How I made two Regulation Size End Grain Chess Boards

Watch how I made two regulation size end grain chess boards with two different designs. These are regulation size chess boards, meaning that the individual squares are between 2” - 2.5”. In my case, the squares are 2.25” for an overall board size of 18”.
These are end grain chess boards made from walnut and ash. Each chess board has a “frame” around it that can serve as a place to put the chess pieces that are no longer in play. One of the chess boards has a 3.5” walnut frame, and the other one has a 3” frame made from tiger maple. The walnut frame is flush with the bottom of the chess board, whereas the maple frame is elevated and “floating” along the side of the chess board.
Both chess boards are 1.5” thick. The one with the walnut frame has an overall width of 25” and the one with the maple frame is 24” x 24”.
Some of the things I used in this project include:
Grizzly G1023RLWX table saw. amzn.to/2OxSpqj
SuperMax 19-38 Drum Sander. amzn.to/2MEfyqj
Freud SD508 Super Dado set. amzn.to/2nwXuUg
Behlen Paraffin Oil. amzn.to/2B5Mx5C
Behlen Pumice Stone. amzn.to/2MDAuhg
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[@Woodumakeit]

Add a comment below and let me know which chess board you like the best -- the one with the walnut frame or the one with the tiger maple frame.

[@jerrystark6766]

I am afraid I can be of little help here. I really like both frames.

[@jasonholland5507]

Maple for sure! And if I had the lumber I wood make it! Where do you get lumber?

[@Woodumakeit]

I live in Northern Virginia and there are several places where I go to get my lumber. The wood I used in this video all came from Northland Forest Products. It's a bit of a drive for me, but they have pretty high quality wood, so sometimes it's worth the drive instead of going to one of the places that are closer to me. If you do a google search for hardwood suppliers in your area, you'll probably be able to find several that are close to you.

[@jasonholland5507]

Some of the best wood I got from Northern Virginia! There was a company that made gun stocks and blackpowder kits. Wish I could find them again. I lived in Ashburn Village and my grandparents lived in Centerville.

[@Woodumakeit]

The place you're thinking of might be Dunlap Woodcrafts in Chantilly. I've not been there, but I recently heard good things about them. www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com

[@johanlarsson9805]

When you turn a product over and it is just as beautiful underneath as it is on top, then you know it was made with true dedication by somebody who cared about his work.

[@conradsenior5843]

I like the bottom better.

[@whthorse25]

Beautiful! I love the splines. It’s a good reminder that each “little design element” actually takes a good amount of effort.

[@orricon8528]

These are two of the most beautiful chess boards I've ever seen. Amazing.

[@ArcaneMachine]

Simply phenomenal craftsmanship. And the quality of the video, the helpful narration... Fantastic!

[@agentred8732]

Beautifully done! They're both beautiful, but that Tiger Maple... Delish!

[@mattschreiber4251]

So refreshing to see a KZbin craftsman that does quality work properly.

[@Tarambana36]

Absolutely stunning, amazing, brilliant and tasteful. Congratulations!

[@preetdhillon2972]

Full of admiration for your amazing skill and precision. I love the walnut frame board. Always be safe when using your power tools.

[@jbb5470]

Absolutely beautiful! Really like the attention to detail you included in the video. Helps to understand your building process. And YES, I would make it!

[@edwarddillon6016]

Beautifully done, brings back memories of when I built one in High School back in the early eighties. ( It still holding up to time, which I'm happy to say) I want to build another one, after watching this . Thank you for the motivation.

[@paulkorenj3790]

Thank you for sharing your build with us. The tiger maple looks fantastic

[@manicalmonkey]

Love the wavy grain in the tiger maple frame. They are works of art!!

[@cuervovallejo2711]

Excellent video. I appreciate the attention to detail with every step of the process. It has always been a mystery to me how this was done and now I have the knowledge and confidence that I could do this provided I have all the tools you used. Thank you.

[@Jungbeck]

This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a loooong time.

[@iandefactory]

It is a master piece!!! Thank you to share your knowledge!!!

[@Bekim8310]

Beautiful work, I love those chess boards. Polishing wood is always a work out.

[@Squig5244]

Amazing instruction in this video. Thank you for breaking it down the way that you did. I will definitely be a new subscriber.

[@rhuezo67]

Good video , nice editing, good lighting and miking

[@crazyesco23]

That’s some high quality work, nicely done.

[@chrisardaiz6010]

Nice workmanship! Very cool.

[@thomaswarren2699]

Beautifully done. Bravo. The maple frame is my favourite.

[@donfillenworth1721]

These boards are beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

[@alexfreitas4428]

Simply amazing, just like Bossa Nova

[@bobschnabel2021]

Absolutely beautiful work and an outstanding presentation. I like the tiger maple the best.

[@kennethkirt2053]

I would if I could! :) Great work! I love the one with the walnut frame.

[@wm005]

Excellent woodworking skills and both look fantastic. Gotta say though I really like the extra work done and the overall finish...

[@MEMO1901]

Very well done, both are amazing 😉 lots of art on them 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Breslauer1000]

Perfect. Simple but very solid. Every part and all kinds of joints exactly needed and enough for the strength of the whole construction. I'm impressed. Especially because I like to play chess.

[@BuddWolf]

The tiger stripe maple is an absolutely ❤️beautiful border to the chessboard. I especially like how the raised board. Great job as usual sir, thanks for the video post. Best of luck🍀to you and yours

[@edition-deluxe]

Love the mega size! As a chess player I would probably like playing on the Walnut, but as a woodworker, I like the look of the Maple.

[@williamreeder4902]

Thank you for a great video....you are a serous wood worker....great details

[@patrickohennesy6539]

Absolutely beautiful chess boards. Amazing well done

[@jerrystark6766]

Great chess board. I have made a few of these and can see what a nice job you have done. The person you made this for will be very happy -- as will their children and grandchildren, I would wager. I believe you would also appreciate the way James Krenov designed the board for his chess table. The individual tiles are connected by dowels and they seem to be floating in space. The board can be easily made to fit on top of a case that holds the chess pieces. Typical of a Krenov design, it is extraordinary. Again, I think you would appreciate it. As always, great work!

[@Woodumakeit]

The James Krenov chess table is a stunning piece of work! Thank you for pointing it out to me. I'm almost tempted to try making one. Maybe I'll work up the courage to give it a try one day.

[@kdwrghtsr]

@@Woodumakeit cAN You tell me where I can order One?

[@666dynomax]

that spline jig is genius... so much to learn!!!

[@f.s.863]

After such a long time i am happy to see another video from you. Great work. Saved my day.

[@Woodumakeit]

F. S. Thanks! With any luck I'll have a couple more videos this month.

[@Kevin-wo3kp]

Beautiful work of art. Well done.

[@julienlamelas]

Very well done this was an awesome video!

[@KoiAquaponics]

Absolutely beautiful work! I would make it if I had all the right tools like you. Those hardwood are also super expensive as well.

[@hernancontreras9717]

Gorgeous boards, I would like to have one. I will follow your instructions, though I don't have those fancy machines. Thank you!

[@bingram5645]

Great Build. Much Respect.

[@MadStacks007]

Absolutely stunning. Gorgeous work. I wish I had that kind of talent.

[@aimilios439]

And machinery...

[@davidwhitehead5134]

That is a beautiful ornament. Thanks for explaining each step so clearly. I’ve never thought to glue up on ply using parchment paper. Will give that a go.

[@Imightberiding]

Nicely done. Beautiful.

[@hypa4066]

This is beautiful, very good craftsmanship

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Beautiful work Friend! Thanks for sharing the video.😎👍JP

[@samuelroberts334]

Really nice! Great job!!

[@dal2888859]

Great video. Enjoyed seeing that you use various tiers of tools, not all the best on the market. This is really good to see because for a lot of woodworkers, that's our reality. We can't all have Festool everything and Powermatic for the rest lol. Also there were several great tips in this video as well which i appreciated. Finished board looks amazing. Both do! Subscribing.

[@john6283a]

Well hell. Now I've got to order some thick stock and tiger maple! While I wait, I've a couple of sleds to build. Very nicely done! Thank you for sharing.

[@thijsvandenhout6279]

I liked the walnut frame better but they are both stunning! Nice work

[@pranaytony]

14:37, I love this side! Great Work Sir!💐

[@ciaranamhain]

They look really good. I especially like the maple frame.

[@shahjohnsarwari1978]

Beautiful, awesome job

[@rhuezo67]

Good instruction, very useful information.

[@edwardkamel3397]

Both are GREAT... WELL DONE.

[@samugindert3042]

Looks absolutely beautiful!

[@woodstoney]

Beautifully done!!

[@CharlesLumia]

Looks awesome! Nice job man

[@RandyBertrand]

I love your chessboard creations! I ended up making a version that was a combo of your 2 board designs. I used curly maple for the frame but with no bevel. I also popped the curly maple with danish oil followed by shellac and a brownish glaze. Then after another shellac layer, did multiple wipe-on poly layers and polished it to a smooth satin finish. I went with a poly finish since it will be a chessboard that gets used by all ages and I am fully anticipating there will times when a glass is left on the board...

[@rickymondin]

Don’t really know if it’s a new generation thing or not, I know I’m in my late 30’s, but I’m so glad hand made stuff is still here! Amazing work Mike, especially in a day and age where everything is mass made in fully automated factories!

[@pamcarr4003]

They both look beautiful! And...Yes I wood make it! Great job, and thanks .

[@willway9378]

Outstanding work! Yes I'd make it, but I can t do the work that well. They are both gorgeous,but I think I like the tiger maple best. It just turned out very well.

[@HusseinAli-7610]

Really nice, great work sir

[@smass437]

So so awesome. So awesome. Well done

[@karenmckay7084]

What a fine video! Well done :)

[@jdfnp]

Absolutely awesome!

[@toddweller]

Amazing! Awesome job!

[@DanielDeRudder]

Wow ! Amazing craftmanship !

[@jgn2112]

How every woodworking DIY video should be. Just as well done as those incredible chess boards!

[@andrebann3983]

Both beautiful... if I had a choice it’s the Walnut for me... well made & fabulous video 👍

[@jrnstm7849]

Wow, I’d love to have one of these, especially because I’m very much into chess! Beautiful work!

[@markartusio]

These are both very beautiful frames, with nice finishes. I, myself, have made about 100 end cutting boards. The only two that actually cracked, were the two in which I placed a flat grain border around the end grain center. I’ll never do THAT again. In fact, I am right now in the process of removing flat grain border on three boards, to replace them with end grain borders. I feel a lot safer. Love the way you got the tiger maple figure to pop!

[@SteveHayes1]

Wow!! Those are beautiful chess boards!

[@budbirkenseer5277]

Beautiful work. Well thought out, and the video was excellent. Choice?? Difficult, but I have a soft spot for "walnut" Thanks for sharing your work

[@raymondsmichielini3423]

Yes we all have what it takes to do what you have done superbly! We need to hone what you have done easily thanks for inspiring

[@MrHavoc1001]

Sir, you are a true craftsman. I would proudly play chess on this board. Beautiful work.

[@miguelhuertas7769]

I think I like both. beautiful job

[@info5583]

Absolutely beautiful!!

[@antitheist9976]

Beautiful work, I prefer the darker one, personally :)

[@joseluisjaramillorivera5055]

Beautiful boards, my favorite is the walnut frame

[@BruceAUlrich]

Great looking chess boards, Mike!

[@clodoveoacosta8006]

Esplendido unico y bello trabajo. Que lo hace parecer simple por su manera tan exacta de explicar. Gracias...

[@PRNadh]

excellent work done.

[@xs-1b415]

Very nice! I am in the middle of the same project. I looked this video up as I was nervous about getting rectangles following the planing of the first glue-up. I think I might try to leave the squares slightly rectangular going into the first glue-up, then planing down to square. Great ideas for the frames, will be borrowing that for sure. Thanks for the confidence boost and motivation!

[@Woodumakeit]

Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely smarter to start with rectangles for the first glue-up. I've done that for my subsequent videos where I made chess boards. Good luck with everything!

[@casual257]

very well done and checkmate!

[@karl_alan]

Those boards turned out beautiful!

[@Riovientoselva]

Beautyfull work. I prefer the wallnut one

[@theweepinghunter]

cracking build thank you

[@666dynomax]

end grain... beauty... that walnut frame is really nice.

[@sorankurdi1414]

Great work!

[@nickhajek]

These are beautiful. Just getting into woodworking and made my son a chess board. Obviously not to this level, mistakes a plenty, but was super fun to make and good exploration into the techniques required. Got a lot of education required and upcoming, but this was great to watch.

[@brunacirelli]

Stunning!

[@quinnjohnson-wemyss7093]

I myself am making a chessboard for my father who is an avid player out of Oak, Walnut, and a cherry rim. I found the video quite helpful. Great work!

[@cillyede]

Great! Excellent job!

[@tobiasts9281]

Erstklassige Arbeit. Bravo !!!

[@teddydavis3504]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[@Oldhogleg]

Being a chess player myself wood love to either of those two boards!

[@konotoasita]

This is art...amazing chess board.

[@Ricks2Cents]

Looks Amazing!!!

[@chrismitchell7801]

Hi. I've been meaning to make one of these but you need to start with 3" thick timber to get a square of reasonable size, (70x70mm is the most you can hope for) and that is expensive, especially Maple/Walnut. I picked up some unidentified hardwood from a pallet which is about 4"x3" so I'll give it a go. Great work, got me motivated again! Cheers