Woodturning chess pieces
Published 19 Sept 2018
At some point, I became obssessed with woodturning. I watched countless videos on YouTube and really wanted to make my own chess set. I have loads of drawings that I created for the different pieces, and I’d really like to give it a go one day. The problem is access to a lathe. I was fortunate enough to be a member of the Edinburgh Forge and had a few months where I messed about with various woodworking projects. I turned a couple of chess pieces with varying degrees of success. I tried making a huge rook that turned out a little too tall, so it ended up looking like a less fancy queen. I also tried my hand at making a knight which I gifted to a dear friend of mine. I will try to track down images of these ones.
The Bishop
The one I am the most proud of though is the bishop! This was turned from the leg of a chair and somehow just came out bloody great. It is quite big for a chess piece but I really love how it feels to hold it. A full set at this scale would be really great to try to make. The problem with turning these pieces without a guide is they kind of just happen; I wasn’t measuring so I just tried to pull out the form I wanted from the wood, and in this case I think I got lucky and nailed the profile. The scariest bit was cutting the slit in the top, as I really didn’t want to damage what I’d made!
This one is also gifted to a very good friend of mine.