Staining a Checkerboard

That checkerboard effect is best obtained by gluing up multiple strips of naturally dark and light wood types, not with stain. Google is your friend.

That's what I was afraid of. Well move this to the bottom of the project list lol.

I built one in high school shop in the seventies.

We glue alternating strips the width of the square of walnut and maple using pipe clamps. The we cross cut them and flipped the strips giving the checkered pattern. We glued them again. Then we sanded them, routed the seems and filled them with bondo I think to give the squares a border.

I still have that table. Glue has never failed. It was simply Elmers white glue.

i build a lot of cutting boards as a hobby and this is how I do it.

That's what I figured. Will try the cross cutting two different pieces when I get time.

Would be a pretty cool coffee table.

Where do you get your wood from?

I'm starting to do the same and the hardest part is finding hardwoods.