# Teapots Puzzle



## Carter Johnson (28 Feb 2006)

Hello again...

I hope you folks still uphold your teatime tradition, because here's an appropriate puzzle that can be assembled while you indulge. It's about 380 pieces and a rather tough one to put together. I'll post the front here and the back with my next post.

This took about six hours on the scroll saw to cut freehand. Note the borders cut along the color lines.

Carter


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## Carter Johnson (28 Feb 2006)

And here's the back.........the wood is 5-ply poplar.


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## wizer (28 Feb 2006)

:tongue9:


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## gwaithcoed (28 Feb 2006)

:tongue9: Ditto

Alan


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## Carter Johnson (1 Mar 2006)

I hate to admit my ignorance, but do the icons above mean that 1) your jaws are dropping over my puzzles or 2) that you're sticking your tongues out at me?

I just had to ask.........

Carter


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## DaveL (1 Mar 2006)

Carter, 

Yet another tricky looking piece of work that is nice done. 8) 

Can I ask about the order that you cut something like this?:^o 
Do you work in strips back and forth or like spirally or pick out different parts of the pattern and work out to the edge?


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## wizer (1 Mar 2006)

carter, that is deffinately a dropped jaw in absolute amazement. It's just the kind of skill I could only dream about.


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## Carter Johnson (1 Mar 2006)

Thanks, folks....

I just start from one corner and cut. No pattern and no cutting in strips. I cut one piece at a time and set it aside. I stop after 30 pieces or so, give each pieces a quick sanding and then put those pieces together. When the entire puzzle is done I take it apart, count the pieces and put them in a clear 1-gallon plastic refrigerator bag. I add a small photo (3 x 3") and take it upstairs to my wife who's the first person to put it together. There are many folks in line to do them. I have well over 300 in my basement and there are about 35 out being put together by various families at any given time.

On average, I make about 3 full-size puzzles each month, plus a few card-size and stamp puzzles. I don't sell my puzzles. If I wanted to, they might fetch as much as $1.25 per puzzle piece. I want to keep this as a fun hobby and I don't want to turn it into a business. 

The blade is a narrow kerf 2/0 blade. Spiral blades make the puzzle too loose. Each of my puzzles can be picked up by any border piece and gently waved in the air without falling apart.

I am a color line cutter. Despite cutting freehand, as can be seen by the above, I use the outlines of the border, the teapots, etc. to form the edges of pieces, making sure each piece has locking tabs to adjoining pieces. There is no firm plan in advance. I just cut on color lines as I encounter them.

It's great phun...and your interest is my prime reward.....thanks again.

Carter


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## Paul Chapman (1 Mar 2006)

That's great work, Carter, and it's also great that you and those who do your puzzles enjoy it so much - that's what it's all about :wink: 

Paul


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## dedee (2 Mar 2006)

Carter,
lovely work which would take many tea times to put together.

Andy


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## Whippet (14 Mar 2006)

Hi Carter, fantastic puzzles!
I've just started cutting my first jigsaw and am really enjoying the challenge. The pieces seem to be turning out to be a sort of vague long round type. I'll attempt to post a photo when I get it finished.
I've been using 2/0 blades as you recommended, great for turning sharply and thick enough so that I haven't broken any yet :lol: . I would like to try even finer blades for even more intricate work (once I've got the hand of the scrollsaw that is....biting off more than I can chew as usual :? )
But does anyone know where I could find finer blades for experimentation purposes?


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## Carter Johnson (14 Mar 2006)

Whippet.......

My humble advice, for what it's worth, is to keep working with the 2/0 blades for 1/4" jigsaw puzzles. I truly believe they are all you ever need and you can learn to cut pieces that are extremely tight.

I use thinner blades, 8/0 jewelers blades, only for puzzles I make from postage stamps. I get the jewelers blades from Sloan's Woodshop here in the U.S. (www.sloanswoodshop.com)....but..a caution: they break very, very easily and they cut extremely slowly and don't last long. I break at least one for every one I can get to work. But.....they cost very little.

Have phun.....Carter


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## Whippet (15 Mar 2006)

Thanks Carter, you're probably right about the jewelers blades, they sound frustrating (especially for a beginner).
I had a look at the measurements on the Sloans website, I don't get it! :? 
How come an 8/0 thickness is 0.007 and a 3/0 is just slightly thicker at 0.008? Am I missing something? Are the width and tpi more important? 
Thanks again for your help


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## Carter Johnson (15 Mar 2006)

I plead total, and probably inexcusable, ignorance. I don't know which blade dimension makes it so much thinner....but I sense that the accuracy of blade dimensioning is a bit suspicious to begin with. I'm also baffled by the meanings of various teeth-per-inch.

I'm happy to be in the dark and just accept that 2/0 are good for fine cuts in regular-sized puzzle pieces, but when I'm making ten or more pieces out of the smallest of stamps, such as the one-cent stamp pictured below, the 8/0, while less reliable, is better for the extremely tight corners.

Have phun.....Carter


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## Whippet (15 Mar 2006)

WOW! :shock: That's amazing!

Glad I'm not the only one who finds blade sizing confusing.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Cheers, and happy jigsaw making!


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## Carter Johnson (16 Mar 2006)

I'm always working on something, Whippet. I'm not consumed by scrollsawing as I'm at the saw two or three times each day, less than a half hour each time.

In a typical month, I finish three full-size puzzles like "teapots" above, five Christmas card puzzles and 15 or so stamp puzzles.

Great phun...........Carter


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## Buckeye (16 Mar 2006)

Carter,

How do you glue the picture to the ply?


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## Carter Johnson (16 Mar 2006)

For many years I used yellow carpenters glue but I recently found a product called Aileens Tacky Glue, sold in the U.S. at craft stores in a brown squeeze bottle. It's a fairly thick white glue. I found spray glues to be rather messy and difficult to work with.

I spread the glue out evenly and thinly with a paint scraper and then carefully smooth on the picture from one corner to its opposite. 

I don't use pictures that are printed on paper that is thinner than that of a magazine cover. I use a lot of pictures taken from calendars.

When the glue has dried and before I start cutting, I give the picture (not photos) a thick spray of any "Triple-Thick Glaze" spray. It's pretty thick stuff and I'm sure you have something comparable. I then let it dry for two days or so.

Good luck......and have phun.....Carter


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## Whippet (16 Mar 2006)

I used spray glue and yep it was really messy. I have a spray glaze called 'PressIt! Sprayfix Print Protection Spray' which I used on my digital photo print to give extra protection. The jigsaw I'm working on is a printout from my inkjet printer on 270g/m2 satin photopaper - nice and heavyweight with a lovely finish.


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## Jaco (26 Mar 2006)

The MAN has great patience!
Nice work Carter.
Phil


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