Star Trek upped the classic board game stakes with three-dimensional chess, leaving others to ask the question “Where to from here?”. Enterprising carpenter Ben Meyers has the answer — throw away the platonic solids and embrace the most pure of shapes: the sphere.
Meyers has documented his creation over at Instructables, though if you were hoping for a step-by-step guide on how to build your own, you’re going to be disappointed.
Instead, Ben provides some rough measurements and advice:
…each square piece was cut with near exactness. Each piece then went to the drill press to make holes for the magnets. After putting magnets in them, each were glued together in horizontal rings, which were octagonal shaped. With all eight rings glued up, and the magnets held in with Bondo, the two halves were glued together
…
The base was a little easier. It is about 10″ in diameter, also turned on a lathe. It has three main parts to it. The stand, support and arm … also on the inside there is a small spring loaded mechanism that keeps the ball from free spinning.
It’s made from soft maple and walnut wood, which is what gives the board its heavenly appearance. If I owned such a thing, I don’t know if I’d want to play it. I’d rather keep it on the mantle and tell each of my friends a different story about how I acquired it.
Sphere Chess Board [Instructables, via Nerd Approved]
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