| As we said before
about the wood supply, the process of preparation of the raw material is absolutely
manual. Boxwood comes in small bundles of tapering trunks with diameters ranging from 60 to 35 mm at the foot and 30 to 20 mm at the thin end, and lengths between 2 and 5 metres.
When the wood has been selected we look for the trunks with the right diameter to get the piece we need to turn out. By means of a gauge we check the size. Sizes thicker or thinner than necessary will be spared and piled up for times when different sizes are required.
Then in different manual operations, some with the help of a machine, we finish the turning process. Standard chessmen are thus finished, lacking only felt bases and varnish, except for knights and pieces which are hand engraved and carved. "Europe" model knights, once roughly turned, get their shape in an automatic machine, even though they need retouching to ensure a uniform finish, which is not guaranteed by the automatic process.
This manual work demands skill, a steady hand, good craftsmanship and patience, qualities our artisans and collaborators are endowed with. In the picture we can see Emili Torres absorbed in the carving of chess pieces, his wide and still shoulders offering a comfortable seat to his cat. |
Once dry, it
is essential that the boxwood is selected by putting aside the cracked trunks and those
with visible defects.
Now the wood shaping process begins,
with tools cutting tangentially around the turning piece and giving it the desired shape.
The tool has the same profile as the piece but in reverse.
All the other knights, as well as the carved pieces, require a number of manual
operations to obtain the desired shape.