Only 64 puzzle pieces, BUT...

[Carter Johnson]

I haven't posted a puzzle on this forum for quite awhile, but here's one from a Quilt calendar that took only an hour and a half to cut, but much, much longer to assemble. Your comments are welcome.

My wife Jean assembles every one of my puzzles (well over 750 over the past 19 years) and this one took her a few hours spread over five days. It's proving to be the baffler I thought it would be, though it was quick and simple to cut.

There are 64 square pieces along the lines of the squares in the mosiac. Total measurement is about one square foot. All the locks are butterfly locks and there are a number of interior pieces where I cut some sides without any locks, making it easy to mistake them for border pieces.

Phun! Carter

 

[Chrispy]

Crafty or cunning you don't make them easy do you!
Is it made in the solid or plywood? there seems a lot of very short grain for solid but doesn't look like ply.

Nice work.

 

[Mike M]

Carter, You are just amazing.
Great work like always.
FD Mike

 

[Carter Johnson]

Chris, thanks..... it's 1/4" Cherry plywood....... C

 

[chrispuzzle]

Lovely puzzle Carter!

 

[matmac]

thts amazing. i had a go at school with a scroll saw, how you get such striaght lines? just practise?
Matt

 

[Carter Johnson]

I guess so, Matt. Remember, though, each straight line is only one inch or so long. Cutting a foot-long straight line is difficult, so I usually make it a little wiggly on purpose. Thanks for your comment.

Carter

 

[chrispuzzle]

I guess so, Matt. Remember, though, each straight line is only one inch or so long. Cutting a foot-long straight line is difficult, so I usually make it a little wiggly on purpose. Thanks for your comment.

Carter

Cutting a straight line is a lot easier if you cheat. I use a straight edged bar of wood or metal as a guide rail. You can stick it down with double-sided tape or pin it if it is difficult to hold it down securely by hand. The rail should be chosen to be harder to cut than the wood of the workpiece. Make sure you cut so that the natural bias of the blade is towards the rail, not away from it. You still have to be accurate and steady but the rail protects you from small fluctuations.

I also like to have curled edges to my puzzles but sometimes I want a straight edge, especially for the puzzles I cut on my Meccano saw, which are usually Meccano Magazine covers and ought to stay rectangular.