Make a Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle from a Photo
Learn how to make your own jigsaw puzzle. Puzzles can be made form your own photograph, picture or any piece of print that you have available. Personalized puzzles make great gifts to friends and family, and can be accomplished with a limited number of power tools. I hope that you find this article helpful. If you would like to view some of the puzzles that have been made using this method please visit [1]
Steps
- Begin by selecting the type of photo, picture or art that you wish to make the puzzle from. Digital photos make a great choice because they are simple and inexpensive to print from your home computer. Until you feel comfortable with the process of puzzle making, it is highly recommended that you do not use an original photo. Mistakes can happen when cutting a puzzle, so stick with a photo that can easily be reprinted.
- Decide on the size of the puzzle that you wish to make, which will usually depend on the size of photo that you plan on using for the puzzle. Some things to keep in mind are whether you want someone to spend hours putting the puzzle together, or you want the puzzle to be solved quickly. As a general rule, larger puzzles usually are considered to be more difficult.
- Select a good quality plywood substrate no thinner than a 1/4" thick. Baltic birch plywood is great if you have a source for it, otherwise the plywood sold at most most craft stores will be sufficient. Either way, the more cores, or layers the plywood has the more stable it will be. For this reason avoid home center plywood. Not only will they have a minimum number of cores, the poor quality of these cores may lead to voids in the center of the panel that won't be evident until it is too late.
- Prepare the substrate by making sure that all imperfections are filled with a quality wood filler. Sand the substrate with at least 180 grit sandpaper, and use a vacuum or compressed air to remove all dust. Any dust or debris left on the substrate prior to gluing will telegraph through your photo, or even damage it. If time allows, press the panel between two 3/4" plywood cauls for several days to ensure it is absolutely flat.
- Glue the desired photo to the substrate. This is the most important step in the process of puzzle making. The best method is probably to use a vacuum press, but if this type of equipment is not available to you spray adhesive is also acceptable. Whichever method you choose, it is important that the substrate is completely covered with glue. Any voids in the glue will be exposed during the cutting process, and may damage the piece beyond repair.
- Properly tune up your jigsaw. Properly mounting the saw to a stable bench will reduce vibration. Square the table to the blade, and clean and wax the saw table. If your saw has a large throat opening, make a simple zero clearance insert by cutting part way through a business card and taping it to the table. Zero clearance helps to prevent smaller pieces from becoming damaged by falling through the opening.
- Install the smallest blade that you feel comfortable using. A 2/0 blade is by far the largest I would recommend. Thinner blades, though easier to break, make for much tighter fitting puzzles. The best option is to order 4/0 or 8/0 jeweler's blades from an online source or catalog.
- Cutting the puzzle can be accomplished in two ways, freehand or with a template. Freehand, while more difficult to master, will lead to less predictable (and therefore more difficult) puzzles. This method also allows you the freedom to cut around important sections of your puzzle as opposed to cutting through them. (i.e. a loved one's face or another important element of the photo) Templating is a good way to begin to learn the art of puzzle making. Templates can be printed from online sources or drawn freehand by you, the craftsman. If you choose to use this method, you will need to read below, otherwise continue to cut freehand.
- Glue the template to a 1/8" thick piece of plywood or heavy cardstock. Once the glue has dried, stack this glued template onto your puzzle blank and wrap both pieces with clear packing tape. It is important that you completely wrap around the entire "sandwich" to ensure that it doesn't come apart while cutting the puzzle. Simply follow the lines of your template, remembering that slower is usually better. Do not get frustrated if you stray from the lines of your template. Once the template is removed from the cut puzzle, you will be the only one to ever know.
Tips
- Old calendars, greeting cards or magazine pages also make great puzzles. Just be sure to do your research and avoid copyright infringement. As a general rule most older well known pieces of art are in the public domain, making them safe for your private use.
- When freehand cutting it is important to look ahead of the cut as if you were driving a car. This helps you to plan ahead in order to cut proper interlocks.
- If the photo begins to pull away from the substrate after the puzzle pieces have been cut, a small amount of super glue may make a quick repair. If much of the pieces are coming apart, it may be best to start a new puzzle from scratch paying close attention to detail while gluing.
- After the glue has completely dried, the puzzle may be sprayed with a photo preservative found at most craft stores. This helps to protect the photo from moisture, smudging and UV light.
- Cut the substrate a little bit smaller than the photo that you want to use. This way, the photo may be trimmed with a razor to ensure a clean edge.
- Smaller puzzles, even without a picture glued to them, are a good way to learn.
Warnings
- Spray gluing will not result in a quality mount. Real trade secrets for professional gluing and cutting of wooden puzzles are not available for free. It is expensive to obtain those secrets, whether by apprenticing, or by trial and error, and it is to the disadvantage of wooden puzzle makers to create competition by sharing too much of their know-how. Individuals wishing to learn high-quality manufacturing techniques should seek out paid sources.
Things You'll Need
- Jigsaw
- 1/4" quality plywood
- Spray adhesive or vacuum press
- 2/0 or thinner jigsaw blade
- Optional template
- Optional 1/8" plywood or heavy cardstock.
- Clear packing tape
