Promenade from the South

West Elevation

Southeast Corner

Northwest Corner

Chess Table

Design Build

Fall 2016

- Created for a furniture studio, this table was designed for personal use and became an excercise in joinery and technique. Designed as a table for not only chess, but gaming in general, it was made to fit at least six around its perimeter. The size of the board was created with this in mind. The glass ends make the table an adequate size while allowing the visibility of the joinery below. The choice of White Oak and Ash was to create a more subtle contrast in color, allowing the Purple Heart to bring attention to the details. However, the development of the aesthetic was second to the development of a process. More time was spent on making " jigs " and prototypes than was spent on creating the final piece.

Plywood Halflap

A half lap is typically not very strong because a portion of the joint is relying on short grain structure to hold it together. To combat this weakness, I implemented purple heart splines to act as plywood, creating a rigid joint. The square on the top is for decoration, in the essence of the checkerboard pattern.

The Triple Finger Joint

This is a much more complex version of the finger joint. Three pieces of wood joined together at 60° required extreme precision and many failed attempts. I had to create my own jig to cut the fingers with the table saw and developed my own clamping process to fasten the fairly sturdy joint.

Twisted Legs

The legs of the table are twisted 30° to meet the angles of the structure on the bottom. Made out of white oak, ideal for steam bending, they were steamed at high temperatures for a half hour before being placed on a jig twisting them to 45°. As they dried, they reached the desired 30°.

Chessboard Veneer

The chess board, like the rest of the table, was made out of white oak and ash for a subtle contrast. The wood was cut into three inch strips and glued into a striped board. This board was sliced again into three inch strips, and every other strip was flipped to create the chessboard pattern.