I like this new project from former Instructables artist-in-residence Jayefuu for a lot of reasons, but firstly, probably, because I’ve been down the same road. I’ve wanted a giant chess set for awhile, but, as he says…
Looking online to see what was already available, I found three problems:
1) Size: none of the sets advertised as giant, were actually very big
2) Ease of storage: all of the sets I found online were injection moulded plastic. I’d need a lot of space to store them!
3) Price: for a truly giant chess set I’d need to shell out $300+.
Jayefuu’s DIY solution is similar to one I imagined, but never quite got around to building: A set of slot-together profiles that can be knocked down when the game is over. Jayefuu used 4mm Coroplast, which would be fine for indoor use but might blow away outside. One might also use the thicker grades of Coroplast or another panel altogether. The cutting would be a bit of a chore without a CNC tool; Jayefuu used a laser cutter with a 24×36″ bed, and the profiles are sized accordingly. The vector art is attached to the project as an archive of Alibre CAD files.
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That’s very clever! I see myself doing this in thick cardboard and spraypainting the pieces. The board could be a large roll-up that has the feel of a yoga mat.