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   Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Friday, 12-Jan-2024 02:21:08 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

   I fell off the wagon... or am I back on my BS?

   Either way, I'm making another #chess board.

   #diy #woodworking

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Friday, 12-Jan-2024 04:32:56 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     I took the oak and the poplar, and sanded them both with 120, 150, and 220 sand paper). Then I applied conditioner to the oak, and then stained it with a water based "espresso" stain.

     I think the contrast between the white and the black pieces is obvious and the wood grain looks great.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Friday, 12-Jan-2024 04:53:13 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Stain looks good! ♟️

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jan-2024 07:14:54 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     I took the board to my table saw and cut it up. Laid in a checker pattern, the pieces fit pretty cleanly together.

     One difference between working with 1/4" boards, as I am here, and 1/2" board as I did in the past, is that the glue doesn't feel very strong. Maybe I should give it a backing...

     Next, thinking about the sides of the box.

     #chess #diy #woodworking

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jan-2024 22:15:19 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Walt Baldwin

     @waltbaldwin great tip, i'll do that.

   • Embed this notice
     Walt Baldwin (waltbaldwin@mastodon.energy)'s status on Saturday, 13-Jan-2024 22:15:20 JST Walt Baldwin

     in reply to

     @derek

     i'm making my first chess board. needed a full size portable so i made one that separates into 4 4x4 sections that connect via magnets and moulded edges. fwiw - i got pretty good results getting the squares to align by gluing the long strips alternating between light and dark. then once that set cutting more strips from the alternating color panel. flip every other one and glue up the strips into the final panel.

     i would glue the 1/4" board to a backer.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 15-Jan-2024 23:51:44 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     There is nothing like gluing together a bunch of finely cut squares together to help you realize that they are not, in fact, squares, but a collection of 1mm-off irregular rectangles. 🫣

     #crafting #chess #woodworking

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     phiofx (phiofx@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 15-Jan-2024 23:55:33 JST phiofx

     in reply to

     @derek are they indeed even "rectangles"?

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Tuesday, 16-Jan-2024 00:02:19 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • phiofx

     @phiofx No. Polygons. At best.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jan-2024 02:49:01 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Jamie Booth

     @jamie yes, that's what i'm doing here. Fun stuff

   • Embed this notice
     Jamie Booth (jamie@boothcomputing.social)'s status on Wednesday, 17-Jan-2024 02:49:02 JST Jamie Booth

     in reply to

     @derek

     I once asked a coworker who made chess boards how he did it. His process was:

     * Cut the wood to strips the width of the squares.
     * Glue the strips edge to edge alternating colors
     * Rotate them 90 degrees and cut them again into strips
     * Slide every other strip up one square and reglue
     * Trim the edges to final board size.

     I basically smacked my head with my palm. Felt so simple compared to what I was envisioning.

     #woodworking

   • Embed this notice
     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 18-Jan-2024 23:29:36 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     It never ceases to amaze me how round saw blades can make such straight, regular shapes. Geometry! 🤓

     I don't have a lathe, but I do have a table saw, so I'm starting to experiment with ideas for #chess pieces.

     These are made out of a 1" ash dowel.

     #woodworking #crafting

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 22-Jan-2024 04:29:43 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     learning a bit more about wire inlay. The idea is that I'll have inlay around the board.

     superglue helps!

     #woodworking

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 22-Jan-2024 05:04:45 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Pawn and Bishop experiments. I'm growing more and more excited that I'll be able to make something interesting!

     #chess #woodworking #crafting

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 29-Jan-2024 04:49:40 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     I think I need a simpler joint. Tried making a jig, it ended up being too complicated.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 29-Jan-2024 10:36:17 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Wharrrrrrgarbl

     @Wharrrrrrgarbl good call,, thank you

   • Embed this notice
     Wharrrrrrgarbl (wharrrrrrgarbl@an.errant.cloud)'s status on Monday, 29-Jan-2024 10:36:18 JST Wharrrrrrgarbl

     in reply to

     @derek for something that size, tight fitting miters just glued together are way stronger than they get credit for

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 01-Feb-2024 06:24:15 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     OK, starting to make more standardized pieces. I took a pawn experiment I liked and measured the dimensions. Now I'm recreating the pieces.

     One challenge: I can't figure out the exact height of the saw blade, so I'm measuring by 1/3rd cranks on the elevation wheel. The base is 0 cranks (no cut), the neck is 5/6, 4/6, and 3/6 cranks, and the "head" is 1/6 cranks.

     #chess #carpentry #diy

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 15-Feb-2024 07:30:13 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     practicing box joints. Much simpler than finger joints!

     #woodworking

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 15-Feb-2024 07:38:57 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Boards and margins finished. Having a table saw makes for better margins.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 15-Feb-2024 07:46:32 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Elegantbeef

     @Elegantbeef thanks!

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     Elegantbeef (elegantbeef@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Thursday, 15-Feb-2024 07:46:33 JST Elegantbeef

     in reply to

     @derek To be the "well actually" guy, that's a rabbet joint. A box joint uses rectangular interlocks like you did prior, finger joint uses tapered cuts.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Sunday, 25-Feb-2024 08:57:52 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Margins finished (again) for my chess board. I made them in poplar because I think the carving work I want to do will be easier in soft wood.

     Then, I cut the 2" sides of the box into 1" slices. 🫣 Added bevels.

     I am stretching my knowledge here, for sure.

     #woodworking #chess #diy #poplar

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 04:56:04 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     For a hot minute I thought I'd decorate the margins with an illustrative scene with wire inlay! Big ambitions to do a series of #LordOfTheRings illustrations with copper inlay.

     I've landed on much a simpler geometric pattern. More doable.

     #copper #inlay #woodworking #crafting #diy

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 05:11:28 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     There we go.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 05:20:49 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Solarpunk Station

     @solarpunkgnome it is darn hard!

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     Solarpunk Station (solarpunkgnome@sunbeam.city)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 05:20:50 JST Solarpunk Station

     in reply to

     @derek

     Nice!

     I've always been too intimidated to do any inlay work.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 05:46:07 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Bavarian Unicorn
     • Solarpunk Station

     @bavarianunicorn @solarpunkgnome nice

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     Bavarian Unicorn (bavarianunicorn@ieji.de)'s status on Monday, 11-Mar-2024 05:46:09 JST Bavarian Unicorn

     in reply to

     • Solarpunk Station

     @derek @solarpunkgnome
     You only need a steady hand and a lot of patience :-)

     This is the outside of a case for a flute.
     #wood #inlay

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Tuesday, 12-Mar-2024 02:11:09 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Drew the inlay pattern on the opposide side of the board (this time using the speed square... yay for having those right angles handy).

     You know, woodworking has made me appreciate the real-world implications of my high school #geometry class.

     There's something to be said for proofs - if you have a shape, and you know the dimensions of some of those shapes, you can also know the angles of the shape, and the dimensions of other sides.

     #wireInlay #chess #woodworking

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Tuesday, 12-Mar-2024 02:56:20 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     I've come to realize the consequences of a decision I made to make the storage space of the board ~1.5" tall (half the dimensions of my first board)!

     ALL the pieces (which will be at max 1" wide) must fit on a single side of the box.

     I have a plan. It may or may not involve magnets.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 01:32:27 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Omg. On the *last* element of my wire inlay project I figured out how to do inlay correctly. Look at the difference!

     Moving forward (if I do more inlay) I'm going to save so much glue, prevent so much damage to the wood!

     #woodworking #wireInlay #diy

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 03:13:41 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua

     @GustavinoBevilacqua lessons learned:

     1. Hammer the wire until it is as thin as possible

     2. Make the cuts deep and narrow

     I was not hammering enough and the wire was somewhat rounded. Because of this I was making wide cuts to fit the inlay, and it bounced around. Because of this I had to use a lot of glue. Lots of hammering. The whole thing was, to say the least, messy.

     With thin wire, the sides of the narrow cut grip the wire. It just requires a little glue to keep together!

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     rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua (gustavinobevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 03:13:43 JST rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua

     in reply to

     @derek

     😍
     Ok, now please explain us the trick, thanks.

   • Embed this notice
     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 05:21:09 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     🥰

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 22:32:11 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Marius

     @Zamfr I have a carving set, something like the one pictured below. I sketched the lines using a speed square (to keep things simple, everything is a straight line, and most come together at 90 degree angles). Then I used the broad, flat blade and a small hammer to carve the grooves. I had to cut with a smaller blade the for short, delicate lines in the "leaves".

   • Embed this notice
     Marius (zamfr@mstdn.social)'s status on Monday, 18-Mar-2024 22:32:12 JST Marius

     in reply to

     • rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua

     @derek @GustavinoBevilacqua this is nice! How do you make the grooves?

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:00:53 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     Cue the sad trumpets. Major bummer.

     I honestly have no idea why this is happening. Did I over sand the wood close up all the pores?

     #woodworking

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     Katanova, the Lucent Nomad (katanova@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:04:47 JST Katanova, the Lucent Nomad

     in reply to

     @derek Did you sand after or before the inlay was in?

     At a guess, if you sanded after the inlay, particles from the wire became embedded in the wood around the wire, leading to the wood having different properties there, with the metal particles rejecting the stain.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:08:58 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Katanova, the Lucent Nomad

     @katanova I sanded after the inlay! And yeah, it looked like there was part of the metal coming into the wood.

     Absolutely wild. maybe I should take a page out of this video https://youtu.be/hGrviqJK3Dc?t=1013

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:40:22 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • wedge

     @wedge The metal is copper, and then I used a water based stain

   • Embed this notice
     wedge (wedge@woodworking.group)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:40:23 JST wedge

     in reply to

     @derek

     Looks to me like the metal is having a chemical reaction with the finish your using. Just a guess. What’s the finish compounds? What’s the metal?

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:41:51 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • wedge

     @wedge I think I saw a few videos where people did that process. I guess the question is how much can I sand the inlay if the wood is already stained? Something to look into.

   • Embed this notice
     wedge (wedge@woodworking.group)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 04:41:52 JST wedge

     in reply to

     @derek

     Shellac and linseed oil wouldn’t do that, so you must be using a different product.

     You can always tint a shellac to whatever color you want.

     Another thing to try (next time) is carve the slots and finish the wood, then inlay the metal after the finish is completely dry.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 06:07:54 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • wedge

     @wedge Science!

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     wedge (wedge@woodworking.group)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 06:07:55 JST wedge

     in reply to

     @derek

     I’ve not done any inlaying, so I don’t know why you’d want to sand after the inlaying, but I think I’d go with a safer finish next time.

     Out of curiosity, you could put some of you finish on a piece of copper, on a plate or something, and see if it has the same reaction. If so, then you know for sure it’s the finish.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 06:08:33 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     @davepolaschek Thanks, great tip. I'll try this sequence next.

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Polaschek (he/him) (davepolaschek@writing.exchange)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 06:08:34 JST Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     in reply to

     If I wanted to stain or tint, I would put that in the 2nd through Nth coats of shellac, applying until I got the color right, then finish with platina shellac, then optionally varnish. (2/2)

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Polaschek (he/him) (davepolaschek@writing.exchange)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Mar-2024 06:08:35 JST Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     in reply to

     • wedge

     @wedge @derek The order I would try (I’ve not done metal inlay, but I’ve done multi-wood inlay, with contrasting colors including ring-porous wood) would be: oil if desired, grain-fill, cut grooves, glue inlay using fish glue (which cleans up with hot water, and which allows most finishes to stick), sand lightly, shellac (as a sealer, and also because it sticks to anything, probably my stock 1.5# cut), then finish as desired. (1/2)

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 21-Mar-2024 04:41:47 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     @davepolaschek Is there a brand of fish glue you like?

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Polaschek (he/him) (davepolaschek@writing.exchange)'s status on Thursday, 21-Mar-2024 04:41:48 JST Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     in reply to

     @derek Sealing / grain-filling first kept the dark (walnut) sanding dust out of the lighter ash pores. Also, fish glue is the traditional glue for installing metal frets in wood, and it’s very nice to clean up.

     I also do most of my staining nowadays with coats of tinted shellac. It gives me more flexibility, and if I want to “back up,” I can simply take an alcohol-soaked rag and remove some shellac (and tint).

     Yeah, it takes longer, but I get more control. I like that trade.

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     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Thursday, 21-Mar-2024 22:54:40 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     • Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     @davepolaschek Thanks! I got the Lee Valley option.

   • Embed this notice
     Dave Polaschek (he/him) (davepolaschek@writing.exchange)'s status on Thursday, 21-Mar-2024 22:54:41 JST Dave Polaschek (he/him)

     in reply to

     @derek The brand I have in the shop doesn’t seem to be available any more. I think I got it from Tools For Working Wood, but they don’t even list it any more.

     Lee Valley sells larger containers and a lot cheaper price. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/supplies/adhesives/glue/20019-high-tack-fish-glue

     StewMac sells 8oz bottles (which is probably enough for a long time), but it’s more expensive per ounce. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/glue-and-adhesive/glues/wood-glues/stewmac-fish-glue/

     If you refrigerate it when you’re not using it, it’ll last forever.

   • Embed this notice
     Derek Caelin is writing a book (derek@social.coop)'s status on Monday, 09-Sep-2024 22:55:38 JST Derek Caelin is writing a book

     in reply to

     After a 6-months hiatus... once more into the breach, dear friends!

     I followed the advice of folks here (thanks all!) and switched up my glue. I used fish glue, which is water soluable. I switched to oak so I'm using a hardwood.

     With practice, I'm also getting better at leaving more wire exposed above the wood during the inlay process. This means that theres more wire to sand, and expand with the sanding.

     #crafting #wireInlay

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     Billy Smith (billysmith@social.coop)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Sep-2024 08:48:43 JST Billy Smith

     in reply to

     @derek

     Excellent work :D