With the Wood for the sides of this Chess Set chosen and milled,
sizing the sides was done first...

When making a size-specific box,
I like to use the original rather than measuring...
Because finger joints are to be used,
the thickness of the sides has to be added to both ends...
This only has to be marked once to get the long and the short of it...
It is a simple matter to use the first cuts to mark the second ones...

As was mentioned in the last blog,
this box is to be a re-creation of the small box that my first, smaller Chess set came in...

That one (which I simply can't find, only have a couple of old pictures of)
Was/is a simple sliding top Box...
The larger set, was delivered to me in 1974 from the United States Chess Federation...
It came in a Cardboard box, and for what it's worth, had a divider in it
to segregate the pieces...

After the sides were trimmed down to the appropriate height,
a scrap of wood was found and processed to act as the bottom,
the sliding top, and the small dividing wall...

Dadoes were then added to the two longer sides
to accept these pieces...

Then the Fingers were quickly cut with the Scroll Saw...

The "D" side was trimmed down to fit the sliding lid through the end,
and after the sides were cut and fitted the old box was placed in the new
to check the fit...

That'll work!
A bottom was marked and quickly cut and glued on
after 3/16" dowels were tapped into the corners...

The Sliding lid was cut slightly over-sized,
and trimmed down carefully with a Hand Plane to fit in the slot provided...
Then the length of the Lid was marked and cut...

I'm sure you sharp-eyed readers have noticed the mistake I made,
cutting the sides for a finger joint that no longer exists!
I should have thought that through a little more carefully...
No excuse, but in my defense, I didn't have the original box "in my hand" to examine...
In any event, the good part about cutting finger joints with a Scroll Saw,
is that you have a pile of small, cut-off fingers to use as plugs!
Which is where this box is now...

All that's left is trimming those fill-ins and some final shaping and sanding,
Then it's off to the finishing department...

Over all, a fairly simple project, but one that brings a sense of 'full circle' closure...
Thanks for your time if you read along! :)

30 October 2025