How to Make a Wooden Puzzle

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great day!

My little cousin loves anything that has to do with outer space and when I had the opportunity to be creative and make anything, I immediately decided to create a wooden puzzle in the shape of a rocket! I honestly don't really know how I came with this idea but here is how you can make your own.

First, I am going to show you how to create your own template, then how to use the template on wood and finally how to paint the product to be able to make it colorful and fun.

→ pencil

→ paper

→ computer

→ printer

→ scissors

→ wood

→ glue

→ safety goggles

→ scroll saw

→ sanding paper

→ paintbrushes

→ paint in your color of choice

Before making the template digital you can draw a design of the shape so that it will be easier later on. For this, you just need paper, a pencil (or pen), and creativity! You can use an image on google to get inspired.

You technically do not have to make your template digital, and can directly use the drawing. However, if you want to make this more than once, for example, it is helpful to have it online.

I recommend Inkscape to make your drawing into a template. It is a software that is easy to understand and to use. It is available for download on google.

You are going to scan your drawing and upload the image to a new project by dragging the image in. Then by using the curve and pen tools you are going to go over the drawing in the image. This might take some time, but just have patience and it will turn out great.

When the template is finished, you can just print it out on paper and cut it out leaving space around the outline. Then you can just glue the cut-out template on your selected wood and you are almost ready to start cutting.

Before you start cutting here are some precautions that you should be taking when working with a scroll saw:

- Wear safety goggles (you don’t want a piece of wood to fly to your eye)

- Be careful with where you put your hands (you don’t want to lose a finger)

- Look at what you are doing at all times

Now you can start! First, I would recommend cutting around the edge of the template so you are working with a smaller piece of wood and it is easier to manage.

You should cut the smallest parts of the puzzle first, not only because they are more challenging, but because it is easier if you cut them when you have wood around them.

Now you have to go slowly and have patience. You really do not want to rush this because you are either going to end up with a puzzle that does not connect or with one finger less.

But don’t worry if you go slowly and take your time, you will do great.

This step will bring your puzzle to the next level! You are basically going to cut an outline of the rocket and take the ‘outside’ part of the cutout. Then you are going to glue this to a piece of wood of the same size with wood glue.

Now, this is not a very long or complicated step, but I do want to mention something. You are going to peel the template off the wood, but most probably not everything will come off. This is one of the reasons why we have the next step.

You can use sanding paper, a sanding belt or a disc sander to do this, but you do have to sand your project. Sanding will remove the rest of the template off the wood and it will also smooth out the pieces of the puzzle. For the smaller gaps use sanding paper and make sure not to sand too much or the pieces won’t fit together.

To make everything look more fun and interesting, we are going to paint now! You can choose any color you like for this, and you can use as many colors as you wish. If you wish to leave some pieces blank, you can varnish them so that they look fancier. I also decided to paint the back of the pieces so that they all look the same.

Here is a video with all the steps in case somethings need clarification. And if you have any questions about the project, don't be afraid to ask!!

Thank you for watching/reading and have a good day!!