At Princeton, Wintersession is a time to explore new hobbies, academic interests, or career aspirations on campus during the end of the winter break period. This winter, I had planned to return to campus a week before classes resumed, to give myself some time to focus on my senior thesis. Looking to fill my schedule with some much-needed study breaks, I perused the Wintersession offerings until one event captured my full attention: “Create Your Own Chess Board!”
On a cold Wednesday morning, I made my way over to the Princeton Facilities Carpentry Shop, excited for the day of crafting that lay ahead of me. Our instructor, Jim, kicked off the event with a tour of Princeton’s carpentry shop, showing us the equipment and ongoing projects. He explained his work as a carpenter, which includes tasks such as repairing broken legs from dining hall chairs and custom building retirement presents for his colleagues.
Once the tour had concluded, it was time to start constructing our chessboards. We started by building the frame from the board, using hammers to nail the wooden pieces together. Next, it was time to select the pieces of wood that we wanted to use for the individual squares. This was the most special part of the entire process, as Jim explained to us that all the wood we would be using came from cherry and willow trees on Princeton’s campus. We inspected pre-cut slabs of wood for desirable coloring and grain patterns, before assembling the wood and gluing it into our frames. We left the glue to dry overnight and returned the next afternoon.
On Thursday, we put the final touches on our chess boards. I used about three layers of wood varnish to give my chessboard a shiny, glossy finish. It was remarkable to see just how much the color changed after the varnish was applied! While waiting for the coats to dry, Jim gave us demonstrations of each of the saws in the Carpentry Shop, and gave us miniature wooden versions of the Princeton crest that he had made in preparation for our last visit. After 2 days and 6 hours of work, my beloved chess board was finally ready to take home!
Altogether, I will cherish this as one of my most special experiences at Princeton. As a senior, this last semester already feels so bittersweet, and I have found myself eager to hold onto mementos before my time at Princeton comes to an end. Knowing that I made this chessboard from trees that grew on campus makes me feel like I am taking a small part of campus with me wherever I bring it. I will cherish it forever!
