I am fairly new to woodworking and I am in the process of making a chess board (2.25 inch squares plus a 3″ wide frame) somewhat similar to the Mike McCrory (Wood U Make It) design (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbVZmBjqszQ) but with some modifications (3″ walnut and ash was too expensive so I’m not doing an end-grain board, padauk inlay instead of brass, and biscuit joinery to attach the frame to the actual board instead of tongue & groove joinery).
I’m at the stage where I am attaching the frame around the actual chess board using biscuits (see attached pictures) and was wondering if there are special points that I need to consider about biscuit joinery to make sure that all the joints are aligned (I will practice on scrap wood first). My plan is to use three #20 biscuits along each side and not use biscuit joinery at the mitered corners mostly because I am worried that I may not be able to align the mitered corners properly ( I was planning on using glue only at the mitered corners).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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What is the checkerboard portion made of, plywood, or solid wood? If it's plywood, I would glue the edges to it without biscuits.
I used walnut and ash for the checkerboard. The frame portion is constructed from walnut with a padauk inlay. The biscuits & glue will join the padauk side of the frame to the walnut/ash board. The frame is 1/2" padauk and 2.5" walnut for a 3" wide frame.
I think that you might end up with wood movement problems. The checkerboard needs to be able to expand and contract within the frame. In my opinion, a dado groove in the frame is the correct solution. Unfortunately, at this point, each square on the edges of the checkerboard will be noticibly smaller.
You might consider using a thin plywood base onto which the checkerboard is glued WITH ONLY A SMALL DAB IN THE CENTRE. Attach the frame to the plywood, plywood being very stable. The checkerboard will now expand and contract freely, but the slight gap around the edge (between checkerboard and frame) won't be noticeable. Allow just a very slight gap between the checkerboard and frame for seasonal movement. You could even camouflage the gap with a thin strip (1/16") of felt (on edge). You can look up the expected movement vs. humidity of the woods you've chosen to determine the gap required.
I've seen the mitre joints on frames such as this, busted open due to wood movement.
Your project looks lovely and I hope my suggestion will maintain its aesthetic beauty. Good luck.
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