your fingers well away from the blade.
Definitely a good idea!
Thanks James. Was going to rush out and make one of these and I definitely appreciate that tip. Sensible and safer too!
Thats a beautiful board. Great for a first try.
Thanks!
It looks like it came out great after any missteps. Wood is pretty able to help you cover mistakes. On the glue-up with thin strips (similar to doing cutting boards) I think the wonkiness is eliminated by first laying your chess board strips between opposing 3/4" strips of a hardwood like maple wrapped in plastic wrap so they don't stick to the wood. 3 pairs of these wood strips on top and bottom of your board clamped with C clamps prevents flexing of the board that happens if you only use the long pipe clamps.
I'm sure you'll excell at whatever you do - as you clearly seek and accept advice rather than thinking you know everything as (some) others do. Great honest video, which gives someone with far less skill some hope. Thanks for posting flaws and all - it really helps.
Thank you! I'm glad it helps in at least a small degree
Great job man!!
Hope since this video you've gotten a riving knife/splitters, and started using a proper push stick, youre going to send pieces flying
that and aren't you not supposed to cut a piece between the fence and the blade?
Thanks. I want to compliment you on making the video. You did a great job on that.
Thanks! I appreciate that
You did a great job. The only thing is, evenly distribute finishes onto your cloth. It makes it much easier to evenly apply than to apply directly and spread it.
Good idea, thanks!
Thanks for the video, glad to see the same mistakes I’ve made. Thank you.
Thanks for your humble presentation. Many of my projects are the "second" attempt. You were able to salvage your first attempt with surprisingly good results. The gap filling on the 45's was particularly impressive.
If you'd like to play a game...
I'll play white...
E4...
Thank you! Yeah first projects are always tough. And I'll admit, I rarely play chess even with a board. I wouldn't even know how to play by just describing the locations of the board 😀
E5 always brotha nah just kidding I play Sicilian
@@austintomkewitz7206 hit me up on Lichess.com TheWayneShow
Nice board, interesting project.
Not sure if anyone else has commented on the 45-deg corner issue, but I would highly recommend a shooting board and hand plane so that you can cut them a hair overlong and then plane the corners by sneaking up on the exact final length, doing one corner at a time. It works like a charm. It is SO difficult to do these kinds of joints on a machine to the degree of accuracy you need/want.
Thanks for watching! Yeah the shooting board method has been mentioned. Definitely need to add it to my arsenal
For glueing flat panels, use a biscuit jointer. It will help align and secure the pieces.
Yeah I just used a biscuit jointer for the first time recently. Definitely going to be using it more
@@benofalltrades I used to be a trim carpenter and we used them pretty often. You can also use pieces of scrap between what you’re gluing and the clamps to prevent minor damage to your project. I learned from working with other people. Keep up the good work.
You can try using small double-ended tacks in the chequered strips before gluing together so they don't slide
Great job!
Thanks!
Looks great.Love that you shared your errors and mistakes.Everone makes them but not all have the guts to admit it. I don't have a riving knife so don't worry.The sad ones that criticize are usually the ones that don't do anything
Thanks for watching! Yeah honestly I'd feel a bit better with one, but the one that came with the saw is to thick and prevents wood from being pushed through soooo 🤷🏼
Would it help to use a few pieces of wood on top and bottom and clamp those together to keep the board from crowning during the gluing/drying process?
Definitely! Another thing I've learned since making this is that biscuits are a great help in keeping things level during glue up
@@benofalltrades biscuits?
@@carlnikolov they're similar to a domino of you're familiar with that. Basically you use a biscuit jointer to create a groove in both faces that will be glued together and then you slide a shim (biscuit) into the groove when glueing up and it keeps the pieces from sliding around vertically. Tons of videos out there on biscuit and domino jointers of you want to learn more!
Great video! Thanks ❤
It is a lovely looking board..
I just tried this, and made it a lot harder on myself than it needed to be. Lay down some wax paper on your table saw top, then lay down your glued pieces and clamp. Worked pretty well for me!
I always make things harder than they need to be it seems haha. That's a good idea! A nice flat top to keep things level
@@benofalltrades
Just to add about the cupping or slippage when clamping you can get a flat bit of wood and use it to press the wood Laminations down.
So get a strip and place it running across the laminations so as to press them down and keep them all registered against flat bit of wood.
and when you feel you have them flat you can lift the wooden strip away and swipe the excess glue away.
After you can sand it all away and then plane if need be.
@@bighands69 definitely a good idea! I've also started using a biscuit jointer in glue ups like this, it has helped a lot!
Yep, you made all the mistakes i did when starting out woodworking. In addition to the saw/push block/sticks and glue up recommendations, i would recommend getting a nice, relatively inexpensive “lunch box” planer like the Dewalt DW 735 as well as a jointer for 8” wide boards. Most everyone that bought a six inch jointer eventually wished they got the larger one. These tools will save you a lot of time and grief while making your projects better. I also made a slab flattening mill out of plywood to surface cutting boards, which would also do great on chess boards. Finally, exotic hardwoods are usually oily which interferes with glue bonding to it. Prior to gluing, rub/clean the wood area to be glued with acetone to remove the oil so the pieces don’t eventually separate. I enjoyed your video, especially as i tell people the most valuable skill I’ve learned is how to fix my many mistakes so no one could tell i made them in the first place.
Thanks for the tips! I appreciate that. And thanks for watching!
I'm interested in how you got all that equipment for such a beginner - I've been doing it as a hobby for years and gradually add and replace tools - still don't have a decent table saw or many of the branded measuring tools, saws, jigs etc
Most of these tools are my dad's. He's been a DIY'er his whole life and has been collecting them. I've added just a few tools to the shop. I'm definitely lucky in that regard
@@benofalltrades thanks for the reply man, a very jealous Brit over here looking at all that stuff! Great job by the way, even though it was a while ago. I'll be subscribing to catch more videos
@@alanhill6974 thanks! I appreciate it!
Since this video is almost 3 years old, I'd like to know how it has held up? The internet says not to put boarders around such a glue-up because the swelling and shrinking of the squares (seasonal wood movement) will pull the 45's apart. Did you find that to be the case? I guess it also depends on where you live and how the humidity swings between seasons.
I actually sold this board after about 6 months. I know that's not very long, but I didn't notice any changes in that time frame. It's also the only one I ever made, so maybe it's time to make another!
@@benofalltrades That show on Netflix is driving a ton of interest in chess right now. This would be an excellent time to make a new video and do another chessboard. Strike while the iron is hot! Get those clicks!! :)
@@phoenixredux4262 that's what I'm thinking! I gotta finish some Christmas presents and then it's on to making another chess board. . The right way ;)
Bro! I just went to home depot and cut out a 17x17 , measured out 2 inches for 8 squares and had enough space for the squares to be good enough. I spray painted and enameld my board to whatever the customer. I made about 15 chess boards and sold about half of that now. You still did awesome Bron. Hellz yeaa!
Nice! Sounds like a great way to make boards fast! Thanks for watching!
I really like the fact that you shared your mistakes. We all make them. Turned out very nice. Well done.
Thanks for watching!
Not bad at all!! I appreciate your honesty.
Thanks! Just trying to help in some small way
Hi. I made a board about 20 yrs ago , and after I reversed them to make the checker pattern , I glued and clamped , just
Like you ..... and when I removed the clamps the next day , I also had a wonky result. I had to do it all again but this 2nd time, I placed a heavy object (25lb plate, I used to lift weights ) on the board. Then I clamped , and now the board was truly flat. I learned the lesson - you have to put something heavy on it so it won't warp.
Definitely good advice!
I made a thinner chessboard in woodshop when I was in high school; we glued the board to another piece of wood and I had no problems plaining the board since it was attached to a base at that point.
Definitely a good idea. Just need a big enough planer now 😊
@@benofalltrades
I would just get a smoothing plane and learn how to use it. When you do get proficient with it can be fast and extremely accurate with it.
Hand tool woodworking with some power tools can be extremely fast and very accurate.
There is no machine that can get near to the quality level of a hand plane for a surface finish.
I did my glue up and had the same problem. I had made a gig a while back to flatten boards. I used this with my router and a flattening bit.. It is in one of my videos I am sure.
Another thing I do is since my planner will only take 13.5 inch material. I make my boards in two glue ups, then run them through the planner until they are the same thickness, then glue the two halves together.
As the comment just below mine says, I use straight boards on edge clamped to the pieces to keep the pieces flat while tightening the clamps. I also use wax paper on the work bench to keep the whole thing from sticking to the table while gluing.
Nice job. Learn so much when making the first one.
It's true. I feel like I'm always making "the first one" for whatever I make 😂
@@benofalltrades 😂
I’ve found getting the rough stock true on one face and edging them helps. The gluing and a hand plane to finish the glued boards square
Yeah I definitely need to get a hand plane!
For cutting board glueups I have a few pre cut/tape wrapped 1\2" plywood squares that I lay on top of the glue up. About 1/4 inch edge exposed around edge, and I use pipe clamps. Helps me.
That's a great idea!
Hi BA, just in the process of putting the boarder around the playing area, I'm going to do square joints and not mitre as I know the board is not square. I done the same mistakes as you I just didn't record it, but so pleased you did, just to know I'm not the only one to have made those mistakes. Great video so informative. All I have is a festool orbital sander, dewalt table saw, and my makita plunge saw.😂. I love it though.
Sounds awesome! I'd love to see the board when you're done. Tag me on Instagram @bawoodworking82
I thought at first to advise you to become a firewood supplier but joking aside it's refreshing to see your honesty and watch your self learning process you have very good kit especially the Festool and I'm sure you'll be a master carpenter/ joiner in the future good luck.
Thanks!
Great vid, thank you!
I'm going to give this a go this year (when it's warm enough to be out in the shop) and your video has been really helpful. I think I'll keep the border square, cut the 45 degree angles and then add a chamfer with a router after its glued. I don't have a table saw so that's going to be my biggest challenge I reckon.
If it comes out half as nice as yours I'll be happy!
Brave soul for putting your mistakes out there Haha. It’s sad how TH-cam can be such a negative place where people put others down and think they are the greatest at everything. This is excellent work because you learned something and you will only get better with time. Everybody starts somewhere and the board came out great! What else matters? :) keep making dust man!
It can definitely be a tough environment, but if I can help someone avoid a similar mistake it's worth it! Thanks for the kind words!
I would not exactly say they were mistakes but adjusting the work as need be.
I love how you fixed the mitres. They look great after the fix 👍
Thanks!
It turned out pretty nice in the end. One thing though, the direction of the grain of the squares should be horizontal to the player. All old boards are like this. I'm probably not the first to point this out.
Ah that's good to know, I hadn't head that before
Turned out nice. These are common problems i think all woodworkers face. Ill be reading tips as well. Good video production as well
Thanks for watching! I hope it helps others avoid similar mistakes
And also a hand plane would straigjten than in 20mins
and a shooting board for the trim miters
This is great! Thank you for sharing the entire process and all the pitfalls!
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
I started using biscuits for glue-ups years ago, and it changed the game for me. It doesn’t totally eliminate the need for cauls, but they are awesome for paneling.
Yeah I just used some for the first time on a project a few weeks ago. So helpful!
Checkmate!! Looks like years of fun. It will be handed down. Still have my grandfather’s that he made about 100 years ago. Yours turned out beautiful❤️
That's awesome! And thank you!
I got a nice piece of granite from the granite place. Told them what I needed it for and they gave me a nice piece of leftover.
I use it for my glue table keep it clean and polished and the glue does not stick to it. Using clamps vertically for holding down to the granite surface. and of course the horizontal clamps for squeezing the boards together.
Oh nice, that's an awesome idea! Always nice to have a good flat piece of granite or marble laying around
@@benofalltrades No problem. I am working on starting my own You Tube channel and have that figured as an episode as it was my own idea.
@@j.davidslaugh5761 nice! I'd definitely be interested in checking it out!
Turned out pretty good 👍
Can I buy this board?
I don't have huge amounts of money and was just looking online. I appreciate the great work that goes into it.
I actually sold this board a while back and haven't made any more haha. I appreciate you watching!
It still looks beautiful buddy.I hope I can buy something like this someday
Thanks! Anything is possible someday
I'm not an experienced woodworker, but the strategy that Wood You Make It uses for the glue up is to put weight on the top of the board before clamping the sides. He has a custom jig for clamping chessboards, but yeah having some downward force to prevent bowing seems important.
looks professionally-made
That was a lot of hard work behind that beautiful chess board. Looking great in the end. Good feeling to play chess with a home built board.
Indeed, thank you!
I like it that three years later, you have learned much.....it's keeping our fingers whist we do so, eh? That was a very nice looking chess board, by the way....you might have gotten there 'the hard way' but ya got there. -Veteran '66-68
Thanks! Yeah I've learned a lot over the years and still have all my fingers! Seems like all my projects are a "first" for me so I'm learning the hard way a lot 😂 but it's all good
Hi I just found your channel. I came across a guy making a chessboard so I searched for more. i am also very much a beginner. So i think I'll hold off on the chessboard. mostly because i do not have a jointer or a planer yet. I am learning to make a jig for jointing a board. hopefully it will work well.
I think this could be done with hand planes as well. But I've never done that. If you got some wood that was already planed and made sure both boards were the same thickness I bet you could still pull it off
Appreciate your mistakes. I make them on every project I have done, but I am getting better too.
That's the best way to learn and get better in my opinion! Just gotta keep at it
Sandwich the strips between 2 pieces of plywood when you're gluing it up, and use some clamps to apply vertical pressure to the plywood, as well as the horizontal pressure from the clamps directly on the board. That should help with the bowing significantly.
Definitely a good idea. Thanks!
Well done, nice result in the end. My (humble) tips on doing chessboards and reckon some the issues named:
*gluing : the more glue up I do, the less I clamp. If edges are properly jointed, just rubbing on to the other require very minimal clamp pressure
*even thickness of the strips is highly recommended. Actually I do cut 4 and 5 of the other and instead of flipping upside down, I slide one to the other keeping same first gluing reference plane
*edge around: sanding never gives a perfect edge, jointing with plane and jointer is the way. To even out over height of the edge strips, a block plane would have tackled the job in less than 5 mn
* 45 miter: simple jig on table saw like an arrow pointing gives good result
And please! add a riving knife behind your table saw blade, safety first !
Thank you! Those are good tips!
It takes a lot to create TH-cam content. You will always be your biggest critic. Good job finishing the project and posting it.
You will want to make a table saw jig for perfect 45 degree cuts. The miter isnt good for it unless you have a high end one.
Thanks, I appreciate that! Yes, I really need a good sled or two or five :)
Use cauls to put across the board - clamp then to the table/workbench and then clamp the glued surfaces together. You do not need to clamp super tight just enough to get the glued surfaces to adhere to the next one.