Scroll saw puzzles

[ben2008]

I have some birthdays coming up a little later this summer for my great grandchildren. I would like to make them some wooden puzzles. I actually have never made any puzzles. 

Where can I get a nice assortment of puzzle patterns? 

I know some of you on SSV make and sell these. I'm just looking to make a few for birthday presents and if you can pass on any tips you may have. Best wood to use, what size wood, blade etc.

Thanks in advance

Ben

[Dave Monk]

How old are you grand kids? Steve Good has some. One of our members also had a huge assortment that he sell. https://woodcraftbyscott.com/

[ben2008]

1 minute ago, Dave Monk said:

How old are you grand kids? Steve Good has some. One of our members also had a huge assortment that he sell. https://woodcraftbyscott.com/

They are 4 and 6 years old? I actually have 5 great grandchildren. They range from 4 to 9 years old. I have made them some toys, small animal desk clocks, but never puzzles.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

[spirithorse]

Actual photographs on glossy stock work very well for puzzles.
You just have to glue the photo to the wood (I like 1/4" Baltic Birch Plywood)
and tape the puzzle template to the top of the photo and cut the template.
You may also like to use a sacrificial board under the puzzle/photo so there is
little or no tear out on the good puzzle.

Good luck and God Bless! Spirithorse

[dgman]

The first question is are you talking jigsaw puzzles or stand up puzzles? 

[ben2008]

I really don't know what puzzles children like. I'm guessing the stand up puzzles would be their choice. I did a little research and did see a couple of books online that has many puzzles that i could use. Maybe that is my best bet.  I just thought I cold get some advice and tips on SSV. I just want to make a couple of puzzles for my great grandchildren.

Edited June 17, 2021 by ben2008

[kmmcrafts]

For stand up puzzles I think the most common wood type used is probably Poplar because it's cheap and easy to work with, but folks do make them out of most all other hardwoods out there. There is a seller on Amazon that is making them from plywood. They are typically made from 3/4" thick material whatever you choose to make them from. I've personally made them from Walnut, Oak, Maple, Pine, Mahogany, and of coarse Poplar.. While they can be done from Oak, Oak also likes to break easily along the grain.. and sometimes proves to be a poor choice for some projects because of that.. I'd probably not do them from Oak. But whatever type of wood you can get your hands on cheap I'd say should work. 

[ike]

The kids i know like puzzles of there pets. Dogs are very popular. you can get the puzzles patterns from Scott. The main thing in stand up puzzles is that your saw table is square with the blade. Get a piece of 3/4 wood and make a puzzle piece and see if it comes out right that the piece is inserted in both directions

IKE

[ben2008]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

For stand up puzzles I think the most common wood type used is probably Poplar because it's cheap and easy to work with, but folks do make them out of most all other hardwoods out there. There is a seller on Amazon that is making them from plywood. They are typically made from 3/4" thick material whatever you choose to make them from. I've personally made them from Walnut, Oak, Maple, Pine, Mahogany, and of coarse Poplar.. While they can be done from Oak, Oak also likes to break easily along the grain.. and sometimes proves to be a poor choice for some projects because of that.. I'd probably not do them from Oak. But whatever type of wood you can get your hands on cheap I'd say should work. 

Thanks Kevin

I do know oak would not be a good choice. I have experienced issues with oak in he past with pieces breaking and a project ruined. I will probably use poplar or soft maple. I have a few pieces in my wood pile. 

[ben2008]

38 minutes ago, ike said:

The kids i know like puzzles of there pets. Dogs are very popular. you can get the puzzles patterns from Scott. The main thing in stand up puzzles is that your saw table is square with the blade. Get a piece of 3/4 wood and make a puzzle piece and see if it comes out right that the piece is inserted in both directions

IKE

Thanks for the tips Ike. Dogs are always popular with children and adults too. I have one..

Sorry, I don't know who Scott is.

[kmmcrafts]

3 hours ago, ben2008 said:

Thanks for the tips Ike. Dogs are always popular with children and adults too. I have one..

Sorry, I don't know who Scott is.

He's talking about woodcraftbyscott I believe.. which would be the link provided by Dave Monk in the first reply to this topic. Good luck with the puzzle making, they can be addictive, LOL

[OCtoolguy]

Check with iguanadon here on SSV. He makes/sells many dog puzzles and has all the patterns for sale. Somebody by the name of Harvey creates the patterns and Iggy sells them.

[ben2008]

2 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Check with iguanadon here on SSV. He makes/sells many dog puzzles and has all the patterns for sale. Somebody by the name of Harvey creates the patterns and Iggy sells them.

Thanks Ray. I'll take a look.

Ben

[ben2008]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

He's talking about woodcraftbyscott I believe.. which would be the link provided by Dave Monk in the first reply to this topic. Good luck with the puzzle making, they can be addictive, LOL

Ok, got it. I didn't scroll down far enough the first time.

Ben

[grandpuppies]

Three books with good patterns, two currently available from Fox Chapel - one Colorful Toys by Dmitry Bogomazov for 7.99 (not strickly puzzles); Baby Animals by Judy and David Peterson (their patterns and puzzles are excellent look good and hang together extremely well); and Adorable Animal Family Puzzles in Wood by Jaeheon Yun available from Amazon for 12.99. The animal family puzzles would keep a child with a good imagination busy for hours with all kind os stories about the particular families' adventures. I'm not a sales person for these books just a puzzle maker who loves making puzzles of real and fantasy animals. As the kids grow older the books by the Pertersons can lend quite well to years of puzzles if you get hooked  There is another book I would suggest for for kid's presents Wooden Banks you can make by Harvey Helm available from Fox Chapel for 14.95.  

[BadBob]

16 hours ago, grandpuppies said:

Three books with good patterns, two currently available from Fox Chapel - one Colorful Toys by Dmitry Bogomazov for 7.99 (not strickly puzzles); Baby Animals by Judy and David Peterson (their patterns and puzzles are excellent look good and hang together extremely well); and Adorable Animal Family Puzzles in Wood by Jaeheon Yun available from Amazon for 12.99. The animal family puzzles would keep a child with a good imagination busy for hours with all kind os stories about the particular families' adventures. I'm not a sales person for these books just a puzzle maker who loves making puzzles of real and fantasy animals. As the kids grow older the books by the Pertersons can lend quite well to years of puzzles if you get hooked  There is another book I would suggest for for kid's presents Wooden Banks you can make by Harvey Helm available from Fox Chapel for 14.95.  

Thans, I just ordered two of these books.

[new2woodwrk]

I do pretty much nothing but puzzles these days

I do several types and can tell you from a child's perspective based on our sales history, what parents like is NOT what the children like

The most popular puzzles for children we make are unfinished pine or basswood puzzles.We make and advertise this as art projects they can color themselves using watercolors and food dye!

For girls they like Mermaids, Unicorns, Butterfiles and sometimes dinosaurs - all of which we have a nice assortment

For boys they like Dinosaurs the most, some cars/vehicles (police cars, ambulance and mostly firetruck and space shuttle) boy are also older boys love dragons any type

Woodcraftbyscott has lots of patterns for sale reasonably priced and there are many, many free ones all over the internet

Best of luck

[meflick]

Just to clarify, Iggy, Iguanadon, Scott, and woodcraftbyScott are all one and the same person @Iguanadon who sells the puzzle patterns by Harvey Bylar.

you can find a variety of free puzzle patterns to download on the magazine, “Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts” website here:

http://scrollsawer.com/?s=Puzzle

i did a quick search for “puzzle” on their index page. Shows 12 pages to the search, not everything probably has an actual pattern to download, but I know several do so you will just have to check the ones that interest you and see if pattern is there. Sometimes they offer them as additional bonus to ones in the print magazine.