I quite frequently get asked to make a chess- or checkerboard, less often a chess table. A combination of ebony and holly would give the greatest contrast between light and dark squares, but American walnut with maple or ash looks good. I avoid combining walnut with cherry or mahogany because the latter two timbers darken quite noticeably with age.

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One and one-half inch to 2-inch squares suit most chess sets, so start by planning five strips of one, but only four of the other, then rip them to width. Make sure the grain direction is consistent from one strip to the next so you can plane the laminate after gluing it up. If your planer isn't wide enough, glue the strips up in two stages.

Next, using the same saw setting, cut the lamination into strips crosswise as shown. Slide alternate strips sideways one square to get the checkerboard effect. This is much better than reversing every other strip (as most people do), because the grain pattern in the lamination will be consistent with the original. This means it can be surfaced by machine or hand planed without tearing up the grain. Trim off the surplus squares, plane the edges, and you're done.

If you decide to use the board as part of a chess table, make sure you put a light colored square to the player's right — "white to the right.•bCrLf I got it wrong on my first chess table and had to deal with an irate chess player as well as making it over.

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