This is a question. My dad recently was laid off from work. He is a master
wood craftsman and I asked him to make me a chess board for christmas, which
he did. It is a beautiful piece and nicer than anything I have seen in the
stores or on ebay. It there a market for this? Any suggestions as to ways
to go about seeing what kind of possibilities exist for him out there?

He said it takes him a full day to make one and costs about 20-25 in
materials, depending on the current market in hard woods.

Thanks,

Mike

"The Collins Family" wrote in message ...
This is a question. My dad recently was laid off from work. He is a master
wood craftsman and I asked him to make me a chess board for christmas, which
he did. It is a beautiful piece and nicer than anything I have seen in the
stores or on ebay. It there a market for this? Any suggestions as to ways
to go about seeing what kind of possibilities exist for him out there?

He said it takes him a full day to make one and costs about 20-25 in
materials, depending on the current market in hard woods.

Thanks,

Mike

Check out Chessco.com

This guy sells a lot of difficult-to-find chess boards and pieces and
stuff. I think he would be interested in getting a few boards and see
how they sell.

The Collins Family wrote:
This is a question. My dad recently was laid off from work. He is a master
wood craftsman and I asked him to make me a chess board for christmas, which
he did. It is a beautiful piece and nicer than anything I have seen in the
stores or on ebay. It there a market for this? Any suggestions as to ways
to go about seeing what kind of possibilities exist for him out there?


Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear about the layoff - this "recovery" isn't much where
the rubber meets the road, hm?

Anyway, check out http://www.kenwoodart.com for one guy's success (I
guess/hope he's doing OK...) story.

If he decides to get going with it, drop me a line. I keep thinking
I'd like a custom board that incorporates some cool ideas I've seen
on various boards.


Dave

"The Collins Family" wrote in message
...
This is a question. My dad recently was laid off from work. He is a
master
wood craftsman and I asked him to make me a chess board for christmas,
which
he did. It is a beautiful piece and nicer than anything I have seen in
the
stores or on ebay. It there a market for this? Any suggestions as to
ways
to go about seeing what kind of possibilities exist for him out there?


Check around for the sites carrying boards by Drueke. These are commonly
available wooden boards. The price point is one that most chess players
will have in mind when making a buying decision. Pricing on the 2" square
boards are roughly $100. Does this mean that your dad cannot sell for more
than that? No. It means that he will need to differentiate based upon
quality. Other chess products from a woodmaking perspective that he might
keep in mind are chess pieces (lathe and hand carved knights), and wooden
boxes for storing pieces. Checker pieces are an easy add-on, as well.
Chess sets with four queens are a nice touch as well. When making boards
and sets, he should keep in mind that there are some common sizes for boards
and pieces.

He said it takes him a full day to make one and costs about 20-25 in
materials, depending on the current market in hard woods.

I suspect that if he tries to do this in quantity, he will be able to get
the labor down to fewer hours. The first board would have included a lot of
problem solving that he will be able to move past to make it more
repetitive. The cost of manufacture figures into his decision about whether
to make the boards. Price to market, not to cost.

Good luck.

David
--
without the block

A lot of wooden boards look good new, but the real test is how they age. Do
they warp or split. Clamping up, gluing and framing a board made of soild wood
blocks subjects the board to a lot of internal stress depending on the grain
and the type of wood involved. The white and dark squares would most certainly
be two different types of wood and react to humidity and finishing products
differently.

It is not an easy think to make a quality solid wooden board.

(PJDBAD) wrote in message ...
A lot of wooden boards look good new, but the real test is how they age. Do
they warp or split. Clamping up, gluing and framing a board made of soild wood
blocks subjects the board to a lot of internal stress depending on the grain
and the type of wood involved. The white and dark squares would most certainly
be two different types of wood and react to humidity and finishing products
differently.

It is not an easy think to make a quality solid wooden board.

Would a polyurathane coating protect from the humidity problem?

The Collins Family wrote:

This is a question. My dad recently was laid off from work. He is a master
wood craftsman and I asked him to make me a chess board for christmas, which
he did. It is a beautiful piece and nicer than anything I have seen in the
stores or on ebay. It there a market for this? Any suggestions as to ways
to go about seeing what kind of possibilities exist for him out there?

He said it takes him a full day to make one and costs about 20-25 in
materials, depending on the current market in hard woods.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,

I don't think I've ever heard of a carpenter who couldn't get work.
Remember Jesuz was one of these dudes, at least he was apprenticed that
way, but he got the CALL & look what happened. You say your Dad is a
'master' wood worker & he's out of work, has he thought of petitioning
the White House? that's a big house & must require constant 'attention'
though recently I heard mutterings that in these times Americans might
have to get used to doing jobs they don't want. By the way, what sort of
hourly rate would a carpenter hope to attract in the USA?..

GreenPencil wrote:

(PJDBAD) wrote in message ...
A lot of wooden boards look good new, but the real test is how they age. Do
they warp or split. Clamping up, gluing and framing a board made of soild wood
blocks subjects the board to a lot of internal stress depending on the grain
and the type of wood involved. The white and dark squares would most certainly
be two different types of wood and react to humidity and finishing products
differently.

It is not an easy think to make a quality solid wooden board.

Would a polyurathane coating protect from the humidity problem?

More to the point (my point - at least) would it prevent me from the
waves of nausea that engulf me any time I play on 'wood'. It's the
smell, it does'nt agree with me for some reason & I am serious. Give me
vinyl' vinyl' vinyl'..

Would a polyurathane coating protect from the humidity problem?



I would think that that would be the best bet along with using veeneers over a
one piece board rather than separate wooden blocks for the squares.

(PJDBAD) wrote in message ...

Would a polyurathane coating protect from the humidity problem?



I would think that that would be the best bet along with using veeneers over a
one piece board rather than separate wooden blocks for the squares.

Some very high quality board makers use separate, splined blocks. I
think by definition that any square of wood glued/attached to a base
board constitutes a veneer. The supposed problem with veneers is that
they lift over time, though I haven't had that problem with my average
Italian veneer board that is over 30 years old.

Polyurethane is very shiny. While it may protect well it degrades the
playing experience (at least for lots of players) because it reflects
so much light. Some use wax or a very matte oil. Hardwax oil is
supposed to protect very well and be very matte as well, though I
don't know of any board makers that claim to use it.