Cutting elegant jigsaw pieces is hard work!

[oldjohnevans]

I have been struggling with the cutting jigsaw puzzle pieces that are not only attractive but also hang tightly together. My far fetched ambition is to eventually achieve the quality of cutting that we see in the puzzles made by John Stokes.

Long gone are the easy fun cutting puzzles with one long continuous cut. Instead I have been drawing my cutting pattern on the bare plywood. I have discovered a number of things that most of you probably already know.
1) I cannot imagine how people can cut puzzles with the picture attached. It leaves absolutely no room for error. I have taken to drawing the puzzle pattern on the bare wooden board. It is hard work. When I draw an elegant piece, I am looking inside it. It is only when I look outside of it that I see the flaws, that it will not attach firmly to its neighbours. Maybe if I worked at it for many years it will come naturally. But the bare board is forgiving, no matter what the mess, I can sand it clean after I have finished cutting.
2) I have found a commercial printer locally that can print directly on wood (after the puzzle has been cut). This is a commercial printer that prints large posters. It is escentialy a huge dot matrix printer that can print directly on any surface without applying a film. This means that the pieces do not stick together after printing. It sounds nice but it is very is very expensive. A 16" square panel costs $40. Since I want to print on both sides it would cost me $80. So that idea is out the window. Back to the drawing board.
3) I have got some aniline dyes that I am going to start experimenting with.
4) I am not particularly happy with the 3/8' Baltic birch plywood that I am cutting on. I prefer the look and feel of hardwood panels that I make, mainly maple with a few other colors mixed in.
5) I have found that when I have nearly finished cutting a piece, if I end the cut by cutting perpendicular to an edge the saw leaves a ragged corner. But if the end cut is at a sharp angle the corner is smooth.

Finally are any of you going to attend the
Puzzle Parley (AGPC Meeting re Jigsaw Puzzles)
November 7-9, 2008
Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA

[Lois from Mississauga]

I find all this a bit too "Puzzling" for me. I have not taken the step in trying a puzzle yet, so I can't help you with your conundrums above. But I keep learning more and more with all these postings, so keep them coming and when I do decide to jump in, I will have all kinds of ideas.

[sawdustus]

Is there a web site for the Puzzle Parley? Sturbridge is not that far for a retired old coot to drive to. And pardon my ignorance, but where can I see some of the work by John Stokes?

[PeteB]

George:

John Stokes' site is Custom Puzzle Craft Handmade Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles and is very much worth a look. He is one of the most creative cutters ever.

John:

When I first started cutting puzzles, planning my cuts as I went along was exhausting, and I often still wasn't happy with the end result, so I can understand your wanting to cut to a pattern, especially if you want to do complex pieces. Ultimately, though, you'll want to make them up on the fly, and I'd say better sooner than later if you want to avoid dependence on the pattern.

If you have a picture laminated, you can apply paper over it with repositionable adhesive, draw whatever you want on it, peel it off the cut pieces, and clean off any residue with mineral spirits.

When you use pictures, you are likely to find that sharp angles will cause your pictures to lift on those corners. For that reason, I usually end a cut with close to a right angle, even on a 'pointy' piece. Slowing down the feed rate at the end of the cut helps eliminate tear-out.

I have been cutting puzzles professionally for a bit over a year, after eight months of learning, and I'm still learning. My website is the sorely neglected Custom Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles.

Another puzzle cutter you may want to check out is Karen of Keystone Puzzles: Hand Cut Wood Puzzles from the Hills of Pennsylvania!. She does both continuous cuts and creative pieces, so I'm sure you'll find her work interesting.

Edit: That's weird, how the forum software puts anchor text on links.

[iohonnes]

Originally Posted by oldjohnevans

1) I cannot imagine how people can cut puzzles with the picture attached. It leaves absolutely no room for error.

That really depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to match a cut to an exact feature of the picture (color line cutting for example), there is little room for error - but even then there is some leeway. I don't think folks should expect perfection from a hand crafted project. And you really need the image on the wood to color line cut.

Originally Posted by oldjohnevans

When I draw an elegant piece, I am looking inside it. It is only when I look outside of it that I see the flaws, that it will not attach firmly to its neighbours.

I'm not too sure what you mean by an elegant piece. Some good ways to ensure a interlocking puzzle is to include a good number of interlocks (obviously) and reconstructing the puzzle as it's cut. By that I mean building the puzzle to the side, adding each piece as it is cut. That way you can see areas and pieces that are not interlocking so well and you can cut some future pieces to compensate.

I don't know if you are still working the "shape shifting" concept. That may be unduly pushing you to certain piece shapes and structures. And without seeing what you are attempting to cut it's hard to judge what you are doing - but it sounds like you are too focused on the individual pieces and not the overall puzzle.

I'm still a new kid on the block too, but from my experience and the research I've done (on the many good puzzle cutting websites around the web) it seems that most people develop a style as they learn how to make a puzzle. It appears that you are focused first on the style and having trouble making the puzzle. Even the John Stokes website (under the cutting styles section) shows a development of style. I think it's important to learn how pieces interact, connect, and support each other first. Then you can expand that knowledge into various styles and patterns.

Keep it up (and thanks for the interesting discussion topics).

John

[3_M]

Carter Johnson is very good at cutting puzzles. I call hin the puzzle guru. What I like about him is he gives all the puzzles he makes away.
Here is his tutorial and short video

Mike

[Carter Johnson]

John. please. please be patient with me as I continue to be truly baffled as to what you are trying to do. You have built so many requirements into the process that I don't know how you will satisfy them - and still have phun at the saw.

I am quite familiar with most of the puzzle cutters in the country and met with them at one of the Puzzle Parlays two years ago. (an announcement of the gathering can be found at http://www.agpc.org/mambo/index.php). I know the largest independent puzzle maker, Mark Cappitella, quite well. Are any of his cuts similar to what you want to do? He's at MGCPuzzles.com. The only puzzle maker I've heard of who seems to come close to what you want to do is at Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles by X-Man Puzzles - Wooden Puzzle Art to Give Or Hold.

Obviously, my color-line style of pieces is not what you are aiming toward, but you shouldn't, in my view, try to perfect a style that is so difficult and complex that not only will the result never meet your expectations but the process itself won't be worth it.

Last, let me assure you that following color lines or other ways of working freehand, without a pattern, from a picture mounted before you start cutting is something you CAN do, and do easily with time and practice.

I wish I could help you with some hints you can put to use immediately.

Carter

[sawdustus]

Pete,
Thanks for the links. Along with John and Karen, you do unbelievable work. I am not even remotely in your class but it gives me some standards to shoot for. Maybe, if I spend enough time at it, I can begin to approach your level.

[PeteB]

Thanks for the kind remarks, George. Like I said, I'm still learning, but that will probably be the case for years to come as there's always something to try and cutting becomes smoother with practice, like handwriting.

[Pajaro]

Well I'll be. Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles by X-Man Puzzles - Wooden Puzzle Art to Give Or Hold. This store is located in my old stomping grounds Rutland Vermont. I went to High School there. Sure is a small world thanks to the Internet.