Cutting Puzzles

[Travis]

Do you cut puzzles? If so, what kind (free standing, picture/jigsaw puzzle, tray puzzles, brain teaser puzzles, etc.). Do you cut free hand or use a pattern? Do you paint your puzzles? What kind of finish do you prefer? Do you sell them? If so, what kind of packaging do you do?

 

I'm just getting back into puzzle making and thought it would be nice to hear what others do.

[Oges]

I only do them occasionally when people ask me to do them, ranging from simple 3 or 4 piece free standing ones, or the Elephant peanut puzzle. I have made some tray ones before, using wrapping paper pictures and sticking those to the plywood and cutting around them to make the tray puzzle piece

[merlin]

Have done a few standup puzzles

 

***Merlin***

[DWSUDEKUM]

I cut stand alone puzzles and I finish them either with tung oil or a semi gloss lacquer. I package them using a shrink wrap. In my case I saved all the plastic that I used on my windows during the winter. I carefully make a pocket for the puzzle then seal it with tape then reshrink it tightly around the puzzle. I also make jigsaw type puzzles and I package those in boxes that I get at the Dollar General.

 

DW

[andy chew]

A few jigsaw puzzles the smaller one reassemble put in plastic bag tape shut

[Clayton717]

I've only made a couple jigsaw puzzles. One was for my wife(picture of our dog) and the other was a gift to a friend. The gift was a playing card puzzle, I made a small box for this. The card puzzle was cut using a pattern and the dog was cut freehand.

[jdbcarving]

I am going to try cutting a few family portraits for the three year old grandsons to put together, simple puzzles not the 100 piece. Do you wrap the photo surface with packing tape before cutting? Or just leave clear and cut then put some kind of finish on it? was wondering if the tape would stay on or wreck the puzzle.

 

Jim B

[Travis]

I wouldn't put tape on it. I'm thinking if its an actual photograph (on real photo paper), I'd just mount it to wood and not worry about any kind of finish. I think it'll have a durable enough finish to withstand playtime. If its printed on a home computer, I'd mount it to the wood and add a couple coats of acrylic spray finish.

 

When applying, just use the permanent bond instructions on your spray adhesive (usually requires spraying both the surface and the photo).

[FD Mike]

Carter Johnson has a tutorial about jigsaw puzzles on my web site and there are also 2 video's.

FD Mike

[jdbcarving]

Okay thanks, I am going to give it a shot. Have the 4 month old granddaughter for two days this week, and she doesn't sleep! So will try next week.

 

thanks again

Jim

[Joey]

Travis,

Cutting puzzles was what got me started in scrolling. Patrick Spielman's book, Scroll Saw Puzzle Patterns and other authors offered

a variety of methods of dealing with puzzles.I gave a lot of them away. I made sure that the pieces would not fit through a toilet

paper roll hole. Thus avoiding children chocking on the pieces. I finished them with mineral oil. For the grown-ups, I gave them

back their christmas cards in puzzle form. They really enjoyed that. Cutting puzzles, still to this day, I find very enjoyable.

For a little fun, give someone the backer board of a cut puzzle and see how long it takes them to put it together. Remember

there is no picture only the shape of the pieces to aid them.

Joey