Frame 08A hardware 2025
Chess Board + Clock
A tournament-size maple and walnut board with a matching Arduino clock
Creator
Tyler Mastrangelo
Double major in Computer Science and Cybersecurity
Sponsor
Brendan Haggerty
Professor of the College of Arts and Sciences
The story
I've played chess for years and never owned a board I actually liked, so I built one. Regulation size, alternating maple and walnut squares cut on the table saw at the Elon Maker Hub, finished with danish oil, funded through a Kickbox grant. Then I wired up an Arduino Nano chess clock with an LCD and a laser-engraved case to sit next to it. My first serious woodworking project.
The board
- Regulation tournament size with 2 inch squares and a 16x16 inch playing surface.
- Alternating maple and walnut squares with a maple border, elevated on an MDF base for a floating effect.
- Practice cuts on scrap plywood first to dial in the table saw before cutting the expensive hardwood.
- Finished with danish oil, which made the colors pop, and built at the Elon Maker Hub as the first serious woodworking project.
The clock
- Arduino Nano, buttons, and an LCD display to keep score cleanly during play.
- Laser-engraved case for a more finished look next to the board.
- Used an Instructables wiring guide as the reference for the electronics layout.
What's next
Plan to use it as a centerpiece in the room and keep building more woodworking and Arduino projects from there.
Stack · as built
Frontend
- Woodworking
- Arduino Nano
- LCD Display
Backend
- Buttons
- Laser Engraving
- Table Saw Setup
Infra
- Maple
- Walnut
- MDF Base
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