Minimalist Nativity Puzzle Set

Hello Instructables!

Here's an original design I came up with for a minimalist Nativity Set, which I made as Christmas gifts for friends and family this year.

The set consists of Jesus in the Manger with Mary and Joseph, with 3 Wise Men bearing gifts, and a Shepherd boy with his 2 sheep. All the geometric-styled pieces fit right back into the Stable frame like a puzzle, for storage till next year.

Here's a quick stop-motion of how the puzzle pieces fit together.

I've seen other Nativity puzzles which people have made out of plywood and scroll saws. Those are more 'rustic' with free-hand curves.

I designed this with all straight lines in AutoCAD and laser cut out the pieces out of plywood.

1: 3mm Birch plywood for the puzzle pieces and inner frame

2: 3mm Walnut plywood for the puzzle bases and the front Stable frame

3: 3mm Birch plywood for the rear piece of the Stable

There's practically zero waste as all the pieces fill the whole Stable frame!

I glued up the two front frames and the rear piece together with wood glue and clamps. This makes up the puzzle tray, and also makes the manger frame thick enough to stand on its own for display.

Note the 'hole' at the top edge of the Stable frame that fits the bottom point of the star.

I also finished the wood pieces with a wipe-on chopping board wood oil, which makes the walnut turn a gorgeous chocolate brown. Makes it look super luxe!

The nativity includes 3 base pieces to create 3 clusters as follows:

A: 3 wise men traditionally known as Balthasar, Gaspar and Melchior, with their 3 gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

B: Joseph with his staff, Jesus on a crib (feeding trough), and Mary

C: 2 sheep and a Shepherd boy with his crook (staff)

And the star goes in the top corner of the shed to mark the spot where Jesus lay.

All the pieces fit right back in the box as shown:

1: All the base pieces go in one layer

2: All the puzzle pieces fit on top as shown.

3: There's a 'cheat sheet' engraved on the back of the manger tray as a helpful hint.

I also made a quick envelope-style gift box out of cardboard, to gift this to friends and family.

It's my hope that these will get a special place in each home, and that setting up the Nativity together can become part of their annual family traditions.

Merry Christmas everyone!