If you have been privileged enough to play with a homemade chess set at some point, you may have realized how nice it would be to play with pieces that you put in the time and effort to make yourself. But even though plenty of people think that it would be cool to have chess pieces that they made, they never go ahead and make any of their own, because they assume that it would take far too much time and effort! But actually, if you know the right way to go about it, you can make your own set of chess pieces fairly easily – and can have a fun time doing it!
If you are not experienced in wood carving, you will want to carve your pieces out of basswood, butternut, or pine, as these are easier woods to work with; if, on the other hand, you are an experienced wood carver, mahogany, walnut, or cherry can be beautiful woods (although more difficult to work with).
You will need 32 pieces in all – for the 32 chessmen – and the best way to start out with this wood is to decide what height you want the king to be, and to begin with all 32 pieces just taller than this size. You should start out carving the tallest pieces – and with all the pieces already fairly tall, you will be able to carve down to the pawns any time you make a mistake with the bigger pieces.
The biggest challenge at this point, of course, will be actually carving the pieces - but even if you are not an experienced wood carver, you should be able to get your pieces to look the way you want them as long as you have picked wood that is easy to work with. And remember that there is no pressure on you for these pieces to be flawless; when you finish them, you will be able to enjoy them whether they are perfect or not, for the simple fact that you made them yourself!
Glad I’ve fiallny found something I agree with!