HOW I GOT THIS PLANK TO ITS CHESSBOARD-LIKE LOOK

This woodworking piece is not a checkerboard nor a plank of timber to play chess with. Yes, it can be a chopping board, but don’t you think this is too fancy for one that meets the butcher’s knife? I wasn’t keen on making any one of these. If anything, I made this for the challenge of making stuff that only enviable master artisans do.

There are countless “how to’s” in the net for putting up one like this. And they are a breeze to make; easy-peasy like chewing a piece of gum, that is, if you have the right tools. Without it, you’ll be better off buying this from me. But boy, are you missing out on the fun.

Here's how I made this.

First, I took two pieces of wood planks, each with an eight-inch width and a foot-long. I would have preferred planks of dark and light shades for contrast, but since I only have mahogany left-overs laying around, I stained the other plank to a dark color.

Then I squared the edges, making sure that the corners were dead on ninety. The milling of these wood down to precise corners is vital to ensure they come together flushed on the joints when glued together.

Then I proceeded to rip each of these planks to an inch and a fourth. When I say “rip,” I mean to cut the timber along its grain (not across). Ensure that you have an even number of rip cuts for the two planks.

When the glue is cured, I run them to a thickness planer to rid the annoying bumps along the glue joints. After two passes on both faces, I sanded them from coarse # 80 grit sandpaper to # 220.

I set it back to the table saw, making sure of an exact inch and a quarter measure from the fence to the inside part of the blade. Then I go ahead and cross-cut the glued-up timber. At this point, you may have figured out already that the next thing to do is flip each of the alternating slats to get the checkered effect..

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DOUGLAS REY B. BERIDO

drberido@yahoo.com | Kagudoy Road, Basak, Lapu Lapu City, Cebu, The Philippines