# Backgammon / chess table



## gasman (4 Oct 2011)

Earlier this year I made a 4 foot diameter drum table https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/victorian-drum-table-t48027.html and want to make a smaller version, but with a reversible chess / backgammon board set into the top.
I did want it to be swivelling, with a drawer to keep the pieces but that might mean the pieces were rattling around when the lid was flipped.
So, although I have found mention of such a table on this forum, there do not seem to be any examples
I have found stuff on the web such as http://www.silvercompany.co.uk/reversible-board-backgammon-chess-p-581.html
but not quite what I had in mind. The other thought I had was to have a circular chess board with the other side of it the same wood as the rest of the table top. Then you can have a normal plain table, a chess board, plus then by removing the 'lid' you expose a backgammon table which would be recessed so the pieces do not fall out
Anyone made anything similar?
Thanks in advance
Mark


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## gasman (5 Oct 2011)

The silence is deafening! It looks like the search engine on this site is right - no one has done it before. However, having seen JasonB's beautiful chess table which he detailed here http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/Chess Table/, I will probably do something similar except have the chess board bit removable and have a backgammon set built in below it. need to work out how the drawer will fit as we'll to put the pieces in


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## gasman (11 Oct 2011)

So I made a start….
My wife absolutely loved JasonB’s beautiful chess table http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/Chess Table/ so with apologies to you Jason (imitation obviously being the sincerest form of flattery!), the design is similar, although it will be a drum table and internally complex – with a backgammon board built in under the chess board, and probably drawers to contain all the pieces.
At Eynsham Sawmill I found some stunning ‘tiger’ quartersawn sycamore so decided to use that (£36 a cube), but also had one small ‘2x8’ sycamore offcut 450mm long so cut it in half to make a 100mm square piece which I turned for the pedestal





After 2 coats of friction polish




Then I started on the curved sides to the drum table – and cut 24 pieces of 85x500 sycamore roughly on the bandsaw down to 4-5 mm then thicknessed to 3mm




Using the former I used to make the curved sides of the Victorian drum table I cut a smaller radius in it, used hot melt glue to join the larger 2 pieces together and then glued up 6 of the 3mm thick pieces to form the first of the curved sides using PVA glue




Later yesterday I started work on the feet and cut a template out of plywood and used a flush trim bit to cut 3 legs




then dovetailed one end of each leg on the router table








Today I started by turning a square piece of ebony to 35mm diameter and cut 3 legs each 40mm long from it




I started work on the pedestal and flattened the base of it on 3 sides to receive the legs




I made a jig from ¼ inch walnut, glueing it to the pedestal using hot melt glue




and used a bearing-guided dovetail bit to cut a dovetailed groove in each of these 3 flat sides of the base








Loose-fitting the 3 legs on was a reasonably good fit




Finally today I glued up the 3 legs (which I had tapered down to 20 mm at the tips with the low angle jointer) with the circular ebony pieces using 2 x 6 mm dowels to reinforce the joints




Thanks for looking
Mark


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## Pvt_Ryan (11 Oct 2011)

Good job looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## Blister (11 Oct 2011)

Mark

That looks to be a very nice project 

Coming along well :lol: 

I will look forward to your progress on this


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## gasman (12 Oct 2011)

Today I had another day's holiday so I got quite a bit done
Started making the chess board - and after due consideration and discussion decided on yew/sycamore so cut up strips of 45mm of each then glued up then cut 45mm strips again then glued up again before finally glueing to 15mm MDF. Still worried this is going to move - not sure how to address this further












I had started work on the base and glued up the last of the legs into place first thing




Then I drank a lot of coffee thinking about how to create the removable chess board, leaving a backgammon table underneath, with secure fixing to the pedestal and yet with storage for all the chess pieces and all the backgammon counters and dice
I started by cleaning up the 4 curved side pieces, squaring the ends and cutting them to 448mm length so that with a 20mm piece between each they form a circle with diameter 595mm.




Eventually after a very long time I decided that the chess board itself would be a standalone piece 22mm thick which would sit very snugly in the four sycamore surrounds to create the table top. When you want to remove the chess board to get to the backgammon table, you take off one of two opposite sycamore surround top pieces which will have wood glued underneath so it sits very snugly within a 'box' created by the curved side and a straight piece like this 




I am not sure if that is clearly worded but all will become clear soon I hope
Having decided that it was straightforward to create a backgammon board which will be under the main chess board




Thanks for looking - sadly back at work tomorrow
Mark


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## Paul Chapman (12 Oct 2011)

That's looking good, Mark. I always enjoy your WIP threads  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## gasman (14 Oct 2011)

A bit more progress in a couple of hours before work this morning
Unclamped the chess table top which I had glued last night to 18mm MDF and then with a low angle LN + 45 degree blade, flattened the top and squared the edges.
Also finished attaching the curved sides to the frame so I now have this












Need to start thinking about the inlays for the backgammon which is going to be fiddly - and the top which is also going to be tricky!
Thanks for looking and comments
Mark


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## goldeneyedmonkey (14 Oct 2011)

Carry on like this and you're going to have a seriously nice looking table Mark . I don't have the skills nor kahoolies to be attempting anything like this yet, but I'm very much enjoying the W.I.P. Cheers _Dan.


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## gasman (14 Oct 2011)

My absolute favourite time of the week is to get home on a friday night from work in time to do a couple of hours before a beer and supper.... so tonight I got home at 4pm and spent a couple more hours.
First I glued up the small ebony inserts, planed them down and was happy with the result- but I also cut some idigbo I had left over from a garden gate I made and thought the yellow colour would be perfect for the backgammon 'board', so I thicknessed it to 3mm, cut it to length and put it in the backgammon table to see how it looked and I think OK?








Finally I turned some walnut and sycamore to 25mm diameter - then cut one of each, and also cut a triangle each in aformosia and sycamore to see what they would all look like together. I will have a think over it overnight and see what it looks like in the morning but I think it should be alright




Thanks for comments
Mark


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## gasman (15 Oct 2011)

I spent about 4 hours today making the backgammon table insert
First I cut a dozen each of sycamore and aformosia (remnant from Victorian drum table) triangles each 125x27x3mm




Then I carefully traced round the first triangle on the idigbo base also thicknessed to 3mm (left over from a gate), cut it roughly out on the bandsaw, then very carefully cut to the line with a big sharp chisel but did the point of the triangle with a scalpel, glued up with Titebond mitre adhesive and clamped up using a mixture of sellotape and clamps. I alternated the 2 sides so that the glue was pretty much dry before I did the next one 








Once I got going it was quite quick until they were all done and clamped flat overnight




I will sand and scrape this tomorrow and fit to the table
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## MickCheese (15 Oct 2011)

I have nothing much to offer other than to say I am really enjoying reading this WIP.

Well done so far looking great.

Mick


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## gasman (17 Oct 2011)

I only got a couple of hours done yesterday but I cleaned up the backgammon insert with rotary sander followed by card scraper and it has come out well - I am quite relieved as I did not know what it would look like




This was glued into place with PU glue and weighted down until dry




The I glued a small divider in place which covers the edges of the 2 inlay pieces - that way if there is a small amount of expansion or compression there is room for it




I will start on the 4 table top pieces later today and think about the compartments for the chess pieces too. Still lots of problems to solve!
THanks Mark


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## Harbo (17 Oct 2011)

Well done - looking good


Rod


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## gasman (17 Oct 2011)

Cut and roughly shaped the 4 top pieces - and now would love some advice please\
Here are the 4 side pieces roughly laid out. The chess board will sit flush in the centre of this obviously. I have decided that just one of the 4 top pieces will be removable or hinged to allow access to the chess pieces within. 




So I now think the best option would be to hinge this removable piece in some way - which could be a strong hinge on the outside (which would then be visible) so that the leaf folds out and would then be liable to being leant on etc and the hinge would be damaged. Also it would be difficult to lift the flap up initially without an obvious gap
So instead I thought about getting invisible hinges - soss maybe? - I have never used them but I thought it might be feasible to cut a 1" strip from the inside of the hinged piece and have that fixed to the table then have the concealed hinge between that 1" strip and the other segmental piece - that way the piece would open outwards and would be easier to initiate the lift.
I will think some more and maybe draw something along these lines later - so my questions are - can I get small soss-type hinges? and when they are closed can the gap between the 2 pieces be zero?
THanks for advice


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## gasman (17 Oct 2011)

I cut and sized 3 of the side pieces and glued them into place. Then put a divider into the remaining quadrant and added a 3mm base routed into the edges




Then I cut a new top piece larger than before and cut a 3/4 inch piece off which will eventually be glued in place - then I have ordered some small zyco concealed hinges which will hinge the rest of the quadrant - I think I am happy with the design now!




Hopefully ini shed this week
Mark


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## gasman (19 Oct 2011)

Sorted out a few problems which had been bothering me.
First I took 2 mm off the left hand side piece of the top which had a very nasty stain on it - a sort of greenish horrible stripe - I could not have that o the top so I then glued in a 3 mm piece and it looks much better. I will plane it label with the others tonight 




Then I was struggling to work out how to lift the chessboard out when it is in place - and I cam up with this - using a 3/4 inch wood cutting tap and die set - so I have cut a thread in a 30 x30x30 piece of sycamore, glued it into the centre of the compartment where the backgammon pieces will be and then will have a threaded handle to turn to raise a threaded rod which will lift the chessboard out. 




Light at the end of the tunnel!
Cheers
Mark


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## gasman (21 Oct 2011)

2 hours this afternoon finished it off.
First I used Zysa 10mm barrel hinges which are very fiddly but have done a good job and I think are man enough for the job









Then glued in that last quadrant piece with the hinged section very carefully, and after an hour for it to dry, using an LN 164 with a 45 degree blade and the mouth closed right down planed the whole surface flat - which got rid of all the minor tearouts which this lovely tiger sycamore acquires
So here is the underside showing the knob which you must turn to lift the chess board out




This causes this threaded rod to emerge which pushes up the board. 




The board can then be lifted as it has a fingernail 'notch' in the front 




Following which you get to the backgammon table




Here's the whole thing. I need to get some Fiddes Hardwaxoil tomorrow as I am out - then I will do 2 coats of that followed by wax
I have not sorted out baize for the chess piece storage and the backgammon piece storage - also I might make the dice myself




Thanks for looking
Mark


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## Paul Chapman (21 Oct 2011)

Fabulous job, Mark, and neat solutions to the various issues =D> =D> 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## gasman (24 Oct 2011)

I was away over the weekend but squeezed in a bit more last night - the biggest job of which was to make 4 dice. 
They are 18mm cubes of ebony and sycamore, with the reverse wood acting as the spots. A Festool 3mm brad point drill was used to drill a 3mm hole about 3mm deep. The dots were made by cutting 3.5mm strips of ebony and sycamore in 50mm lengths - then hampering these through the LN dowel plate, then cleaning them up with a sharpened card scraper. TB3 in a 5 ml syringe with a 20G needle used to inject glue then tapped home before being smoothed on the disk sander and finished by hand on 320G sandpaper - then oiled




I have to work out somehow how to make a doubling dice - tricky
For the table - 2 coats hardwaxoil so far - maybe one more then wax, then the baize and it is finished
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## gasman (25 Oct 2011)

Final jobs tonight - added black baize to both the backgammon piece compartment and the chess piece compartment
Also made another dice (?die) and then printed out 60 point arial font of the numbers 2,4,8,16,32 and 64. Then printed this out on sticky address labels, then cut out the letters and stuck the remainder onto each of the faces of the doubling die so that I could then paint with black hammerite to get the numerals. This doubling die is in the backgammon piece bit
Final photos below. It turned into a bit of a chore at the end but I think the wood just makes it - amazing ripple sycamore. I will shortly be going back to Eynsham Sawmill to clean them out of this amazing wood!!
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## motownmartin (26 Oct 2011)

Great project and as you say some amazing rippled sycamore, I am using some at the moment but its not quite as figured as that.


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## brianhabby (26 Oct 2011)

This is really nice, I've always fancied making a chess board but it won't come close to this if I ever get round to it.

I like the attention to detail and the clever solutions to some issues. Well done.

regards

Brian


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## gasman (27 Oct 2011)

Final photo showing a much nicer chess set which I remembered I had - my grandfather's - made for him as a present by foundrymen - he was Chairman of the Institute of Foundrymen - they were made by apprentices and are solid - one set bronze and one set aluminium alloy of some sort as it does not really tarnish (the bronze does though!)




Thanks again for your kind comments
Mark


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## Paul Chapman (27 Oct 2011)

That chess set is lovely and looks so good with your table. Fabulous job.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## goldeneyedmonkey (29 Oct 2011)

Mark that's Beautiful. Top man.    _Dan.


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## Ian down london way (17 Jan 2013)

Only just saw this, after you posted a x-ref from the recent backgammon question. really nice project, and WIP account. Excellent.

(I'm in the middle of my first WIP thread that I'm publishing here, and I'm still finding my way)


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## andersonec (17 Jan 2013)

Mark, noticed you used SOSS hinges on your table, were these easy to fit?

Andy


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## stevenw1963 (17 Jan 2013)

This has to be one of the nicest games tables I have ever seen - cracking stuff.


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## gasman (17 Jan 2013)

Thanks stevenw1963 - v kind
The hinges were a doddle to fit except just to be absolutely certain they are in exactly the same spot on the two halves. Got it wrong once and had to plug and re-do - but it wouldn't be the same if you didn't c**k something up
Thanks Ian
Mark


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## gregmcateer (17 Jan 2013)

Mark,

That is amazing!

(I thought for a mo you were going to turn all the pieces as well! - No pressure, LOL).

I really love the table - Looks brilliant.

Greg


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## gasman (18 Jan 2013)

I did turn half the pieces - the backgammon ones that is! They were slightly easier than those chess pieces which were turned by some apprentice foundrymen for my grandfather 50 years ago
Mark


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## paul-c (18 Jan 2013)

hi gasman
i am in awe when i see wip's like this.
what a fantastic table.
thanks for sharing this.
cheers paul


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## WoodyMarc (18 Jan 2013)

Great Project, looks fantastic


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## marcus (18 Jan 2013)

Hi Mark, that's very nice . Just wondering if you reinforced the dovetailed leg joints with metal straps like you did on the victorian drum table? You got a bit of stick for that in thread I noticed, but I have recently fixed a set of eight round dining tables for a client which were made with that construction, and all of them had suffered some splitting, some of them to the point where the legs had come away. My repair was essentially to do what you did what you did with metal straps, plus glue on the worst ones. It would have been better for the clients if the original maker had put some straps on at the time they were made. These tables were a lot bigger and heavier than your backgammon table though.....


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## gasman (18 Jan 2013)

No they were strong joints - it all felt much better whereas the bigger drum table was quite weighty
Regards
Mark


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