Liberty Mata Final Project: Mixed Techniques

Process

When I first started thinking of ideas for a final project, I immediately wanted to try my hand at making a custom chess board. The first step in my process was to design a simple chessboard frame in Fusion 360; I tried to keep it pretty plain while still including classy details like the rounded corners. I cut the board out on the CNC machine, sanded it down, and applied wood stain to tint it darker before calling it complete. My next step was to cut out 72 wood squares (64 squares for the board and 8 extra, just in case) with the Rayjet laser cutter; I cut these squares with 1.5 inches on each side and measured the height to ensure the squares would fit nicely into the chess board's middle indention. After these squares were cut, I sprayed them with primer and then painted half of them maroon and half of them white. I also sanded down the corners of a few pieces to use as corner squares of the board. Finally, after checking to make sure all of the pieces fit snugly into the board, I applied wood glue to the board and fit all of the alternating color pieces into the board frame. 

Board design in Fusion 360

Cutting out board on CNC machine

Freshly milled board

Chessboard squares being laser cut

Squares after painting

Board and squares ready for assembly

Result

The finished chessboard turned out great! I think the frame is a classic design, smoothly sanded, and the darker stained wood adds dimension to the overall aesthetic. I think that the squares ended up really nice, too, especially since they ended up fitting so seamlessly into the board frame. I'm also proud of myself for taking the time and attention to detail to arrange all of the squares with their respective paint strokes facing in one direction since I think it elevates the quality of the product even if it is only a small nuance. However, if I did this project again, I'd probably choose a slightly different color to paint the squares; I really like the idea of maroon, but the paint dried a lighter shade than I expected, so I would probably darken it if I did this again. Moreover, I might play around with the color tones of the white squares since the maroon and warm-toned white squares kind of remind me of Christmas and candy canes (not really a year-round aesthetic). Overall, though, I think my chessboard design matches my original vision very closely! 


Finished board close-up!

Completed board after being glued


Reflection

The creation of the chessboard went pretty smoothly for me; I didn't need to retry or revise many steps, although I did experience some initial technical and material difficulties when using the CNC machine and had to recut the board frame once. If anything, I wish that I had been able to add more to this project without the time constraints and stresses of finals season. When I originally thought to make a chessboard, I was inspired to design personalized pieces and 3D print them to make an entire customized chess set. However, I ended up not having as much time for production as I had first anticipated. I think the chessboard is great on its own, but I definitely plan to still print out my own piece designs and paint them so that I can have my very own completed set. I included some photos of my piece designs below to showcase their unique and quirky style that I think would add a perfect final touch of character to the chessboard. 


Queen piece design in Fusion 360

King piece design in Fusion 360

Bishop piece design in Fusion 360


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