Making a jigsaw puzzle for fun and practice.
For fun, I decided to use my laser engraving and cutting machine to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle. The final cut had some flaws, but I believe it was successful for my first-time cutting wood and making a puzzle.
Finding a Puzzle Template
I first searched online for "puzzle template." I came across SunCatcherStudio.com offering "DIY JigSaw Puzzles" with "free patterns, stencils, and templates."
The website offers patterns free for personal use and accepts donations. There's also an option to pay a licensing fee to use the artwork for commercial purposes.
I chose the free download option since I was making a jigsaw puzzle for myself. I had the option to modify colors, add text, print the image, or download the image file in a JPG, PNG, PDF, or SVG file.
Choosing a Material to Cut
I considered using thick cardboard or heavy chipboard. I figured cheaper material would make it less emotionally painful to me if I messed up and needed to scrap the finished project.
However, I've wanted to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle for years. I bought unfinished basswood sheets (1.5mm thickness) last year when my Dad gifted me my Cricut Maker.
I previously planned to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle with my Cricut Maker, but I learned while Completing a HOPE-Themed Art Challenge that my machine doesn't cut curved shapes well.
I tested some laser cuts on scrap pieces of basswood adjusting the settings each time. I haven't found the "magic numbers" for the NEJE app settings yet, but I wanted to go ahead with cutting the jigsaw puzzle. Worst case is I'd mess up and learn from my mistakes.
Cutting the Jigsaw Puzzle
My 20W NEJE Master 2 only has a cut area of 170mm. The NEJE app would only let me set the image size to 168.5mm. Size didn't matter since this was more of a test project. But I'll need to play around with slicing the image to create a bigger jigsaw puzzle one day.
Below were the settings I decided to try:
Laser brightness: 65%
Sensitivity of tilt detection: medium
Motor speed: medium
Laser power: 70%
Burn time: 30mS
Total passes: 2
I selected the positioning button in the app to determine where to place my basswood sheet. I then put on my laser goggles to adjust the focus of the laser light. Wearing the laser goggles omitted the glow around the light source and allowed me to make an accurate adjustment.
With the settings I decided to try, it took an hour to complete the two passes.
Sanding and Painting the Puzzle Pieces
There was splintering on the bottom side where the laser didn't cut completely through. I obviously need to adjust the settings next time I try to cut another jigsaw puzzle.
There were also dark scorch marks on the edges probably because the laser power was too strong. I'll need to try lowering the laser power and use a mask over the wood next time around.
I sanded each piece well to remove splinters. I folded a small piece of sandpaper to get within the tighter areas of the puzzle pieces.
Once the pieces were butter smooth, I painted one side of the pieces blue and the flipside a lighter blue. I thought this would make assembling the jigsaw puzzle a little easier on the puzzled person.
I only needed two coats for each side, but I ended up applying four coats because I didn't want to waste the paint that I mixed too much of.
My Thoughts
I must've sanded too much off the edges of some pieces because they didn't create a snug fit. There were clear gaps between pieces that shouldn't exist with jigsaw puzzles. At least I did this with a simple template with few pieces.
This first attempt at making a wooden jigsaw puzzle encourages me to try again with some adjustments. I'm determined to make an awesome wooden jigsaw puzzle!
What's Next?
I've recorded several laser engravings which I'll share with you in the coming weeks. Be sure to check back later to see what I've posted to this website and/or uploaded to my YouTube channel.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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