Chess set plans for the lathe

Well this doesn't entirely answer your question, but have you checked out the new chess set pieces that Woodcraft has in their new catalog. You turn the bodies using the pen mandrel and pen barrels. I just thought it was interesting, and there was no carving involved. I wouldn't mind doing one of those myself someday. Peace.

Speaking as a chessplayer... the knight in that set sucks.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

When I play all of my chess pieces suck. ;-)

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA

Moreover, if you're playing in a USCF-sanctioned tournament, you have the right to refuse to play with a non-Staunton set, and insist on a Staunton. I certainly would never agree to play with that set, in any game that meant anything -- the knight looks *way* too much like a bishop.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

By an odd coincidence, I spent a few minutes at B&N on Thursday and browsed through the woodworking magazines. I looked at "Popular Woodworking", and two British pubs - one was "Practical Woodworking" and I think the other is just "Woodworking" One of the three showed the palns for a turned-only chess set. In deference to other posts, the knight didn't look as though it would whinny, but it looked to be a reasonably easy set to produce.

Good luck!

Ron Williams Minn-Dak Woodturners Moorhead, MN

the lathe. I would like to

And I wasted my time clicking on this thread thinking I would find someone that knew where we could find plans for turning chess pieces. I guess in this day and age of ugly politics and ridiculous lawsuits I should be slapped silly to think I would find an educated reply to a simple question rather than a critical statement of someone else's attempt at craftsmanship.

Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon

I agree most are very helpful. But this wasn't. I searched and sent a few sources directly to the fellow who asked in the first place. I looked for about 30 minutes and found several examples. I hope the ones I chose to send were helpful to him. He can choose whether he likes them or not. Or he can modify what he sees and create something new. That was what he was after, I believe. Chess sets, for me are pieces of art. Some I like and some I don't. But I know for every one I don't appreciate there are many people that ooh and aah for them. I personally am not enamored with the Shopsmith pieces but it is probably a good starting place if there is nothing else to turn. I gave up playing chess 30 years ago but I taught my children to appreciate the game and the art. Now when they travel around the world they either bring back a particular set or a picture or a description of what they saw. They have become collectors as well as players. We tend to go through life with our glasses half full. But we too sometimes find ourselves being critical. However the real harm of criticism is to ourselves because the criticism eats into our well-being and we become bitter people. This person was unsuccessful in finding examples of turned chess sets for what ever reason so he turned to the group for help. He got some. I hope he comes back with more questions when he gets stumped again. And I hope there are people that can answer his question when he does. There will be people that will find a way to make comments outside of his question then, too, because that is there "right."

Bob Darrah West Linn, Oregon

"Ali T. Borahan" wrote in message news:sQh7b.144589$xf.136981@lakeread04...

Yuh, and it's such a pity we live in a country where one can state one's opinions and advice without worries of recrimination or attacks for stating those opinions. Also a pity that we live in a world where some people are just too darn busy to use search engines...

I think that the reason some of us mentioned the Staunton set is because it's the standard in chess. If you want something out of the ordinary, why not create your own set? If you're not interested in the standard, then there's not much that anybody can do to provide you with plans. Maybe *I* should have mentioned that I've done weeks of search engine research, only to find that I couldn't find a set of plans for STANDARD chess sets. So I just picked up a standard, cheap, plastic set of Staunton's and am creating a set using that as the standard. I happen to be doing everything by eye, no duplicators here, so there's bound to be some variation. Again, if you don't like a standard set, I suggest you use your imagination and creativity and come up with something unique. That, in my humble opinion, is the true mark of an artist.

And next time you decide to mistake others' opinions as attacks of criticism, think twice. And don't be so defensive. I've found most of the people on RCW to be nothing less than exceptionally helpful. When they state opinions without providing the help that you so desperately seek, it's generally because they simply can't provide it.

'Nuff said.

-ali

craftsmanship.

This was not a criticism of anyone's craftsmanship. Rather, it's a clear statement that the plans are unsuitable for their intended purpose. A chess set in which knights can easily be confused with bishops may perhaps still have some artistic merit, but it's absolutely useless for playing chess.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

If I could answer the original question here, instead of joining in an ascerbic session of mud slinging, I do have a web site with a good chess set, i.e. with a good knight pattern. However, your library might have one. David Springett's book, "Adventures in Woodturning, Techniques and Projects," has such a set complete with a turned knight's head made from a split ring. This is not a beginner's project but is certainly doable. I believe the book is out of print but, as are all Springett's books, is a good read.

do a google search on either split-ring or ring turning. there are a few sites with much info about that. Seems to me that a fairly simple blank could be setup using dark and light woods, turn the knight in the ring, then slice them out. You may wind up with a dozen instead of just 4, so plan on making a few extra sets for your chess-playing buddies.

There was an adequate response at the beginning of the thread with a ShopSmith set, although I too don't care for the knight. I've considered turning the set and the base for the knight but cutting the actual horses head on the scroll saw and attaching to the base. Not sure yet though if it'll look funky. I've searched the web for hours and only run across 2 or 3 at most but none of them inspired me.

There's a book out by Diana Thomps> And I wasted my time clicking on this thread thinking I would find someone

More typical approach, and bound to look better than an "attached" head is to turn what you can of the head, and then carve/saw/etc the rest of it. Similar but more complex version of how you can turn a "tophat" on the king and then cut off the round sides to get a cross, if you want. Turn the rim on the rook and then cut crenellations in it, etc.

Many commercial designs (above the molded plastic level, anyway) have done away with any non-turned details (generally excepting the horses), presumably for speed of production. Those details, done well, can make the set, and I speak as a dedicated turner.

BTW, I also think the Shopsmith set is an awful design.

Somewhere, and I can't recall where, I saw a knight that was turned with a tapering form and then parted flat on top. Then, the piece was cut at about

50 degrees through this taper. The cut "nose" piece was rotated 180 degrees so that the two cut surfaces met. With the 50 degrees cut, the "nose" piece had a 10 degrees downward tilt. So, the piece was mostly turned with a bit of diagonal cutting and gluing. I presume a bit of hand sanding was required to blend the two oval mating surfaces.

As for sources of ideas, I believe I have seen ideas and/or plans in Bill Jones' books, in Mike Darlow's books and in "Woodwork" magazine, among others.

the lathe. I would like to

In Mike Darlow's book "Woodturning Design" there is a set of chessmen called Lopez, the knight looks like a knight.

Grandpa You are not blind, I can not edit. I meant to say I do "not" have or know of a web site with a good chess set but that Springett's book has one. Sorry about the slip of a finger.