A Chess Set Worth Keeping — Ben’s Heirloom Project
Ben Hur wanted to make a gift that would last generations. Fine woodwork met 3D engraving — and the result is an instant family heirloom.
There are projects you make for yourself, and there are projects you make for the people you love. Ben Hur had a clear vision for this one — a unique chess set that would become a family heirloom.
Two Skills, One Piece
The project combined two of the Shed’s capabilities: Ben’s own fine woodwork provided the board and structural pieces, while Mark Restuccia — KuShed’s resident 3D printing specialist — handled the engraving that gives the set its distinctive character. The result is a piece that neither could have produced alone.
What the Shed Makes Possible
This kind of collaboration is one of the things that sets KuShed apart from working alone at home. Members bring different skills — woodworking, metalwork, 3D printing, electronics — and projects emerge that couldn’t happen in a single person’s garage. Ben’s chess set is, as described in the bulletin, surely an instant family heirloom.
This story was first published in the KuShed Bulletin, 4 January 2025.
