The Craft of the Game

A few weeks ago, I posted some process shots of a project I was working on. Some of you guessed it immediately. I built this checkers box for a 9 year old boy who loves the game and beat me when I gave it to him. His grandmother is a friend of ours and had asked me if I could make a set.

What started off as a simple idea morphed into an intricate and beautiful piece. The squares are maple and walnut laminated with a thin strip of cherry separating them. I framed it in cherry with an inlay. I hinged it to create a box that could hold the checkers. That way he can travel with the set and be at the ready should a challenger arise.

The checkers are simple disks of maple and walnut that I  turned and then cut out with my bandsaw. The "sunburst" pattern in them was a result of a dull bandsaw blade. I don't get to pour myself into small detailed projects like this very often, but they're my favorite.

They're frustrating, challenging, educational, fun and when finished, I can't help but smile at them. Sure, there are things I wish I'd done differently, and I notice every imperfection but that's how you learn.