V1.

0 You may have to cut a 12" blank down to a smaller size since it
Instructions for may not fit in the duplicator on certain lathes.
Making PSI's 5) Other Tools:
Bandsaw : required for final cutting of Knight, Bishop and Rook -
Chessmen install a 1/8" blade for fine cutting
Drill Press: w/ 3/8" drill bit (flat bottom bit or Forstner Bit
Chess Piece Set recommended) for drilling top of rook
1" or 1-1/2" Sanding Drum: Used in Drill press for final finishing
of Knight
Congratulations on your purchase of the PSI Chessman Template 6) Felt:
Set. These templates will allow you to make a full thirty two piece Optional: Apply to bottom of chess pieces to protect chess board
chess set. The templates are designed to be used with a PSI CML- PSI Item #CHESSFLT
DUP style manual duplicator to duplicate exact profiles of the
chess pieces in the chess set. We strongly recommend using a Setting up the duplicator
light and dark contrasting wood for your chess pieces. Making The objective here is to have the cutter and follower align at the
chess pieces out of tropical / exotic woods will create a truly exact center point of the templates and the turning throughout the
unique chess set. length of the cut. All of the Chessman templates are designed so
they can be placed in the Duplicator's template holder without re-
What you need to get started adjusting the duplicator setup - so it is only necessary to set up the
1) Lathe: duplicator once. This setup can done with any of the templates.
A mini or midi lathe with the ability to mount the PSI CML-DUP a) Insert the Lathe's headstock spur into the morse taper hole in
style duplicator. the headstock and live center into the tailstock. Loosen the bolts
that connect the duplicator to the lathe so the duplicator can be
2) Lathe Duplicator: moved if necessary.
We strongly recommend using the PSI #CML-DUP style lathe b} Place a 9" spindle between centers and slide the duplicator
duplicator. This manual duplicator gives you the ability to follow attachment to the right far enough to assure the cutter will cut a full
the rather deep complex patterns on the Chessmen Templates. 9".
Lathes and supported duplicators are listed in the chart below: c) Place any template into the template holder. Slide the template
to the left towards the headstock. Position the template's left wing
PSI Brands Duplicator Other Bands Duplicator extension in front of the point of the spur center. Tighten the
CML, CML2,3,4 CML-DUP Ryobi Mini Lathe CML-DUPR template down to secure it in place.
TCL CML-DUPT Jet Midi Lathes CML-DUPJ d) Slide the cutter/follower assembly to the left and push the
TCLPLUS CML-DUPT2 Delta Midi Lathes CML-DUPJ
TCLPRO CML-DUPJ2 Universal Retrofit CML-DUPU follower forward until it rests on the face of the template's wing.
This represents the center point of your turning
3) Template Set #CHESSTMP:
The template set consists of 5 steel templates that include:

a) King+Queen

b) 2 up Bishop

c) 2 up Knight Template
wings
follower Slider support bar cutter
d) 2 up Rook
Fig 2 Aligning Duplicator with Lathe Headstock
e) 2 up pawn Fig. 1
Fig. 3
4) Project Wood Aligning Duplicator with
Select wood that will do your turned chess pieces justice. tailstock end of Lathe
Tropical exotic hardwoods are an excellent choice but domestic
hardwoods will work just fine. Use the chart below for selecting
your wood sizes: e) With the follower touching the template wing, locate the cutter
point relative to the point of the spur center. The objective is to
Template Wood Length of No Wood pcs have the point of the cutter align precisely with the point of the
Dia. Wood Blank per species spur center (fig 2).
King+Queen 1-1/2" 9" 1 Adjust the cutter height by adjusting the white plastic
2 up Bishop 1-1/2" 8" 1 slider support bar up or down.
2 up Knight 1-1/4" 7" 1 Adjust the cutter in or out by: 1) sliding the cutter in or
2 up Rook 1-1/4" 6" 1 out in its holder, or 2) sliding the follower in or out in its holder.
2 up Pawn 1-1/4" 6" 4 Once the left side is aligned, use a similar procedure on the right
Total Len. Per species 59" 1
side where the cutter will align with the live tailstock center (fig generally turned the same. Note that the Bishop, Knight and
3). Raise or lower the bar on the right side being careful not to Rook will require finishing with other tools.
interfere with the height on the left side. Since the relative
position of the follower and cutter has now been set, they Fig 6
should not be changed in their holders - with the follower Duplicated
resting on the right template wing, rotate the entire duplicator king and
base in or out until the cutter aligns with the tailstock center. queen spindle
When aligned secure all allen screws and knobs.

General procedure for preparing the turning spindles Proceed turning and following using the instructions provided
Using a spur center in the headstock with your duplicator.
Bandsaw cross cuts into the end of your spindle (corner to As you turn and duplicate be aware of the following:
corner). Make the cuts approximately 1/8" deep. Mark an "X" 1) You can run the lathe at a higher speed when you rough the
on the tailstock end by turning square down to the template.
drawing lines from corner to Fig. 4 2) Leave at least 1/2" of square spindle at each end, do NOT
corner. Center punch where round the spindle at the ends! Leaving the ends square will
the lines cross for Marking make it easier to cut the piece off at the base later and will
positioning in the tailstock. tailstock facilitate finishing and cutting the pieces apart when you
(fig 4). end of complete turning and finishing. It will also facilitate finishing
Remove the spur center spindle the round tops of the King, Queen, Bishop and Pawn provided
from the lathe and tap it into blank you chucked up the spindle in a 4 jaw chuck.
the cut end of the spindle 3) Since the chess profiles have intricate beads, it is important
blank. Use a rubber or to make sure all of the profile elements have been duplicated
wooden mallet to avoid onto your spindle.
damaging the spur center. It should be secure so the wood will 4) When turning and prior to sanding Do NOT turn the wood
not spin through when turning. down to the template at the center where the heads of the pieces
Insert the spur center with spindle blank into the headstock. meet since this is the centerline of the turning and doing so will
Secure the tailstock live center into the center of the "X" on the prematurely cause the turning to disengage from the lathe
other end of the spindle. Spin the wood with the duplicator 5) Make your final cutting pass at the lathe's highest speed - cut
mechanism in place to make sure the wood corners clear the slowly for a smooth finish .
cutter when the duplicator cutter is pulled back. If the cutter is
hit by the wood it will be necessary to bandsaw the corners off Finishing
of the spindle. Finish the chess pieces 2 up and proceed as you would any
other turning. Start with coarser sandpaper and continue with
Mounting using a 4 jaw chuck finer sandpapers. Progressing from 180 grit thru 400 and up is
As an alternative, you can mount the spindle in the headstock typical. Pay extra attention to sand into the deep crevices
using a self centering 4 jaw chuck - this method is preferred
because it will be easier to finish the pieces and make rounded
Fig. 7
tops when positioned in the chuck.
Sanding and
Installing the Template
rounding
Position the template in the duplicator template holder. Slide
Pawn
mounted in 3
Fig 5 jaw chuck

Mounting spindle
blank in 4 jaw chuck between beads.
at headstock Apply a final finish with waxes or lacquers. Once finished,
you can cut the pieces apart in the middle by cutting with the
duplicator cutter all the way down to the template (optionally
the template so the left wing of the template extends
approximately to the point of the spur center. Secure the
template firmly in the holder by tightening down the philips
screws on the top of the template holder bar. The front edge of
the wing of the template should extend slightly beyond the front
of the holder bar on both the right and left hand sides of the
template. Fig. 8
Turning the chess piece - General directions King, Queen, Queen finished
Knight, Rook, Pawn while mounted in
These pieces are all symmetric with similar bases and are 3 jaw chuck

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 Fig. 8 you can use a parting the balance of the spindle square as shown in figure 10.
Finished King & tool) - do this at a Mark and cut the square part of the spindle to be 1" square as
Queen ready to slower speed and hold
cut at base the piece that is Fig. 11
attached at the Cutting a 1"
tailstock end with your square in
Cut Base Here hand. If using a preparation
chuck, you can now to cut the
round (with Knight
sandpaper) and finish the top of the chess piece while the piece
spins in the chuck. You will have to remount the piece that
came from the tailstock end - position it carefully in the chuck indicated below in figure 11.
until it appears to turn on center before final finishing. Trace or copy the image of the Knight (fig 18) onto the front

Cutting off at the Base

Lay the squared end on the bed of the bandsaw and push the
piece through the bandsaw blade with a guide to assure that the
base of the piece is square and flat. If necessary, sand the base Fig. 12
flat with a belt sander Marking the Knight Cutting Pattern

Special Bishop Instructions and side as shown below in figure 12.

Use an 8" spindle to turn the 2 up bishop. Proceed much the Cut the pieces apart at the base as shown below. Use the square
same as the other pieces. However, before cutting off the pieces ends to support the work. Sand the base flat with a belt sander
at the base - cut the slit in the top part as indicated on the
template in figure 20. Fig. 13
Cutting the
Special Rook Instructions Knights off
Use a spindle a minimum of 6" at the base
long to turn the 2 up rook. Sand
Fig. 9 and finish the rooks the same as the
Rook finished other pieces. Final finishing with
without the hole and cross cuts at the top are The head is cut out by cutting the side and front patterns with a
drilling and challenging operations and are bandsaw (use a fine cutting 1/8" blade if possible). This is
cutting top optional (the design is quite known as 3-D cutting and is very effective in creating a
acceptable without these final "sculpted" 3-D figure. We STRONGLY recommend that you
operations.) However, if you wish PRACTICE this cutting process several times on scrap wood
to drill and cut the top of the Rook, before cutting the turned spindle blank. Follow the sequence in
use the following instructions. figure 14 to assure you the best results. This sequence will
Locate the center of the top of the keep all of the cutouts from the figure attached together while
piece. Secure the piece in a drill press and drill a 3/8" hole being bandsawed. This will greatly simplify cutting and assure
about 1/4" deep into the top. Refer to the pattern in figure 21. you a minimum of sanding and a generally better finished chess
Cross cut 2ea 1/8" slits across the top of the piece using a piece.
bandsaw. Sand off rough edges and hand finish with an
approprate spray or polish. Buffing with a high speed buffing
wheel is a good option here.

Special Instructions for the Knight

This is the most challenging and rewarding of all of the pieces.
Start with a spindle blank 7" long. Leave at least 1-1/2" beyond
the end of the template for cutting out the form of the horse
head. Duplicate the piece to the edge of the template and leave
Sid Front

Fig.10 Fig 14 Knight 3-D Cutting Sequence

The turned
Knight Fig. 15
Bandsawing
the front/
side profiles

3
After the Knight is bandsawn out, you will find that all of the
surfaces are rough and require some sanding and contouring. Use

Fig. 16
Drumsanding

Fig. 17
Finished
Sanded Fig 18 Knight side pattern Fig 19 Knight front pattern
Knight

a 1" or 1-1/2" sanding drum (fig. 16) on all surfaces for best
results.

Final touches and other issues

1) Making your pieces shorter:
You will notice that there are 2 beads at the base of every piece.
With a bandsaw you can cut your piece below the upper bead to
reduce the overall height of your chess piece about 1/4"
2) Bottom felt:
For easiest application, use a pressure sensitive felt for the bottom
of your chess pieces. #CHESSFLT.
3) Wood spindles: Fig 20 Bishop cut pattern
For best results, use a hardwood with a very consistent grain.
Many tropical exotic woods are appropriate. Use contrasting Fig 21 Rook Cut Pattern
colored woods for the opposing board pieces. Use black or very PSI offers a set of chessboard squared made from walnut and
dark woods for one species and light or colored wood for the other. maple. The squares are precision cut to 1-3/4" square. Order item
PSI offers a wood starter pak with six 1-1/2"square x 12" spindles #CHESSQ.
in Walnut and Maple item #CHESSWD. Safety
4) Duplicating options: - When setting up your duplicator make sure all screws nuts and
If your wood is shorter or you prefer making the pieces one at a bolts are tightened securely prior to turning.
time, simply use the template pattern on the left side towards the - Make sure all work pieces and templates are secure in their
headstock. If you use this option and your spindle is also mounted holders
in a 4 jaw chuck, you will avoid having to re-mount the pieces on - Clear all accumulated dust and debris from the late, the cutting
the right side for finishing. tool and the duplicator mechanisms
5) Making a chess board: - Do not force the tool when turning and duplicating, let the cutter
do the work

Fig. 22 Set of all 5 finished pieces

King Queen Bishop Knight Rook Pawn

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