First Puzzle

[qball305]

I have been playing around with my scroll saw for about a week or so and finally created my first puzzle. It is a photo my uncle took that I kaleidoskoped and had printed. It is 8"x8". I realized after cutting it that many of my pieces don't interlock very well, so I will have to work on that for my next project.

I found a product, "Double Tack Mounting Film" at the craft store and it worked great for mounting the photo with no mess and perfect adhesion.

I am also working with pinned blades for now until I buy a new saw.

Please let me know what you think, and any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Scrolling Days]

Looks great, QBall (Either you're bald or you really, really love pool, right? ), especially for a first attempt!

I like the outer shape of the puzzle. Nice smooth cuts.

The locks will come with practice. The most important thing is to make sure that the outer edge pieces lock well with those adjacent, and on the locks themselves, try to make the "necks" a bit more narrow relative to the "heads."

Looks nice, though, and I like the picture, too!

Oh, and welcome to the Forum!

[wood-n-things]

First welcome to the family.

Great job for your first attempt. I gotta ask-- how did you do the kaleidoscope technique..That is way kewl.

[tarim]

for a first well done practice makes perfect
other puzzle cutters would be interested in the dry mount film

Tarim

[Sally]

Very nice Qball. I agree, you have done a very nice job. My first attempts at puzzling were so bad that I threw them away. You've picked up right away the use of ply wood instead of hardback or something similar. So please explain the kaleidoscoped method and "Double Tack Mounting Film". Both sound very interesting.

[DBourdon]

Nicely done QBall. Unique exterior outline, I like it.

Keep up the good work.

Don

[sawdustus]

Very good for any attempt, 1st or otherwise. I also want to know about "Double Tack Mounting Film and the kaleidoscope method. The thinner the blade the smaller you can make the necks on the tabs and the better they will lock. Thanks for sharing.

george

[Big_red_S]

Nicely done QBall.

[qball305]

Thanks for the input everyone. The "Double Tack Mounting Film" is awesome. I got it at Michaels, but they also sell it at AC Moore and Joann Fabric. It costs about $5 for 3 9x12 sheets, but all 3 of those stores always have 40% off coupons in the newspaper. The website for it is Double Tack Mounting Film

The Kaleidoscope software is actually meant for quilting, but I have found that it is great just for playing around with pictures. It is incredibly simple to use and it does all the work for you. It takes a wedge from anyplace you choose on your picture and creates a kaleidoscope from it. There are tons of different designs. Definitely a fun program to play with. The website for that is Kaleidoscope Collections - Home of Kaleidoscope Kreator software

I hope this was helpful. Enjoy.

[Carter-Johnson]

Outstanding. Hard to believe it's your first puzzle. Please don't be concerned about the locks not being tight, especially with the style of pieces in this one. There's a whole category of puzzles called "Push Fits" where the pieces do not lock. Your pieces are great and seem to fit very well. Great job!

and phun..... Carter