I have made a few chess boards, all from Australian hardwoods. This one measures 523 x 523 mm and is made from Redgum (Eucalyptus Camaldulensis) – ‘black’ squares and inlay – and Grey Box (Eucalyptus macrocarpa) – border and ‘white’ squares.. The very white spots on the ‘white’ squares are ‘spalted’ sections where the wood has undergone some discolouration due to funghi enzyme action.
This board has a redgum border and redgum and grey box squares.
All redgum used in my current batch of chess boards is recycled from old fence posts hence there will be bolt or nail holes, splits, cracks and other defects. This one has a chunk missing from the lower ‘white’ square which I have filled with 2 part epoxy.
I was fortunate to be given a log of turpentine – Syncarpia Glomulifera – by my cousin who lives in Forster-Tuncurry. The log was cut from a discarded oyster lease pylon.
Turpentine is a very durable wood and can withstand immersion in water and therefore it was used very extensively for jetties etc.
In this board you will notice that some of the ‘black’ squares had a dark edge. This is sapwood and was a very pale colour before I applied the boiled linseed oil polish.
The grey box is showing a variety of characteristics from variations in the grain colour to ‘birds eye’ features.
The clear colour at the bottom left is a grub tunnel which I filled with expoxy.
PROTOTYPE PIECES
I am playing around with designs for chess pieces. I could go for the traditional Staunton design but I really want to do something a little different.
While there are literally hundreds of design examples available through Chess Master Google most of them are just a little too esoteric for my liking. I want my pieces to resemble their role eg king, queen, bishop.
I came up with this design quite by accident and I am more than a little partial to it. The bishop does look as if he is wearing a cassock – typical clerical garment that is ankle length. By simply lowering ‘notch’ on the queen I could make her appear to be wearing a dress – I think I might do that.
The rook could do with a little adjustment. I have not yet attempted the knight but I have some thoughts on him.
The pawn is a traditional Staunton design so he will be ‘retired’ and replaced by a pawn more in keeping with the other pieces.
Chess Set – Board and Pieces
This board, made for family member, is made from recycled redgum fence posts and grey box that had lain in a paddock for some years. Measuring 540mm square the borders and ‘black’ squares are redgum and the inlay and ‘white’ squares are grey box. The surface sides were sanded to 1500 grit and polished with several applications of boiled linseed oil.
The design for the pieces is modified from the traditional Staunton style – not as fiddly to make! They are redgum and grey box and finished with a friction polish comprising tung oil and carnuba wax.
Chess Set with Modern Design Pieces
I found the design for these pieces on the internet using Pinterest. It is more modern and dare I say, more elegant than the traditional Staunton design and certainly more visually pleasing than many of the ‘alternative’ designs.
While they are easier to make than the traditional styles the challenge, for any design for that matter, is to achieve consistency in size, both height and width. An almost impossible task I simply adhere to the philosophy of ‘uniqueness’. These sets are truly unique as no two pieces are identical! That is my line and I am sticking to it.
By the way, the board is redgum and grey box with the latter forming the boarder. It is finished with several applications of boiled linseed oil although I am experimenting with different formulae for finishes.
Chess Board from Recycled Wood
Measuring 450 x 450 mm with 40mm squares the border and white square of this board were made from wood recovered from the somewhat dilapidated and heavily weathered legs of a 1930’s style dining table. I believe the wood is American Oak. Points to note are on the lower left corner which has plugs and a patch to fill cavities made for a mortise and tenon joint and to fill holes made to remove old screws. The dark patches were probably caused by weathering as the legs were stored outside in the weather.
The wood for the ‘black’ squares is of unknown type except that it is hardwood and most likely Australian eucalypt. It was a length of wood I found in my wood pile and the its source is long forgotten.
However, I believe this is probably the best board I have made so far (it is No. 11) as there are no gaps, chips or other undesirable and with all squares, joints etc lining up as they should.
The board is finished with matt wipe-on poly which is a concoction of polyuethane, boiled linseed oil and mineral turpentine.
I will be making a new style of pieces using American walnut for the black pieces and Grey Box for the white pieces. I will show them when done.
Complete Set 2025 – Board, Pieces & Box
Every piece in this set is made from recycled wood. The border of the board is made from American Oak salvaged from the legs of a 1930s style dining table. They had been left outside in the weather for very many years so they were fairly rough and grey in colour. As components of a table, the legs had mortise trenches and nail or screw holes.
The legs were milled to approximate size using a jointer, table saw and thicknesser and put aside until the checkered board was made.
The checkered section was also made from recycled wood. The ‘black’ squares are a red coloured wood but I do not know what it is. It is a hardwood but the origin is not known. However, it polishes very well. The ‘white’ squares are pieces of “Tasmanian Oak” left over from a kitchen renovation. The inlay around the checks is redgum – recycled from suburban fence posts.
Total time to make all the components was about 40 hours spread over a couple of years – you cannot rush these things!
Chess Set Made from South American Wood – 2025
I was commissioned to make a chess set using timber from a pile of discarded furniture.
Bits and pieces of old Spanish Colonial style furniture imported from Colombia, South America, many years ago and claimed to be Colombian Oak. While there was some oak amongst the pile there were many other types of wood including beautiful red wood that I used as black squares and as a feature piece on the lid of the box. The white pieces were made from a mixture of light coloured woods of at least two varieties – all unknown!
The set was made entirely from the discarded timber with the exception of the brass hinges and clasps on the box.
The border is an oak, believed to be Columbian Oak, and the squares are hardwoods but the species unknown. Similarly, the squares are unknown hardwoods of unknown type; the black squares are a beautiful red wood.
The pieces are mixtures of various types of light and dark coloured pieces again, of unknown species.
The board and box were sanded to 1200 grit which really shows the grain in the wood. They were then finished with several applications of pure tung oil followed by several applications of a polish based on carnauba wax. While wax finishes are not as durable as polyuethane varnish they are more attractive and require minimal maintenance but do require respectful treatment.
This set now lives in a chateau in the south of France.
Set Made with Recycled Redgum and Grey Box
This set was made in 2025/2026 on commission for a customer. It is made entirely from recycled Australian hardwoods, redgum and grey box.
The process for making this set is described in the post “Crafting Custom Chess Sets: The Art and Process”. https://kenswoodturning.com/2026/06/02/creating-chess-sets/