Chess project help

[michaelsscrollsaw]

Basically I will be making a chess board with pieces for my school project. Using the scroll saw, I will compound-cut the pieces, which I hope to be cultural/famous landmarks from around the world.

The pieces in the link did not come out very well as they were made from rough pine, plus I used the wrong blade. Will it be good to use walnut and sycamore for the final product?

I am hoping that you can help me to come up with the knight and pawn pieces- I already have: Big Ben, Empire State Building, Great Wall Of China and Eiffel Tower.

Please click this link to the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JCxf...1&feature=plcp

[Terry Murphy]

What is the size of the cut pieces?

How about windows in the building?

[michaelsscrollsaw]

The wood is 45mm x 45mm (The largest base so far is the Eiffel Tower (42mm x 42mm))

[Gill]

I love the concept for this chess set .

How about having the pawns as pyramids and the knights as the Golden Gate bridge (you could cheat and use threads glued into place to look like the suspension hawsers)? Insofar as the choice of wood is concerned, sycamore could be a touch on the soft side to hold up to the rigours of compound cutting. You might get away with it but I would rather opt for ash or maple. Walnut would be quite a luxury; have you considered iroko as an alternative?

The last chess set I made was cut completely from maple and the 'black' pieces were sprayed with Chestnut's ebonising lacquer. I was delighted by the result - you don't need to use a dark wood for the black pieces.