This and the next three photos are of a seasonally-themed chess set I made for the holidays.
All the bodies of the snowmen are maple; their hats vary and designate the piece type. The sides will be distinguished by differently colored scarves, which my daughter is crocheting for me. The pieces were held either by a Ruth Niles bottle stopper mandrel, or by a 3/8" spur center driven into a pilot hole in the base. They are weighted with BB's mixed with epoxy, and finished by buffing, rattle-can lacquer, and carnauba wax. They are felted with white felt, and displayed on a commercial chess board with 2 1/2" squares.
Kings - 4 5/8" tall.. Top hats are Gaboon ebony
Queens - 4 1/4" tall. Hats are canarywood, and were a problem. They were supposed to have wider brims and have veils, which didn't work out. The blue ribbon prevents them from looking like pith helmets.
Bishops - 3 3/8" tall. Derbies are jatoba.
Knights - 3 3/8" tall. Cowboy hats are leopardwood, turned and then carved and sanded into shape with my Dremel rotary tool.
Rooks - 2 5/8" tall, Fezzes are bloodwood, tassels are black DMC floss tied to a bead within the fez and tacked with a tiny drop of CA glue.
Pawns - 2" tall. Boaters are yellowheart.
