Newbie advise

[Michael Lewis]

HI,

I'm new to woodworking and need some advise on a project: I'm going to make my son a chess board/table and had a look at some tutorials on YouTube - "end grain chess boards". My query is - do you think I'd be able to use a track saw with a rip cut guide for precise (repetitive) cuts rather than a table saw?

(conceptually it seems simple : glue walnut x maple x 8 , wait to dry, rotate 90 degrees and make 8 equal width cuts - re-glue).

I ask as I don't have that much space and hence getting a track saw is preferable to a table saw - unless this sort of thing really requires a table saw?

Thanks in advance for any opinions/advise...

 

[BigMonka]

Welcome Michael!
I don't see why it couldn't be done with a track saw, and managing to do things with less tools is always preferable to buying something big specifically for it (particularly as a cheap table saw may be more hassle than it's worth).
Have a look on Youtube for the tracksaw workshop series from Peter Millard (who posts here) - he shows good ways of doing repetitive cuts etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JQjGwZT3Ak

 

[Michael Lewis]

That's great, thanks for the link and advise...

 

[ED65]

Are you fixed on the idea of doing this using end-grain pieces? It can look just as good, if not better, using the long-grain surfaces. Plus the resulting piece is easier to finish to a high standard.

I don't think this is a job that screams: buy a track saw! Get one if you want one and you're sure you will have lots of future use for it by all means, but a track saw to make a chessboard is bit like buying a sledgehammer to crack an egg.

Had you considered hand tools at all? They take up less space, and anything half decent lasts indefinitely so they're a great long-term investment.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Welcome Michael

Track saws are awesome little tools and not hugely expensive when you get a good deal. I own one myself and use it regularly/ I think the Paul Sellers tutorial requires a little jig to be built (I might be wrong on that though!)

I just thought a fifty quid Stanley mitre saw like this one on Amazon:
Stanley 1-20-800 Adjustable Mechanical Mitre Box - would be a good bet. Just clamp a stop block and all the pieces will be same length. The blade is fine and the first cut would be smoother than a circular saw blade. Might only fit 3/4 strips of wood in at a time depending on the board size but just a couple of extra glue up steps.

Just my opinion. Good luck with your project. I hope you've found D&G tools in Richmond already. Well worth a visit if you havn't been there yet.

Best wishes

Martin

 

[Michael Lewis]

Hi,
Thanks for all the advise. I was thinking of a track-saw as I'm really not sure I could cut straight enough with a hand-saw. I've practiced a bit with a straight edge - using a Japanese pull saw (which was ok, but did this on fairly small pieces). I found using a guide and jigsaw (with straight cut blade) to be a bit hit/miss - what I found was that whilst the jigsaw cut to the straight edge the blade would still bend a little bit - so always give me effectively slightly beveled cuts.
The mitre box would be ok, but not sure I could fit the board in it, to cut the strips. i.e. As far as I can see to make the board - need to glue [walnut ] [maple] ..... [walnut][maple] strips and then rotate - make the straight cuts - and re-glue.
All the best,
Mike

 

[Michael Lewis]

I guess from what I've read that most people recommend not cutting individual squares .. and gluing them together but strips as per the diagram here:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/chessboard-making
I guess with a mitre saw guide, it may be possible to cut the individual squares?

 

[Deadeye]

If using a track saw I'd oversize slightly and hand plane to final.

 

[novocaine]

to get perfect joints you are going to need a plane and to spend some time learning how to use it.
for something that is going to be looked at so closely (like a chess board) it needs to be perfect and you aren't going to get that off a saw. so you cut oversize and plane down to final dimensions before glue up. then cut oversize again and plane down to square before glue up again.

I reality the right power tool is a good bandsaw as it will be planed to finished. a track saw can do it too, but it's a bit overkill really. hand saw wise a good, sharp saw will do it but will take practice. you can do it with a tenon saw or a panel saw.

I've found that cheap chinese pull saws tend to flex a lot and can mess up a cut pretty easily, but that's no different to a western saw though. it takes practice is all.

 

[Benchwayze]

I made a chequerboard topped table for a friend, I used Maple, and Utile; the end-grain on that is very pronounced and looks quite pleasant.

I did the repetitive cuts on the table-saw attachment, for my Coronet Major lathe. It did the job perfectly. I suppose I could also have used the Mitre-chop saw with a bit of thinking about stops.

Sadly, the friend passed on recently, and his son came to see me, asking if I minded that he kept the table.
Naturally... NMTBS!

John