DIY Chessboard

I made this chessboard in approximately 8 hours. It's made of 3 different types of wood. The 2" x 2" squares are made of maple and mahogany and the trim is red oak.

This build cost approximately 40 dollars. And I was able to make it in my garage!

I started out by marking and cutting the maple and mahogany at 18 inches. I ended up having 4 boards of each 18 inches and longer.

I took all the pieces and ripped them down to 2 inches

I glued and smeared the glue on all the ends. Then I clamped the boards horizontally and vertically to minimize crowning

I squared up one end and then I ripped down the board we glued to 2 inch strips.

Glue like we did previously and then clamp like we did previously. Just be sure to alternate your strips!

So I used my table saw again to cut all 4 sides down. After squaring everything up the board should measure 16 x 16 inches!

This is where the red oak comes into play. I cut 2 pieces approximately 24 inches long and then I ripped each piece down to 1 and 1/4 inches. Then I cut only 1 end of each piece at a 45 degree angle.

I got everything where I wanted it and then clamped and marked the ends so i knew exactly where to mark it. Then I mitered that end that was marked and cut and clamped it into place until all 4 sides were done.

I forgot to picture the router...sorry. I routerd the four sides, then used some wood glue and sawdust from my orbital sander to fill the gaps. I used 80 grit and then finished with 120.

You may want to lay down some wax paper because this will get messy.

I used a finish which is equal to 60 coats of polyurethane. Its called Super Glaze and can be found at Home Depot or Menards. It's a 2 part epoxy and is mixed 50-50. I used a stick to spread it but I found a disposable foam brush worked best! Also, the oak and the mahogany is porous so using a regular coat of poly and then sanding it with 600 grit first before coating it with Super Glaze will be ideal because the wood untreated will produce bubbles,

Here's what it looks like after 24 hours...The glaze is extremely hard and looks awesome!

For a more detailed video of this project, and other projects like this, please visit my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/adamfleisch

Thanks for looking!