# Flowers and figurals



## chrispuzzle (29 Jan 2007)

I finished my latest project today. A friend is recovering from an illness and I thought she might like some flowers:







There are 149 pieces, and the picture was taken from a calendar. It took me over an hour to put it back together in order to sand the back and photograph it, even though I cut it myself. The mat in the photo has a one inch grid on it so you can see the size of the pieces.

I also cut a number of figurals, taking them from a book of silhouettes. They are royalty-free so no problems with copyright. This is the first time I cut figurals from a pattern instead of freehand. The bear is in two pieces.


----------



## Gill (29 Jan 2007)

I love it!

You've got such talent, cutting freehand like that. Care to reveal some of your secrets, such as the blade you used, the type of backing wood, adhesive, any protective finish?

It's very similar to Carl Hird-Rutter's jigsaw design in the latest SSW&C magazine, so you're in good company. But do I discern the influence of Carter Johnson in that you've shaped the edges of the puzzle? You're a wicked man :twisted: !

Gill


----------



## StevieB (29 Jan 2007)

=D> very nice! I am interested in the book of sillouettes, can you provide the title and author or ISBN number?

As Gill says, the edge detail will certainly make it harder to put together!

Steve.


----------



## PowerTool (29 Jan 2007)

Very clever stuff,Chris - I feel quite impressed with myself,as I spotted the swallow before I scrolled down and saw the figurals  

Wish I had your patience and skill.

Andrew


----------



## chrispuzzle (29 Jan 2007)

Thanks Gill, Steve and Andrew!

Steve, the book is Old-Fashioned Silhouettes, published by Dover. It has 446 silhouettes and a CD with them all on it as well. I bought it from Amazon UK. ISBN is 0-486-99512-7 but Dover have a whole range of silhouette collections. How on earth do they make money out of this stuff?!

Gill, here's what I did.

The picture was cut out of a calendar. Now is a great time to buy calendars by the way, you get them dirt cheap. I used 3M Scotch-Weld Photo Mount to stick it down (the one in the red cap). It is not repositionable and you need to wear a mask and get it right first time.

The wood is 4mm 3-ply birch plywood, I can't vouch for its Baltic-ness. I got it from an educational supplier in 18"x12" sheets and haven't had any serious problems with internal knots. For jigsaw puzzles you need knot-free wood which is why most people seem to use Baltic Birch. I sand it lightly and wipe with a tack cloth before sticking the picture down.

I cut it on my Axminster AWFS18 (yay for the Ax!) using Flying Dutchman Superior Puzzle Blades from Mike's Workshop in the USA athttp://www.mikesworkshop.com - I change the blade about every 30 pieces or so, before it breaks. I cut about one piece a minute and have the saw speed at 400-600spm.

Carter's work did inspire me to do a puzzled edge. Another advantage of a puzzled edge is you don't have to cut a neat straight line! Also, there's some colour line cutting, but it's not as central a theme as with Carter's work. My idea at present is to sometimes cut partially along the colour line and then move away from it so as to disguise the shape of the colour line without signalling that there is colour line cutting going on at that point. 

I selected some figurals from the Dover book's CD and made up a page of them on my DTP software, then printed that out. I glued these to some adhesive film of the sort used to protect books, which was bought from Rymans. If you stick this film straight onto the picture it will damage the surface, but I stuck the figures onto a piece of scrap wood first and peeled it back, until the adhesive was mostly just tacky. Then I stuck the not-so-sticky-now side onto the picture lightly and cut around the images. Which is nerve-wracking with some of the detail, such as the pig's tail and trotters.

You need to be very gentle and careful peeling the sticky paper away again after it has been cut. Once or twice I lifted a bit of the picture and had to very carefully glue it back down with a tiny lick of white glue applied on the corner of a bit of paper, slid under the lifted area.

Once the puzzle was cut I reassembled it, photographed it for posterity, turned it over and sanded any fuzzies off the back. You need to keep a grip on the puzzle to prevent the pieces rubbing against the work surface while sanding, or you can scuff the picture.

I haven't been using varnish on my puzzles for a while. That means taking care when handling it during cutting and what I do is try to avoid cutting a whole series of pieces from the same part of the puzzle in a row. You need to avoid gripping the board in the same place continuously and rubbing at the edge, damaging or lifting the picture. I've used a paste wax around the edges sometimes to help with this, and it does make a difference without harming the finished puzzle. But I didn't bother with this puzzle, since the edge is so irregular anyway.

Andrew - it's kind of you to praise my skill and patience, but honestly, I have only been doing this a couple of months and it didn't take a long time to cut the puzzle. About 3-4 hours work spread over two days, and that includes preparing the figurals. I think the main skill in cutting puzzles is having a clear idea of what you want to do and then doing it.

Chris


----------



## Gill (29 Jan 2007)

Many thanks for the detailed reply, Chris. Isn't it interesting to compare similarities and differences of technique? Like you, I use the FD puzzle blades but I apply the picture to the base with Copydex glue. Once it's cured, I give the picture a light spray with acrylic lacquer just to seal it against dirt whilst cutting.

I do like your technique for mounting the silhouettes - very resourceful.

Most scrollers would wonder why you use such a relatively slow cutting speed. I should imagine that you like to keep the speed down to minimise heat build-up and thus extend the life of the fine blades you use? Fine blades quickly become hot blades and hot blades quickly become blunt. Of course, the other advantage of scrolling more slowly, especially when cutting such fine detail, is that it gives you more control.

Gill


----------



## chrispuzzle (30 Jan 2007)

Gill -

Yes, it's fascinating to compare techniques. And there are not so many people cutting jigsaw puzzles these days - I mean with a picture glued on - that there is a One True Way to do it. Everybody seems to have a different wrinkle and you only find out by discussing it.

I found that a lacquer didn't react very well with the spray mount I am using but I think it's probably just a question of finding the right combination of varnish and glue - and also making sure the glue is fully cured before varnishing.

I'm one of natures mess-makers so a spray glue has its attractions compared to brushing on white glue. The first few times I used a white glue, it sometimes soaked through the paper and made patches on the picture. I was probably using too thin and absorbent a paper though. And a commercially printed picture is going to have different qualities to something you just printed on your inkjet at home.

On the speed, it is mostly about control. This is thin wood too, not even quarter inch, and it chatters quite easily if you are not careful so a low speed helps prevent that. However, sometimes the slowest speed is too slow for good control as it becomes easy to accidentally track back along the cut, as if you were making a vein cut, while turning the piece. Vein cuts don't have much of a place in a jigsaw puzzle!

FD puzzle blades are quite aggressive and I usually start them slow and then increase the speed a little as the blade gets worn. I hadn't really thought about blade life. I get about 30 pieces out of a single blade and then I change it, I don't wait for it to snap at an awkward moment.

Chris


----------



## StevieB (30 Jan 2007)

Thanks for the book link Chris, very clever. I would never have thought of going that route. Them being on CD as well is particularly useful.

I too use the FD Superior Puzzle blades, fantastic cut and highly recommended for anyone that wants to have a go at doing a scroll puzzle.

As to speed of cut, I have been using a slow speed for the added control it gives me on tight pieces. The only downside I have found with this, and I am not sure if its because of the cheap saw I have or the blade being blunt or the low speed, is that the blade will twist when I turn the workpiece and 'lag' before cutting which sends it of course slightly - it almost has to cut its way back to square with the table if that makes sense. Anyone else experience this phenomenon?

Cheers,

Steve.


----------



## chrispuzzle (30 Jan 2007)

Steve -

That happens to me as well, and I think it happens mostly when the blade is getting blunt. My blades are noticeably stretched and bent by the end of their brief life and that can't help. I am sure a lot of the skill in fine detail work involves "feeling" the cut through your fingertips and instinctively adjusting the way you move the workpiece to suit. I wish some of the guys could bottle that skill and send me some!

Sometimes coming out of the cut, the blade pings loudly. Then I know I'm pushing it out of line - the ping is the blade springing back. I try to get into the habit of letting the blade move back to its natural position if I have been pushing it hard. When the blade is getting older, it becomes harder to end the cut without getting that "ping" sound, and I know that it will soon be time to change the blade.

Chris


----------



## StevieB (30 Jan 2007)

Ah, the familiar ping :lol: Yup, get that too occasionally!

Steve.


----------



## Gill (30 Jan 2007)

That 'blade lag' happens to me, too. If the blade's only a few minutes old, it's usually a sign that the tension isn't right and needs to be tightened. On an older blade I take it as indicating that the blade's getting to the end of its lifespan. However, instead of changing blades I change my cutting action slightly . I tend to 'back off' the cuts more, as if cutting a very acute angle, and I feed the workpiece more from the right to take advantage of the burr on that side of the blade.

It's bad practice, I know, and it slows the cutting down; but the blades last longer and I hate changing them when I'm in the middle of a delicate cut.

Gill


----------



## Carter Johnson (1 Feb 2007)

Chris, I missed this topic the past couple of days. Beautiful puzzle: phun both to cut and to put together.

I have met most of the puzzle makers here in the U.S., and your first puzzles stack up quite well against theirs. As you pertfect your style, the character of your pieces will become more uniform....and your potential selling price will go up and away. I know there are collectors and puzzle enthusiasts out there who might pay 100 pounds for one like this.

Keep up the good work.

Carter


----------



## chrispuzzle (1 Feb 2007)

Carter,

Thank you very much. Coming from you, I truly appreciate your encouragement and generous advice too. I was really startled that you think these puzzles are marketable. I'll have to have a think now!

Puzzle cutting is enormous "phun" and I think every scroller should try to make at least one freehand puzzle just to see if it suits them.

Thanks again,

Chris


----------

