Yes, that's right. Part eight. I last blogged about this project in September, and that post starts with excuses to why it is taking so long.
My woodworking has been in a funk lately, and the idea of this board in the first place was something quick and easy that I could do to get me back in the swing of woodworking.
Maybe it'll work this time.
Anyway, I finished the game board.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9ZfpSTpKcNXoi_wIUjkpgG0YvQ6-mlDPrQu9IbWOxz4j8EpLz7dLWJ8PHjVAyJqJlUgOSkPe_NfYyWDDfk4nrcWTi3pXoW1fTvd1J80QNkVKHJxfbiOOwierR9R4EoMUH0EY8XyAyifB/s320/OI000254.jpg) |
Finally completed. |
Just in case you are wondering, I based this one off of the game board in the possession of the British Museum - an ancient Sumerian artifact somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 years old.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuqNqLqGHMIK90bw6IMFe7gL58D29UYv2Oeigx2xquDhpnCtyz7NbJcQ08GxayxbVMvsyNVuvRqs7zXMZ4Ai-qmI81IV_LVJIA4mQ_9xurXDYmPiYer0iAnTGE5DSvPa7Lj8wX0aHtFeK/s320/UR.jpg) |
The original, made a long time ago. I took many liberties, but I think it will do. |
Bear with me while I explain what I did:
The part that I was most dreading was carving the rosettes. I intended to chip carve them, but was unsure of my skill, since I have never chip carved anything before. So I thought about it for about it for around eight months.
I found my test piece the other day, and it didn't look as horrible as I thought it did when I made it. I decided if I did that, it would be better than not finishing it at all.
I also figured out that I didn't need to chip carve, at all. That was too hard to learn on this hard wood. So, instead, I took an old gouge I happened to have, sharpened it up, and used it to make the leafy shapes, and cleaned up with my new chip carving knife. Finally, I used my chisel to mark the outer outlines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxi6csNTC02No6bN1CM6aghbH7OexTjJBanwaitYwRcIS9HXTYOkVWl5H0xxVvaZMjXI4Z3deNEeQFUD-INdQLJ4QMBzSOYiHUNoQtTZspYlpxCjhnItBY-Ynyya4nsDnxfOIOB3PpM3X/s320/OI000228.jpg) |
Rosette. It could have been worse. |
After I did those, the rest was pretty easy. A combination of laying things out with dividers, carving small circles with my eggbeater drill, and drilling holes for Hillbilly inlay.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLAoV5__YYltFgcKDAdNuO-POZU5dUmMxOBzeIJFC9hrLEU4RF5_8DStGC-v_W-QfaOA9Ssmxqo2bHpqyjYOEl84At0gYj6na8bZTAKCJ2zJibH69s9vdoVp-WPOi2FAAMhLzlHa_iohW/s320/OI000231.jpg) |
Not sure why I used blue tape, but it did make some nice layout lines. |
The great part of this project, was I could do it at my desk (which is in my shop), and work on it between my lessons teaching Chinese kids English.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySJMDjb1loOSCEe5G_9kuP1Osfrg5fLEs1V5umuajM6UxNCVDS4NzjsVJqY18prXzucl6iVOi6K9ipJTSC8DbOd1dE_aHrRDIl7hjMEEkejoWpIgAHK2fXsVxnXRu_l0HO0kq-79407oP/s320/OI000235.jpg) |
Between classes. |
I really like how the eyeball thingies turned out. Drill some holes for the eyeball inlay, chop some eye patterns with a gouge (eyeballed, of course), and more eyeballing of the little crosses with my chip carving knife.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUYraoTXNs-jatludXlEWLJqE9CgnKlbXSHW7_Z_eWoF7EkzLivUo1R1h9S8WuqoywemV7oApzN4Sal8HP8VBH8RkQLiCCqMYGPeu045Ptk5Z6f-CgoGno0PivnsOleClRhVx2RBsFWxQ/s320/OI000237.jpg) |
The only thing not eyeballed was the location of the eyeballs. I used dividers for those. |
Some hide glue and 3mm bamboo skewers made the inlay. This would have taken forever if I had decided to make my own dowels with a dowel plate. Greg, you are my hero for this idea.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPn1pUVvEf_9NdqK8z8lnY6roTsIFwC69oWwFka5CaeBPbch-NQW54Ld2NeJjpDNs_2ksz0ZtLK-E_60CX2nDbN8rW0tp5ErJIW6blmNO9un42e8gfey5r8L7szlwvNYqsrffP1UPOzGU6/s320/OI000241.jpg) |
I have no idea what the purpose of most of these tiles will be in the game, but they sure do look cool! |
After all that was done, before I cleaned anything up, I cut out a little stencil in some scrap cardboard and spray painted the rosettes.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfhsuJRgkV8n1n1JrIoS7fFgZ2nmrPXr7PRqSGda3ope_Oz1AJxSiHrt08IBDJjnGJPv3DwxMGGrHZ1lJykip9uK1e4YkTF-IZFePJMZ0VGapkOqz-iJff-OdyiqKyO8NIUWCmAjJUqne/s320/IMG_20180504_170656.jpg) |
Red and blue rosettes. |
My next step was a bit of a risk. I had an idea, and hadn't heard of anyone else's experience with it. I wanted the lines I carved to pop out, so I thought Greg's method of Kohlrosing would be a good idea. The only thing I happened to have around that I could think of was black shoe polish.
I went with it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1efj-SbLrrgubyAWuS5nwz57o61VPQ_W6jxU0Ab_TSRwv_bBjdqp1RGbNAA12tB36ThA_ENktv7Aem6EPRcKNeyj4F1YzD50OvNZVmItnlnecQYhTEksQ8InNfbvJaWT6CRibXOtagQ2p/s320/OI000245.jpg) |
I learned spit-shining in the Army. |
Here's what I did: I brushed it on, trying at first to only blacken the raised panels on my board. There was plenty of parts where I went over, so I just went with it. I was careful to get black in every little nook and cranny so it would show up later.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-CzTxT8D8rzryCU1v32K8fCBAPnrcbn3AK32wa11Kd7T9LnYb7si2ItaXWvPLzWYsT7gvB6PXziQ0HLmTutbpdWIB2RC1v0_OaUcAPnygwdK-yXVSsSUyR0CzupTWILJdYJjTU2y1URf/s320/OI000247.jpg) |
Don't worry, I'm not done yet. |
Once that was all done, I let it sit for ten minutes or so, then I used the boot brush. No idea why, I guess old Army habits die hard.
Now it is time to clean it up. I sharpened my smoothing plane and set it for extremely light cuts. I didn't want to plane my newly blackened lines away, only to have to re-carve, re-blacken, and re-plane-them-away again.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0uON0kPU5UmxYvKr7A-UOjN4ApElmX5hCLy2ubnzsxxJt8_5xUkM1Wmi9lqXT66_cmnqWqjp-KjFnKO0KIXejQjUSAtJ1p6r2x4dkah6QLj1hdfKxaKd0XDKtWD_Mci9-n9SvH7vCMv5/s320/OI000249.jpg) |
Cleaning up the shoe polish. |
Many of the inlays were still a bit proud after having cut them with a flush cut saw. Once they were all leveled, I start taking shavings off of the panels, one by one the best I can.
This didn't turn out perfect, but I like the effect.
After this was done, I treated it to a coat of my super-secret-home-refined linseed oil.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ59LGmW3YKl2XLBfCFhIZmKquMRTXkvN6HbfYSpCCJLN7oPbIcy7uiqPZzfNIA3ZBN4nlS8whr3UqmGxYwhqauWBYuccGVh1Y9_J40lntKMJRacs6LxHp1gQBGx0QrscVqX9lHH-eIJkk/s320/OI000256.jpg) |
I like this effect. |
The black shoe polish does indeed accentuate the lines I carved. Plus, it gives an air of age to the game board. I like it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11JpdaiqoHRw83aGVr6dYSR0fw_HXl4StC3Xvpu5MfSl8ddeqvMOQ41dV9P7epjBj5UN2jpSQW_gVV8Fx6fnH2mbntIb0gOHqovG6l1gc2PC4l7JBin0vSiGTNjNFqxnrD3lV1Mxa9rtP/s320/OI000254.jpg) |
Not quite complete, but I do have some functional dice. |
AAR
If I build another one of these, there are some things I really like, and some things I'd do differently.
- It might be a good idea to do the carving before planing and sawing away the grooves. There was some blowout in a few spaces because there was nothing to support the fragile edges when chopping a decorative line near the edge. Or not. Perhaps a backing piece would be a better idea.
- The shoe polish was a great idea. But, it gets in the grooves no matter what. Go with it, or mask it. But with a wood like this, the black will stay in the pores of the wood.
- Try to complete the next one in less than nine months.
- Cutting the rosettes with a gouge was a masterstroke: I never could have achieved such uniformity with a carving knife. Maybe others could.
Next I'll have to come up with a plan for the game pieces. Stay tuned!
If (like me) you've forgotten all about this project and want to read all the posts about how I got to this point, they are
all here.