Series Title: 64 Great Chess Games (Chess Boards)
Background: I play chess and I enjoy chess, but I'm not a competive player. I made my first chess board for my wife, Tanya. At her suggestion, I am now making and selling chess boards alongside my cribbage boards. Keeping in line with my charter to make my boards unique and give each board a unique name, I chose a big series to name the boards after. Usually, I don't sell a series until the series is complete. But since this is such a big series and chess boards take a considerable amount more time to make than a cribbage board, I will offer them as they come off the EnumeroCribbageBoards.com Factory Floor. These 64 matches represented so many of the modern Grand Masters of Chess and since I'm not a chess expert, I humbly rely on the opinions of others. The about.com article states: "these are considered by many experts to be among the best chess games ever played".
3 of 64 Boards:
1. 1834 - London: McDonnell A. - De La Bourdonnais L.
2. 1851 - London: Anderssen A. - Kieseritzky L.
3. 1852 - Berlin: Anderssen A. - Dufresne J.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Mercury 13 Astronauts - 13 Boards
Series Title: The Mercury 13 Astronauts
Background: This series celebrates 13 Woman who passed the same rigorous physical and psychological testing as the seven men who became the Mercury 7. None of them ever got the chance to fly in space.
These thirteen women passed the same physical examinations that the Lovelace Foundation developed for NASA’s astronaut selection process (although the original number of male candidates was much larger, fewer men passed the tests).
There are several books written about these courageous women. Also, there is a website dedicated to the surviving Mercury 13 complete with bios for each of the women, pictures and lists of their amazing accomplishments (most were highly skilled pilots).
13 Boards:
Background: This series celebrates 13 Woman who passed the same rigorous physical and psychological testing as the seven men who became the Mercury 7. None of them ever got the chance to fly in space.
These thirteen women passed the same physical examinations that the Lovelace Foundation developed for NASA’s astronaut selection process (although the original number of male candidates was much larger, fewer men passed the tests).
There are several books written about these courageous women. Also, there is a website dedicated to the surviving Mercury 13 complete with bios for each of the women, pictures and lists of their amazing accomplishments (most were highly skilled pilots).
13 Boards:
Myrtle "K" Cagle
Jerrie Cobb (Jerri Truhill)
Jan Dietrich
Marion Dietrich
Wally Funk
Janey Hart
Jean Hixson
Gena Nora Stumbough (Gena Nora Jessen)
Irene Leverton
Bernice "B" Steadman
Sarah Gorelick Ratley
Jerri Truhill
Rhea Hurrle Woltman
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
7 Time Tour de France Winner - 7 Boards
Series Title: 7 Time Tour de France Winner - 7 Boards
Background: All proceeds from selling these boards are going directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation when the series is SOLD-OUT. The price for each board will be $10.02 . Each board is named after one of Lance's 7 Tour Victories. Lance Armstrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation promote Cancer Survivorship and give hope and support to individuals (and their families) fighting cancer.
7 Boards:
1999 Tour de France Winner
2000 Tour de France Winner
2001 Tour de France Winner
2002 Tour de France Winner
2003 Tour de France Winner
2004 Tour de France Winner
2005 Tour de France Winner
Background: All proceeds from selling these boards are going directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation when the series is SOLD-OUT. The price for each board will be $10.02 . Each board is named after one of Lance's 7 Tour Victories. Lance Armstrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation promote Cancer Survivorship and give hope and support to individuals (and their families) fighting cancer.
7 Boards:
1999 Tour de France Winner
2000 Tour de France Winner
2001 Tour de France Winner
2002 Tour de France Winner
2003 Tour de France Winner
2004 Tour de France Winner
2005 Tour de France Winner
Named Lunar Modules - 9 Boards
Series Title: Named Lunar Modules
Background: The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program to achieve the transit from moon orbit to the surface and back. The module was also known as the LM from the manufacturer designation (yet pronounced "LEM" from NASA's early name for it, Lunar Excursion Module).
The 6.65 m³ module was designed to carry a crew of two. The total module was 6.4 m high and 4.3 m across, resting on four legs. It consisted of two stages — the descent stage module and the ascent stage. The total mass of the module was 15,264 kg with the majority of that (10,334 kg) in the descent stage.
9 Boards:
LM-3 Spider Apollo 9 March 3, 1969
LM-4 Snoopy Apollo 10 May 18, 1969
LM-5 Eagle Apollo 11 July 16, 1969
LM-6 Intrepid Apollo 12 November 14, 1969
LM-7 Aquarius Apollo 13 April 11, 1970
LM-8 Antares Apollo 14 January 31, 1971
LM-10 Falcon Apollo 15 July 26, 1971
LM-11 Orion Apollo 16 April 16, 1972
LM-12 Challenger Apollo 17 December 7, 1972
Background: The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program to achieve the transit from moon orbit to the surface and back. The module was also known as the LM from the manufacturer designation (yet pronounced "LEM" from NASA's early name for it, Lunar Excursion Module).
The 6.65 m³ module was designed to carry a crew of two. The total module was 6.4 m high and 4.3 m across, resting on four legs. It consisted of two stages — the descent stage module and the ascent stage. The total mass of the module was 15,264 kg with the majority of that (10,334 kg) in the descent stage.
9 Boards:
LM-3 Spider Apollo 9 March 3, 1969
LM-4 Snoopy Apollo 10 May 18, 1969
LM-5 Eagle Apollo 11 July 16, 1969
LM-6 Intrepid Apollo 12 November 14, 1969
LM-7 Aquarius Apollo 13 April 11, 1970
LM-8 Antares Apollo 14 January 31, 1971
LM-10 Falcon Apollo 15 July 26, 1971
LM-11 Orion Apollo 16 April 16, 1972
LM-12 Challenger Apollo 17 December 7, 1972
California Ghost Towns Series II - 5 Boards
Series Title: California Ghost Towns Series II
Background: The first California Ghost Towns series was mostly California Ghost towns in the southern or Desert part of California. This series highlights ghost towns in Northern California.
5 Boards:
1. NAVARRO BY THE SEA
The town began in the latter half of the 19th century and was abandoned due to floods. Navarr by the sea was once a shipping port utilized by the near-by logging industry. This site was flooded out in a series of floods throughout the years leading to it's demise. The largest was in 1954 I think. At the turn of the century there was a couple dozen buildings, a pier, and beachfront. Today only the hotel remains.
2. ROUGH AND READY
The only mining town to "secede" from the Union and the Territory of California then to vote itself back in.
3. POKER FLAT
The town of Poker Flat had its beginnings in the early 1850's. It is reported that only twelve families were living in the camp of Poker Flat in 1856, but 400 miners lived within two miles. Henry Cohn, who had a store here from 1857 to 1863, described Poker Flat as a "Miserable ...". The town, like most early California mining towns wnet down in 1859 and again in 1876
4. DEADWOOD (the other Deadwood)
Deadwood was founded in 1852 when gold was found in the area.It had 500 people living there
in its heyday.Deadwood was also for a time the home of gun maker Sam Colt. Deadwood was in decline by 1855, although mining with moderate returns was carried on in the vicinity for many years.
5. LAST CHANCE
It was a booming town in the late 1800's boasting an OddFellows Hall, a Masonic Lodge and numerous saloons as well as private residences. All that remains today are the cellars and wells and one cabin as evidence that there once existed a thriving community. The Eldorado Mine is on the outskirts of the town and was a major commercial operation from 1890 until 1982. There are purported to be over 40,000 feet of tunnels radiating from the beginnings of the the diggings.
The town is a now stopping place for the Tevis Cup Endurance Ride.
Background: The first California Ghost Towns series was mostly California Ghost towns in the southern or Desert part of California. This series highlights ghost towns in Northern California.
5 Boards:
1. NAVARRO BY THE SEA
The town began in the latter half of the 19th century and was abandoned due to floods. Navarr by the sea was once a shipping port utilized by the near-by logging industry. This site was flooded out in a series of floods throughout the years leading to it's demise. The largest was in 1954 I think. At the turn of the century there was a couple dozen buildings, a pier, and beachfront. Today only the hotel remains.
2. ROUGH AND READY
The only mining town to "secede" from the Union and the Territory of California then to vote itself back in.
3. POKER FLAT
The town of Poker Flat had its beginnings in the early 1850's. It is reported that only twelve families were living in the camp of Poker Flat in 1856, but 400 miners lived within two miles. Henry Cohn, who had a store here from 1857 to 1863, described Poker Flat as a "Miserable ...". The town, like most early California mining towns wnet down in 1859 and again in 1876
4. DEADWOOD (the other Deadwood)
Deadwood was founded in 1852 when gold was found in the area.It had 500 people living there
in its heyday.Deadwood was also for a time the home of gun maker Sam Colt. Deadwood was in decline by 1855, although mining with moderate returns was carried on in the vicinity for many years.
5. LAST CHANCE
It was a booming town in the late 1800's boasting an OddFellows Hall, a Masonic Lodge and numerous saloons as well as private residences. All that remains today are the cellars and wells and one cabin as evidence that there once existed a thriving community. The Eldorado Mine is on the outskirts of the town and was a major commercial operation from 1890 until 1982. There are purported to be over 40,000 feet of tunnels radiating from the beginnings of the the diggings.
The town is a now stopping place for the Tevis Cup Endurance Ride.
Friday, September 21, 2007
How Not to Make Money Re-Selling Wood
I get weekly email updates from one of my favorite wood dealers, www.woodworkerssource.com in Arizona. In early August, I receive a notice that they're shelling purpleheart shorts (smaller pieces of wood about a foot long and maybe six inches wide), for $1.00 a piece. Wow! Purpleheart is normally $4.50 a board foot + shipping. So, I promptly ordered 100 pieces, figuring I'd maybe get half or a third of that. Turns out they had 100 pieces and sold me a 100 pieces. Now here's the part where they may lost money on the deal. They base their shipping prices on the cost of the order. For my meager $100 purchase, the entire order shipped from Arizona to Northern California for a whopping $12.00. Unfortuately, the total order weighed almost 200 lbs. It came in (4) 48 pound boxes via UPS. Our UPS driver doesn't quite understand why he has do deliver wood to our house.
Chessboards Coming Soon to EnumeroCribbageBoards.com
At the suggestion of my wife, I will soon be adding chessboards the line-up as well. They require quite a bit more wood than my typical crib board, but I think I got the hang of lining up the squares for the "checkerboard" pattern. Unlike my typical crib board, the chess boards are solid wood throughout. A chess board is a little fussier to work with, especially when dealing with 64 little square pieces of hardwood. Like my typical crib board, they will have an inlay type border and an outer border(probably the Purpleheart/Bloodwood combo), and will have either a Mahogany or Purpleheart bottom. Each board will include a set of chess pieces and possibly a little knick-knack box to hold the chess pieces. The typical chess board will be made of 4-5 species of wood. Right now the 3 boards I'm making have reclaimed walnut/white oak for the checkboard itself, mahogany or purpleheart for the bottom and a purpleheart/bloodwood border. I came up with kind of fun (and big series) name: 64 Famous Chess Games, which I found on ask.com (Wikipedia is my usual source). Each board will include the chess moves of that famous game either on a laminated card or actually written on the bottom of the chess board (or both).
Monday, September 17, 2007
Re-design on the Web Site is Complete
It's all done. It's cleaner, snappier and just a little bit easier to naviate. Still some minor tweaking to do, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the results. It should make adding new pages MUCH faster, since it's a very simple, standardized format. Also, all the verbiage that used to be on each page with crib boards (describing the boards, the history behind the boards, the materials, etc.) will be in the Blog.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Complete Re-Design of the Web Site is Nearing Completion
The complete redesign of the web site is nearing completion. I'm making 2 big changes. The first change is reducing the size of the photos, in some cases by a factor of 10. This should make everything run a little snappier. The second, is the overall look of the website. I wanted something cleaner, easier to maintain and little bit more subtle. When I first put the web site up in the Fall of 2006, I didn't have a good feel of how I wanted it to look. Now I do, and that's what I'm executing.
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