Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Monday , Start Anew
For a select group of skilled foregn wood workers the ability to produce a common but in this case precision series of products that can be made using a bridle can cause the project to increase in cost up to 50% more than those without. What specialized product are they making? How are they used?
Any hints?
No clue here
The workers are in
India. The items they make are also made of other materials other than wood but not typically relevant to my question. Think other than wood joints. It takes a special kind of person to appreciate the value.
Monday answer
No guesses. The answer is Chess pieces, specifically, the Knight. Apparently there are more than a few nuances to the making of a worthy chess set. Depending on use, and style, each piece has a U.S. Chess Federation sanctioned specific height and base ratio as well as mass. The wood used (Sandalwood is even more expensive than real Ebony), the detail of the crown on the King, and the carving of the Knight are the two tell tale indicators of the monetary value of a wooden chess set. The Knight is the only piece that mostly has to be carved not turned. Historically, the highest quality, most expensive sets, regardless of the name on the box, style of chess piece, or location of sale, come from Northern India (between Pakistan and Tibet) where that region has families and villages that have been carving chess sets for hundreds of years. Of real importance to high end buyers are matched Knights. For those four pieces, carved, bridled horses are worth more than all the other pieces on the board. A horse head knight that is well carved and matched, with a bridle (pierced or not), can value the set to be up to 50% more than a similar set but with Knights carved without the bridle. So look at your sets and those scattered about on the net. If anyone out there wants to plunk down serious cash for a well carved and matched set, $1K is not unreasonable. (Exploring I found a nice Blood Red Sandalwood bridled Knight set available on ebay at $900 plus shipping.) Here�s another tidbit or two. �Have Gun Will Travel�Wire Paladin, San Francisco� was on the business card of the hero (Richard Boone) of the 1950�s TV show. It showed a Knight which is what a Paladin is, and it is also the root word for �palace��guardian of the palace. Cool huh? Also, by design, the base of any chess piece ought to take up 78% of a square on the board. Knowing that you turners out there can mathematically size the board to the set or vice versa. Web sites abound on choosing carved chess pieces. And the history and symbolism of the knight chess piece is also worth a read. Google whatever, wherever feels good.