HOW TO CARVE CHESS PIECES
Carving chess pieces need not be a herculean task. With a saw and knife combined with
virtues of patience and dedication the chess pieces can be easily carved. When starting out
it is usually advisable to start with the pawns as they are all of the same size. A
1.25”pawn size is recommended to prevent burnout from trying to cut out a longer pawn
size. Carving a chess piece can be repetitive as 32 pieces would be carved out and 16 of
which would be pawns. The steps involved in carving chess pieces are listed below:
1. SELECT YOUR TOOLS: The tools required are a saw and knife. A portable chip or
whittling knife is best suited for the carving. Any small sharp knife will however
still deliver. A bigger knife would be required to split the wood into 4 required
pieces. In the absence of a knife a flexcut or pfeil can be used.
2. SELECT THE WOOD: For carving chess pieces, two different colours of wood can
be used. A lighter shade for one team and a darker shade for the opposing team.
Sometimes one shade of wood can be used and then colored with varnish or wood
sealant to create the opposing team.
3. PREPARE THE WOOD: Green wood can be used because this wood is soft and is
suitable for beginners as there would be less exertion while trying to make a cut.
For the more experienced carver, blackcherry, apple, mayflower or maple trees can
be used.
4. WORK THE WOOD: This involves initial cutting the wood into blocks before the
process of rough cutting. It is at this step that the height of each of the pieces is
determined. This should be around 1.25” for the pawns and 3.5” for the kings and
queens. The pieces to be cut include: 16 pawns, 4 rooks, 4 knights, 4 bishops, 2
queens and 2 kings.
5. MAKE THE ROUGH CUTS: This step involves giving an initial shape to the piece
of wood. This shape would be rough and would need to be fine-tuned
subsequently. In this step, the required height and girth of the wood would have
to be determined. It is important that a standard height measurement is noted so
that the chess pieces have a uniform height and do not appear jumbled.
6. MAKE THE FINE CUTS: This cut is very important as it plays a determining role
in the final outcome. Fine cuts demand diligent work and delicate carving. Fine
cuts directly affects the shape, features and cut of the chess piece in its polished
and finished shape. At this stage, the small chip comes in very handy as it helps in
smoothening out any rough edges thus giving the chess piece the required shape.
This step requires maximum care as a careless cut can ruin the piece.
7. FINISHED CUT: This step involves giving smoothening and a finished look to the
chess piece. It requires more details, mastery and delicacy than any of the other
steps. This steps requires intense observation to check for any error. It also
requires precision and accuracy. The pieces have to be uniform thus, this stage is
more about perfecting the chess piece and ensuring the chess pieces align.
8. GLUE THE PIECES: This is for pieces that involve joining more than one piece of
wood together. The glue would help stick pieces together tightly ensuring they do
not fall apart or split.
9. SAND THE EDGES: This is to add an extra clean finish to the wood. This is done
by sanding the top and bottom edges of the finished cut.
10. COLOR THE WOOD: This is to separate the two teams as discussed earlier. A wood
varnish, oil or spray can be used for the color effect and identification of teams.
The darker pieces can be coated with a sanding sealant. After the pieces have been
sprayed and air dried they are ready for the game play.