* [GRAFTING Ma ee ims Three-Dimensional Games FZ for the Hands & MindCRAFTING Wood Logic Puzzles 4 3 Three-Dimensional Games for the Hands & Mind Creative Publishing internationalCONTENTS INTRODUCTION BASIC TECHNIQUES. ..... 6.66600 e cus Workshop Safety ...... Tools for Crafting Wood Puz ooh b Truing the Table Saw Blade 10.90" ..........5 Making Cutting Jigs . . Selecting Wood for Puzzle Preparing Wood Stock (aiantae Ripping Boards Into Usable Shapes... .. Forming Wood Squares and Rectangles Drilling. . ‘ Gluing and Clamping . (Searching oyoteersiolosre viens Wt le36/fo:swpvepsere aE aFrsforsucPeau Finishing ......06.000ccccceeee ees WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 1. Two Rings Puzzle 2. Dagger Puzzle . 3. Block and Tackle Pus Tt Te rr Le 34-35 36-39 40-43 44-45 Prd Ke Rand 2 WP. for Sales & Marketing: Kevin Hamre Creative Publishing intemational (© Copyciht 2006, Creative Publishing international, ne 300 Fist Avene Nort, Suite 300 Minneapolis, Minnesota $5401 1800:328.3805 vwwecreaivepub com Allright reserved Printed in Singapore 10987654 ‘Phot Rewarhe,le Caso Photoqap Steve Calvin Scene Sp Carpenter: Rady Austin ‘Prodton Mayer Wu Halls Wooo Loaio puzz.es DN 10 1 099-247. "ON 19 o70-enna3.247-14, Peg Solitaire... 6.6.0 e cece ees ee cess eee eeeeeeeee senses 5. Soma Cube 6. Half-hour Puzzle . “ 7. Four-piece Interlocking Cube 8. The Wooden Knot. . . 9, Six-piece Burr Puzzle 10, Altekruse Puzzle see 11. 24-piece Chuck Puzzle.............. 12. Notched Packing Puzzle . . . 13. Boxed Burr Puzzle .. . 14, PORUUHINOES «cece sce cesersenanss seumsa et nenen ceeenens 15, Twin Homes Puzzle « 102-105, 16. 18 Sticks . 17. Tower of Hank roa amass - 106-109 10; MAGNE BIO: + suits nrrwims veneer seenad Cems nEmR 110-113 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ........0..0sc0c ese eeeeeeeeeee 114-115 The solutions to the puzzles, with page references. .............. 116-124 Reference Charts 125 Index..... . 126 bar of Congress Cataloging in ubteaton Data Sol Chaves ‘Crating wood ole puzzes 18 vee-sensiona games othe hands & rnd by Cate Se wh Tom Lense pom Summary: Proves plans andinetuctons or esting 18 ote most pop iar manual puzzies, Projects range Yom vadinal ‘put ogeherake apart {most gertaminces and soma cube o mare sephisialeg-unedngy Fesc-crtcher, such the Bur puzzlea. Readers wl so leam spose ned cting, ling, sanding, ing, and rising techniques that make ‘rating woedon puzales poste Provided by puoner. SEN 199229247 (ef cover) 1. Wooden toy making, I, Leech, Tom. THe. Trives weed 2008 745 592-2002 208020248INTRODUCTION ‘ood logic puzzles have been around for centuries. In times past, a broad selection of wood puzzles could be found on store shelves. But today, plastics have over- taken wood, and quality wood puzzles are available only in specialty shops. Plastic will never approach the beauty of wood. The variety of wood species allows for many intriguing combinations. The warmth of most woods, along with the var- ied grain patterns and figures, provides each puzzle with a unique look. Nothing else looks exactly like puzzle no. 1 to come from your shop, and even if you use the same plans and jigs, nothing else looks like puz- zle no, 500. Great wood logic puzzles are those that draw people in by offering a feature that seems to make the solution, especially diffi- cult...or especially easy. Gauging frustration levels is important to successful puzzle de- sign. Quick puzzle solvers will appreciate puzzles with more than one possible solu- tion and puzzles where each piece is identi- cal, The easily frustrated will be satisfied with simpler puzzles with a basic solution. Knowing your audience will increase your popularity as a puzzle maker. If you wish to dramatically change the appearance of a puzzle, simply alternate wood types. Use a dark wood for half and a light wood for the other half. Or choose woods with contrasting color variations, from red ot dark brown to near white or straw colored. You can also find woods with minimal figure or grain and position them next to highly figured woods. None of the puzzles here uses enough wood to make much difference in cost for your project. But if you get into rare and expensive woods like ebony, your expenses will definitely in- crease. Often, the jigs consume more wood than the puzzles. Basic power woodworking skills, some standard tools, and strong attention to detail are the attributes that will allow you to pur- sue puzzle making as a new hobby or as a part of your existing woodworking craft- work. There's usually no need to invest in new or different tools, if you're already a woodworker. You may need to change the way you work to allow handling very small, very precise parts, but otherwise, little differ- ence in skills is needed. For any woodworker who enjoys mod- estly challenging projects and wants to de- velop skills in making precise setups and cuts, there aren’t any better projects than wood logic puzzles. They are satisfying to make, satisfying to solve, and satisfying to give as gifts. Because all of these puzzles include small parts, children who play with them should be at least three years old. NOTICE TO READERS This book provides useful instructions, but we can not anticipate all of your working conditions or the characteristics of your materials and tools. For safety, you should use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described in this ook. Consider your own skill level and the instruc- tons and safety precautions associated with the var- fous tools and materials shown. The publisher cannot assume responsibility for any damage to property, in- jury to persons, or losses incurred as a result of mis- use of the information provided. INTRODUCTIONBasic Techniques T are few mysteries to making wood logic puzzles, but there are tools and techniques that ease the work and reduce wasted time and stress during production. Precision and accuracy are key in crafting fun and attractive puzzles. Basic woodworking skills assisted by power tools, specialty jigs and a methodical approach will pro- duce attractive wood puzzles. This chapter ta quick look at the basic tools and techniques needed to make the eighteen puzzles included in this book. In This Chapter: Workshop Safety 9-11 Tools for Crafting Wood Puzzles Truing the Table Saw Blade to 90° Making Cutting Jigs Selecting Wood for Puzzles Preparing Wood Stock Ripping Boards Into Usable Shay Forming Wood Squares and Rectangles Drilling Gluing and Clamping sanding Finishing BASIC TECHNIQUES 7Workshop Safety Shop accidents happen in an instant, especially with power tools, The dan ger is even greater when you're working with small pieces, stich a those required for many of the projects in this book, ‘The results can be irre versible and life-threatening, Your first fine of defense against mishaps 1s simple: Think before doing. Respect the capabilities and dangers of your tools and know how to use them safely. Keep your tools In good repair and your bits and blades clean and sharp. Remove blade guards and other fety devices only when absolutely necessary. And keep the workspace ea clean and the floor clear of debris. Personal safety gear will help you avoid accidents and work comfort ably. Virtually every task that requires a tool ereates some de © \ ger for your eyes, and power tools can be damaging to your ears, Safety gear manufacturers offer a variety of different eye and devices to suit personal preference. When it comes to eye safety, purchase antifog safety glass or goggles that fit your face properly and protect your eyes from both the front and sides. Keep them clean and protect them Ihelude both nearing aofeye po fom scratches when not in use. Hearing protection options range from tection. Buy comfortable styles so -_-earmuff that cover your ears entirely to foam earplugs that fit inside your youll wear them wilingly whenever ear canal. Whichever style you choose, be sure it has a noise reduction peaieesig meetin. rating (NRR) of at least 25 decibels, which is a safe standard for general power tool use. ee of dan- ar protection Your arsenal of safety gear should Research suggests that wood dust cdn be a carcinogen, as well as an fant. When using dust-producing machinery, especially saws and sanders, wear a respirator. Respirators approved for wood dusts are dif- ferent from inexpensive, hospital-style nuisance masks, although they may look similar. Usually, dust respirators will have two head straps Wood dust i irritating to breathe rather than one, and the packaging will clearly identify the product as a and probably harmful to your respirator. Dust masks actually offer little protection from fine wood dust. Picea dope If you are working with solvent- or oil-based strippers, cleaners, or fin with veplaceable fitets (8) to pro _‘iShes, a dust respirator will not filter out the mists and fumes produced by tect your lungs. When working with these materials. Wear a respirator outfitted with replaceable canister filters scent and fishes wear2cni rated for vapors and change the fiers as soon as you can smell solvents through the mask. As for other apparel, roll up long shirtsleeves to keep them clear of 8 machinery and messes, and wear comfortable shoes with rubber soles if you'll be standing for long periods of time. \ If you work alone in the shop, plan your woodworking sessions to oc- cur when someone else is home and can check on you from time to time or lend a hand if necessary. To avoid accidents and mistakes, stop working if you are feeling tired, frustrated, or rushed. It should go without saying that it's never safe to operate woodwork- ing machinery when you're under the influence of alcohol or other drugs that impair your judgment. 8 BASIC TECHNIQUESAR {i Tools for Crafting Wood Puzzles The average woodworking shop may have all the basic tools required for making wood puzzles. For those who don’t have everything, the following pages detail a variety of tools you'll use. A. Clamps. Small, one-hand speed clamps and spring clamps hold small puzzle parts securely when drilling or gluing, B. Dial or digital calipers. Precise measurement of specific puzzle pieces is a major ingredient in the success of many puzzles. An inexpensive dial caliper is accurate enough, although digital calipers are more accurate but not much more expensive. C. Engineer's square. An 8" engineer's square is the most accurate square available at a reasonable cost, and a 4" size is also helpful. Engineer's squares are more accurate, and retain their accuracy better, than combination squares. Cabinetmaker's rule. An 18" or 24" stainless steel cabinetmaker's rule makes more precise measure- ments than a tape measure or a wooden rule. D. Marking knife. Use a marking knife instead of a pencil when possible. The finer line allows ‘greater accuracy. E. Cordless drills. While a drill press will handle all your accurate drilling needs, a cordless drill will come in most handy when building jigs for cutting and gluing. F. Drill bits. There are a variety of drill bits that are important in crafting wood puzzles. Forstner bits bore exceptionally clean holes. They can drill at al- most any angle, drill holes close to other holes, and create flat-bottomed holes. Brad-point bits, some- times called “dowel bits,” are less expensive and drill clean holes faster than Forstner bits. Twist bits, primarily for metalworking, offer a greater variation in bit sizes than brad-point and Forstner bits, and are useful for many basic woodworking chores. A set of each type of these bits will come in handy for crafting wood puzzles. BASIC TECHNIQUES 910 BASIC TECHNIQUES Table saw. Accurate cuts make good puzzles. A table saw is the easiest and most precise tool for the straight cuts needed in wood puzzles. Make sure your table saw has two miter slots, and that adjustment of the saw blade to those slots can be readily accomplished. Use a 10" blade with a top-notch 40- or 50-tooth general-cut blade. Carbide tips on the teeth should be in an alternate top bevel (ATB) pattern for smoothest cutting and reducing tearout. There may be a triple chip gtind every third or fourth tooth, and a raker to clean the kerf. Look for a hook angle on the teeth of about 12° to 15°.Jointer. When using rough stock lumber (most hardwoods are sold rough), ‘a jointer is the tool used to flatten one face of a narrow board, called “face jointing.” This reference edge allows jointing the edge of the board at 90° to the face, or lets the planer produce a second face parallel to the face- jointed surface. The jointer does not produce parallel faces, so a planer is still needed. A good 6'-wide jointer is an essential puzzle making tool. Planer. The planer, or thicknesser, planes boards to a set thickness. It is a one-trick pony, but that one trick can make the difference between success and failure in puzzle making. A good planer is needed for these puzzles even if you're working with surfaced wood. Small planers do cus- tom thicknessing of any type of wood, making plans that call for 9¢"- or S4e'- or '4"-thick woods much more practical. The planer can also be used to make square sections absolutely square with a second pass on an ad- joining side. Drill press. For the puzzles included in this book, a 10° benchtop drill press is more than sufficient. Because most of the drilling required for ‘wood puzzles is done with Forstrier bits, which require a fairly low speed, the bottom end speed must be 500 RPM ot lower. Horsepower (HP) needs are low; a press with Y% HP does all the work. Of greater importance, how- ever, is the accuracy of a particular combination of chuck and drill press. While chucks can be replaced, starting with a good-quality chuck is wise. Runout (the inaccuracy of a drill bit running in a less than true cir- cular pattern) is affected by both the spindle arbor and the chuck. Often, excessive runout Is caused by nothing more than a poor fit between the two, or dirt caught on the spindle arbor. If you're seeing sloppy holes when using top-quality drill bits, pop out the chuck and clean it and the arbor. This can help reduce runout to acceptable levels. Bandsaw. While we use a table saw for most of our cutting needs, a small of light-duty bandsaw of decent quality, with a ¥"- or Ss'-wide blade with 12 or 14 teeth per inch (TPI), can be a tremendous help in cutting small puzzle parts. Bandsaw blades cut with a thinner kerf and less tearout than table saw blades, providing cleaner finished cuts with less waste. Scroll saw. For the couple of puzzles in this book that require you to cut curves, a scroll saw is an immense help. Because the curved shapes of these puzzles do not require the precision needed in other puzzles (where square or rectangular shapes must fit together firmly), the size of the scroll saw is of relative unimportance—even the smallest scroll saws have a 16" stock depth and at least a 1" cutting thickness capacity, more than is needed for any of the puzzles provided here. Quality scroll saws produce very little vibration, and may have additional features such as a light that shines on the cut line and a blower that clears sawdust. A handheld jig- saw can also be used to cut curves. Belt/Dise Sanders. A small belt/disc sander is invaluable in shaping and cleaning up parts of most puzzles. Several companies offer models with a 4" x 36" belt and a 6" disc. BASIC TECHNIQUES utUse an engineer's square to check the saw blade for square. Make adjustments as necessary Use a combination square set against a straightedge and piece of scrap wood as a gauge for checking the blade’ alignment to the miter slots. The scrap wood should fit snualy in the miter slot, and the straightedge should rest against the blade body. Ifthe measurements in front and at back of the saw table are not the same, the blade is heel- ing relative to the miter slots. 12. BASIC TECHNIQUES Truing the Table Saw Blade to 90° You will make most of your cuts for wood puzzles with a table saw. To ensure accuracy in those cuts, you need to make sure the saw blade is perpendicular to the saw table. You will also want to make certain that the blade and the rip fence are parallel to the miter slots. Before making any cuts with your table saw, check the vertical square of the saw blade, using an engineer's square that’s at least 4" long. Crank the saw blade all the way up and set it at a 90° cutting angle. The square should fit flush against the blade, with the base flat on the table. Make sure you're not pressing the square’s blade against a tooth. If the blade is not true, make any necessary adjustments (see your owner’s manual) and reset the angle indicator to zero when alignment is correct. For greater accuracy and safer cutting, the saw blade must be parallel to the miter slots, as well as to the rip fence, When the blade skews out of parallel, the condition is called blade heel. A heeling blade produces scorched edges and causes workpieces to ‘wander away from the fence when you rip them. It makes cross- cutting and mitering difficult, as well. 1's also a dangerous invi- tation for kickback. You can adjust a rip fence so it’s parallel to the saw blade, but that won't guarantee that either the rip fence or blade are parallel to the miter slots. A better method is to align the blade and miter slots first, then ad. just the rip fence to the miter slots. This way, the blade and rip fence end up parallel to one another. The process for aligning the blade and miter slots involves shifting the entire saw table (on cabinet saws) of the arbor assembly (on contractor's saws) one way or the other until the blade and miter slots align. Doing this may seem cumbersome and nitpicky, but’even ¥s2" of adjustment will produce smoother, easier cutting with fewer burn marks. Plus, it’s a tune-up procedure you'll probably need to make only once ot rarely over the life of the machine. Here's how to check if your blade is heeling relative to the miter slots: Find or mill a strip of hardwood that's about 1%" wide, 3 feet long, and fits smugly into the miter slots. The wood strip serves as a raised indicator for the miter slot positions. Set the strip into the miter slot you use most often—typically this is the one to the left of the blade if the blade tilts right, or the right slot for left-tilting saws. Crank the blade up to full height, and check that it's set to 90° using a combination or try square Lay a reliably flat 3-foot straightedge against the blade body—not the car- bide teeth. Lay a combination square on the saw table so its head is against the same reference edge on the straightedge as the blade. Position the square near the front of the saw table. Now extend the rule on the square until it touches the wooden strip, and lock the rule at this meas-urement. Be careful not to jar the straightedge away from the blade as you do this. Then shift the square to the back of the saw table and position it against the straightedge again. With the square’s rule still locked in place, does the end of the rule touch the wood strip? If the rule comes up short or pushes the square’s head off the straightedge, you'll know the blade is heeling further from or closer to the miter slots. If you are lucky enough to have the rule just touch the wooden strip, skip the following procedure for eliminating blade heel. i If you're adjusting a cabinet saw, locate the four bolts that secure the saw table to the base, and loosen three of the four. On contractor's saws, find the four bolts that mount the arbor and trunnion assembly to the un- derside of the saw table. Loosen three of these bolts. Pivot the table of your cabinet saw or tap the trunnion on your contractor's saw to shift these components, and recheck the alignment of the blade and miter slots. Use the combination square and wooden strip method to check your progress. Remember that the amount you need to shift the table or arbor assembly is probably miniscule, so work gently. A tap or owo with a rub- ber mallet or hammer and wood block may be all it takes. When you're making the adjustment on a contractor's saw, it’s tough to tap the trun- nion assembly if you're working inside the saw base from below. Use a wood block and rap down through the throat plate opening instead, or work from behind the saw. When the blade and miter slots line up, retighten the mounting bolts Now that your blade is parallel to the miter slots, you can eliminate all sources of heeling by adjusting the rip fence so it’s also parallel to the miter slots, Fence designs vary in terms of where the adjustment bolts or screws are located. Older fences have two bolts on top of the fence body, while newer fences may have adjustment screws on the outside of the fence or on the big clamp that holds the fence on the front rail. Check your owner's manual to locate the adjusters on your fence. To make the adjustment, slip a pair of 1¥/2'- to 2'-wide wood blocks into one of the miter slots. The blocks should fit without extra play. Place ‘one near the front of the saw and the other at the back. Slide the rip fence until it touches one or both blocks. You'll know the fence is parallel to the To eliminate blade heel, oosen three of the four bolts that mount the arbor and trunnion assembly to ‘the underside of a contractor's saw (left, or three of four bolts secur- ing the saw table to the base on a cabinet saw (right). Shift the sub- assembly or tabletop, retest for blade heel, then retighten the bolts. With the mounting bolts loosened, tap the trunnion assembly on a contractor's saw through the throat plate opening using a block of ‘wood and a hammer. Tis wil shift the blade arbor in elation to the miter sits. BASIC TECHNIQUES 13Check the alignment of the rip fence by placing it against blocks of wood in the miter slot. The rip fence should touch both blocks evenly. If it doesnt, adjust the fence until it does. “4 BASIC TECHNIQUES Use a square to see whether the rip fence face meets the saw table at 90°. Using the fence setscrews, tune the fence until it meets the table squarely. Fora fence without setscrews, insert shims behind the faces. miter slot if it touches both blocks simultaneously. If it touches just one block, loosen the adjustment bolts or back out the adjustment screws and shift the fence body until it also touches the second block. Tighten the adjustment bolts or snug up the screws to hold the fence in this new posi- tion. Check the action of the fence by’clamping it to the front rail. The fence body should remain parallel to the miter slot. If it doesn't, readjust the bolts or screws and try clamping it down again. Some low-quality fences simply won't stay aligned. If your saw has one of these, consider replacing it with a better aftermarket fence. Otherwise, the fence will never yield accurate cuts. In addition to being parallel to the miter slots, the rip fence must also be square to the saw table. Check yours by standing a square on the saw table and against the fence face. If the fence tips into or away from the square, you may be able to adjust this condition by turning setscrews on the fence clamp. Otherwise, you can square up a fence by attaching a piece of plywood or hardwood to the fence to act as an auxiliary fence, then inserting a few slips of paper or aluminum soda cans behind the auxiliary fence to bring the fence faces into square.Making a Crosscut Jig For accuracy and safety when making cuts to small pieces of wood, cutting jigs are a necessity. The two most common jigs you'll use for the puzzle in this book are a basic ctosscut jig and a dado-notching jig (see pages 18 to 19). A basic crosscut jig (often called a crosscut sled) is simply a piece of plywood or MDF with tall rails along both front and back edges and mounted to glides that fit in the miter slots. A saw kerf or slot divides the middle of the base to provide a clear track for the blade. Jigs can be constructed to be as simple or as complex as needed. To use the jig, place workpieces inside the jig and against the back rail, then slide the jig across the table to make the cut. Crosscut jigs provide sev- eral advantages over miter gauges. They provide a larger support area and the long back rail helps fering, or tearout. Once the back rail is set perpendicular to the saw blade, the jig never needs readjustment to make perfect square cuts. Crosscut Jig for Tablesaw aie ° Overall Size 16" Lx 16" W | Key rat site Material Number Tools: Cabinetmakers rte, A Base Yo 14" 16" MDF 1 engineer's square, pencil, table B Front rail (part 1) ¥2" x 3" x 16" Baltic birch 1 ‘saw, clamps, cordless drill, Front rll (part 2) 44" x3" x 16" Baltic birch 1 ea ie fatal C Back rail (part 1) th" x3" x 16 Baltic birch 1 eer e ith Back rail (part 2) 34" 3" x 16" Baltic birch 1 fal feces (0) ar saad D Shield section 1%" x 342" 14" _—_Pleiglass 1 screws (4), plexiglass, HDPE E Miter slot stides Ye" x Yo" x 14" HDPE? plastic 2 plastic strips, wood glue, | “HDPE (igh density plythvene) patie sald at some craft stores. Ifyou are ural to Find any, se ‘od pas cttig board at's aound "ck double-sided tape BASIC TECHNIQUES 15,How to Make a Crosscut Jig = Cut the 14* x 16" jig base from ‘2" MDF. The front and back rails are made from laminated layers of "2" and 4" plywood (you can use two layers of 24"-thick material if you prefer). Cut the four rail pieces to 3" x 16" and face-glue them into two matching strips. Trim off the top corners of each ral (see drawing, page 15), then dril countersunk pilot holes and fasten the rails to the jig base with glue and using 1%" flathead screws. Cut two 2" x 14" miter stot slides from ¥a" HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic. Drill countersunk pilot holes and fasten a slide to the base at the mark, using #6 x 24" brass flathead screws (brass won't scratch ‘your saw table). Do not attach the second slide yet. 16 BASIC TECHNIQUES Set the jig back rail down over the miter slots of the table saw, and center the jig base on the saw blade. ark the location of one miter slot onto the underside of the jig base, Set a couple of pennies in the second miter slot, place a few small pieces of double-sided tape on the top edge of the second slide, and position the second slide in the slot on top of the pennies, tape up.Set the jig in place, with the fist slide in the first miter slot and the back ofthe jig flush with the back edge ofthe saw table, Push the jig down over the second. slide, so the double-sided tape adheres to the bottom of the jig. Remove the jig, drill countersunk pilot holes and fasten the second slide to the jig base with the flathead screws. Cut a 34%" x 14" safety guard from "V"-thick plexi- glass. Center the guard over the blade slot, then drill, pilot holes and fasten it to the rails using Ye" panhead screws. Do not overdrive the screws. Position the jig in the miter stots and feed it into the saw blade to create a blade clearance slot through the rails and base. » Tip: To make a length stop for making repetitive cuts, cut a Tie" x Le" x 12" piece of hardwood square at th ‘ends, then clamp it securely to the back rail of the jig BASIC TECHNIQUES 17VarIATION: Making a Dado-notching Jig In addition to square straight cuts, some projects, such as the Chuck Puzzle (page 76), require notched or half-lap puzzle parts. The simple cross- cut jig shown on the previous pages (15 to 17) can easily be modified to create a sled for cutting notches, half-laps, or dadoes with a dado blade set installed in your table saw. Anyone who has used an adjustable dado blade set can attest to the difficulty of getting a smooth- bottom cut. The upward force of the cutters can cause the workpiece to bounce slightly, even when it is clamped. For cleaner notches and half-laps, make at least two passes at the final depth and try using a toggle clamp as a hold-down (see below). Notching Jig for Table Saw Af ya Overall Size 14" Lx 16" W CUTTING LIST: TOOLS & MATERIALS: Key Part size Material Number Tools: Cabinetmaker’s rule, A Base Ye" x 16" x 16" MOF engineer's square, pencil, table Front rail (part 1). Ye" x 3" x 16" Baltic birch saw, clamps, cordles dil, Front rail (part 2) 44" x 3" x 16" Baltic birch eeaei © Back rail (part 1) Ye" x3" x 16" Baltic birch Materials: #6 x 1" athead Back rail (part 2) 4" 3" x 16" Baltic birch screws (8), 6 > 3" brass flat D Side rail Yat x Me" x16" Baltic birch head screws (10), HDPE plastic E Miter slot slides Ye" x 4" x 14" HDPE* plastic strips, wood glue, double- “HDPE (high-density paletylne) last sl at some alt stores. Wf you are unable to Bn an, anol lacing bord that's aod a hick 18 BASIC TECHNIQUES sided tapeHow to Make a Notching Jig : Follow steps 1 to 5 of “How to Make a Crosscut Jig” (pages 16 to 17) to build the body of the jig. Cut two Ya" x 13" x 14" side rails from Baltic birch to serve as handles for the notching jig, then drill pilot holes and fasten the side rails at the angled comers of the front and back rails. ' Mount a dado blade set in your table saw. Before cut- ting the blade clearance sit inthe jig, test the width of the cut on a piece of scrap. Make adjustments to the dado blade cutting width as necessary, then raise the saw blade and cut the clearance slot, making multiple passes and raising the blade set with each pass until you reach full depth To ensure safe cutting, help reduce tearout, and ease cutting multiple pieces, cut a clamp body access slot in the back rail, 1" from the blade clearance slot on each side, to accommodate a pair of quick-grip clamps. Toggle option: Attach a vertical toggle clamp to the jig base to secure workpieces or length stops. This method will accommodate a variety of wood thicknesses and pro- vide downward pressure that prevents the workpiece from bouncing (a common occurrence with dado sets). BASIC TECHNIQUES 1920 BASIC TECHNIQUES Basic woods include: (A) birch, (8) ash, (C) cherry, (D) white oak, (F) maple (F) mahogany, (6) red oak, and (H) walnut. Selecting Wood for Puzzles Choosing woods is an important part of any woodworking project, includ- ing puzzle making. Start by sorting through your shop scrap barrel or pile to see what has been tossed aside from larger projects. Look for hard- woods, especially hardwoods that don't dent easily. For wood that will be planed, 24" or longer lengths are best. Many planers, especially older models, snipe the ends of the wood, ruining 24" to 3%" of each piece, so try to take that into account. Select woods for appearance, durability, workability, Whether your wood stock is milled to standard di sawn, you should prepare the workpieces yourself to ensure accurate puz- ale pieces. For most of the puzzles, look for boards with an actual thick- ness between 94" and 54", You'll find many color and pattern variations in wood that can add to the attractiveness and the uniqueness of your puzzles. The most commonly available woods are walnut, cherry, oak, ash, and maple, although the list varies somewhat according to where you live. Walnut is a dark wood, often ranging toward dark purple when first cut. It will gradually lighten as it ages. Cherry often has a salmon color, depending on whether it is heart- wood (darker) or sapwood (lighter). Over time, cherry darkens. White oakis light tan and red oak has a reddish hue. Both oaks have a distinct grain pattern, especially if quarter-sawn. Ash has grain and figure similar to the oaks, but is lighter. Hard maple has many attractive grain and figure pat- terns. Hickory, though excellent for tool handles, is best avoided when crafting because it is splintery and hard to work. Other rarer domestic hardwoods are available from specialty lumber suppliers. They include mesquite, which is hard to dent and very stable. Holly can be hard to find, but is almost white, which is a unique look. Cal- nia laurel (also called Pacific myrtle) is a very hard and heavy tan ‘wood that is close grained and often has bird's-eye figures and swirls, Tu- pelo, or black gum, is a light brown wood with a fine texture and inter- locked grain that keeps it from splitting, Exotic woods for puzzles abound. Mahogany is a premium wood for puzzles because it has excellent dimensional stability so the puzzle pieces fit together properly in all conditions. In the super-expensive arena is ebony, a rare black wood. It is hard to glue, which needs to be kept in mind (epoxy works). Bubinga is ‘another exotic that is good for puzzles. Cocobolo is a relative of rosewood, from Central America. It is oily, thus hard to glue, and is hard on tools due to silica inclusions. Additionally, it is expensive, and many people are allergic to its dust. Padauk, a hard, heavy wood with interlocking grain, ages to a dark maroon color. It is an excellent puzzle wood. Purple heart is another useful exotic puzzle wood. It mellows to a rich, red-brown final color after a bright purple look on first cutting. Rosewoods are becoming rare, and they are hard to work and glue, but make lovely puzzles. Ziricote (also called zebra wood) is a dark wood, heavy, hard, with black streaks on a tan background. It is oily and hard to glue, as well hard to find and expensive. Nevertheless, itis attrac- tive and useful. Satinwood works nicely, too, as do bloodwood, bocote, and canary wood. Exotic woods include: (A) Lacewood, (8) padauk, (©) purple heart, (0) teak, €) cocobolo,(F) wenge, (6) Brazian chery, (H) zebra wood, (1) bocote, {@) bloodwood, (k) canary wood, (L) dark rosewood, and (M) Bloodwood BASIC TECHNIQUES 21Preparing Wood Stock Preparing wood stock for use in a puc: starts with sugfacing lumber to the widths and thicknesses specified in the project plans and cutting list. Jf the tolerances in the plan are tight, such as with the Melting Block Puzzle (pages 110 to 115), make the puzzle from a stable wood, such as white oak or mahogany. AS you select your wood stock, make sure to work with boards that are at least 24° long if they will be jointed or planed for puzzle pieces requiring specific and accurate dimensions. You can cut stock to rough length as needed, however it will be cut down to us: able lengths and shapes later (see page 24). If stock is to be planed, make sure to allow an extra 3* to 4" for snipe, the shallow dished-out area caused by the planer taking a slightly deeper bite from the ends of boards when the feed rollers grab or release the lum- ber as it passes through the planer Sipe is the result ofa planer taking a slightly deeper bite from the ends of boards as they pass through the feed rollers. Make The first step in preparing wood for puzzles is to face-joint the stock to achieve a uniform reference sate to account for snipe when planning puzzles. To face joint stock, use push sticks or push pads to guide the Use a power planer to reduce your workpieces to rough thick- board over the jointer knives while keeping your hands clear, ness initially and then to final thickness. 22 BASIC TECHNIQUESUse dial calipers to take accurate ‘measurements ofthe thickness of your workpieces. Always prepare stock ¥42" thicker than the fin- ‘shed dimension listed in the puzale plans to allow for final trimming surface. Set the jointer to a cutting depth of Y%2" and adjust the fence so it's square with the jointer bed. Hold the board face flat against the jointer bed and use push sticks or push pads to guide the stock over the jointer knives and to keep your hands'clear. For particularly rough or uneven _ After face-jointing the workpiece, joint one edge to ensure that it is lumber, you may necd to take several passes to flatten the face. ae ant ‘The next step is to plane the stock to rough thick- ness—the finished dimension plus Ys2". Use a dial or digital caliper to determitie the actual thickness of the stock, then set the planer’s cutterhead so it will trim the board about Vis" thinner. However, for many hardwoods you may need to take an even shallower pass to keep the planer’s motor from bog- ging down. Feed the board into the planer with the reference face against the smooth planer bed to plane the other face. Check the board thickness with the dial caliper, then drop the cutterhead another Yic" of less as needed and repeat until you have created a board with two smooth, parallel faces and a thickness that is Ysa" more than the final dimensions specified in the project plans. Finally, joint one edge of the board to create a square reference edge. You can now rip the stock to the width dimension specified in the project plans, remembering to allow an extra ¥42" to allow for final planing and sanding. BASIC TECHNIQUES 23Ripping Boards Into Usable Shapes After the wood stock has been jointed and planed to within 2" of the finished puzzle dimensions (see pages 22 to 25), the boards can be ripped into the sticks from which the finished squares and rec- tangles that make up the bulk of the puzzle pieces will be cut. First rip the boards into sticks that are 442" wider than the finished width of the puzzle piece called for in the project plans. Use featherboards to help keep workpieces pressed firmly against the saw table and rip fence as they enter the blade. Clamp one featherboard to the saw table on the infeed side of the blade, then clamp a second featherboard to the rip fence so it lines up with the one mounted to the saw table. Position both featherboards just far enough from the blade so they won't interfere with the blade guard; Adjust both so they hold the ‘workpiece firmly but not so tightly that they res your ability to push the board forward, Once cut to rough width, the sticks square, though 12" larger than the dimensions of the finished puzzle pieces. Check for accuracy using dial calipers. If final planing or jointing are required, make sure the sticks are at least 24" long, When cutting multiple puzzle parts from a single stick, be sure to allow ¥" for each saw kerf and an extra inch or two for waste. Wood for puzzles such as the Dagger Puzzle, ‘Two Rings Puzzle, and Tower of Hanoi can be cut to the finished length and width, provided the stock has been planed to the exact thickness speci- fied in the project plans. These puzzles do not re- quire perfectly square or rectangular pieces for fine fitting, such as the Notched Packing Puzzle. Featherboards clamped to the rip fence and saw table hold workpieces securely during rip cutting, Be sure to install them just in front of the blade—not behind it 24 BASIC TECHNIQUES Use a dial calipers to check stick dimensions to ensure accurate measurements.Forming Wood Squares Accurate wood squares and rectangles are pro- duced using the planer and table saw. For final and Rectangles sizing, set the table saw rip fence to the exact final size as specified in the project plans. Run a scrap piece of lumber through the saw and check the cut piece for accuracy with a dial caliper. Make adjust- ments as needed, but make sure to verify using the scrap piece. With saw set, run each stick through twice, once for the first side and a second pass on the adjacent side. This will produce sticks that are perfectly square and ready to be cut to length for puzzle parts. Variation: If you don’t want to use a table saw, you can get the same results by running sticks through the planer—once on each adjacent side. Use the table saw to rip sticks to the final puzzle dimensions by shaving 42” off two adjacent sides. When the finished sticks are ready to be cut into the square or rectangle puzzle parts, they can be taped together securely using easy-release (blue) masking tape to reduce the need for multiple cuts. The parts must be tightly taped for accuracy. It’s pos- sible to easily cut as many as six small sticks at one time if taping is tightly done. ‘To cut the squares and rectangles, simply set a length stop on the crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17) to the finished length, cut a scrap piece and check for accuracy with a dial caliper, then make your cuts. ‘A jointer or power planer can also be used to bring sticks to final dimensions. To gang-cut multiple sticks for puzzle parts, use easy-release Use a crosscut jig to efficiently cut ganged puzzle parts to their ‘masking tape to bind the workpieces tightly. Finished lengths. BASIC TECHNIQUES 25,Drill Press Jig Overall Size 10" Lx 10" W CUTTING LIST: at size Material Number Base 44 x10" x 10" MDF 1 Long leg 1x10" Plywood orserap 1 Short eg eax 6" Plywood orscrap 1 ‘A simple square corner jig makes {it easier to drill accurate holes in square and rectangular puzzle parts. 26 BASIC TECHNIQUES Drilling Drilling operations in puzzle pieces usually involve holding small pieces of the project so they cannot spin or get tossed off the drill table. The simple jigs shown here hold square, rectangular, and spherical pieces securely in place for safe, accurate drilling, How to Make a Drilling Jig for Square and Rectangular Parts Cut the jig base from 54" MDF and the legs from ¥2* plywood (such as baltic birch) or scrap material, to the dimensions specified in the cutting list above. All pieces must be perfectly square. To assemble the jig, simply glue the legs to the base, flush with the edges, to create the right angle. Use an engineer's square to ensure that the legs meet at a perfect right angle (90°). After the glue dries, the jig is ready for use and can be clamped in position to the drill press table. Place the workpiece squarely in a corner, then simply hold or clamp the piece in place as you drill, To protect the MDF base use a backer board beneath the workpiece.How to Make a Drilling Jig to Hold Wooden Balls A few puzzles require that you drill holes through wooden balls, which can be a challenge. The easiest approach is to make a quick jig using a scrap of wood. Clamp a 6" x 6" x 112" scrap of wood to the drill table, and drill a %2"- to 5e'-deep hole in the center, using a 7" Forstner bit. Wrap the bottom of a wooden ball with two layers of easy-release masking tape to reduce splin- tering when the bit exits the ball, and set the ball in the hole of the jig Clamp the ball so it can’t spin, using a handscrew-style clamp or an- other clamp with a fairly wide mouth. If necessary, use a second clamp to hold the first clamp under the drill bit. Set the drill press depth so the balls can be added and removed from the jig easily. Then drill through the ball, using a brad-point bit. Drill a %'- to 54"-deep hole with 7a" Forstner bit into a 142"-thick scrap board to create a jig for holding wooden balls When drilking holes, hold the wooden bal in place with a clamp and use a brad-point bit, BASIC TECHNIQUES 27Spread glue carefully, onto both mating wood surfaces, using a 21" x 24 paper, tung oil | Tools Cabinetmakers ral, dal caliper, marking knife, a stable square, planer, table saw with dado-head or bade set (stackable blades are preferable), miter gauge, small | hand and spring clamps, sanding block, brushSix-piece Burr Puzzle 4 Top face ap Le ate ve 3 Adjacent - a cele Pat Piece #1 Piece #2 Piece #3, Piece #4 Piece #5 Plece #6 3h 3K" x 24 3h 31" x 2 it 3h x 2 Bet x Fx 2 Ha 38 Det Bt ee Bat WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 67How to Make the Six-piece Burr Puzzle af il tanidend ase toy Clamp a scrapwood stop block to the back rail of the crosscut jig this puzzle you'll need about two lineal (pages 15 to 17), positioned 24" from the table saw blade. Cut feet of stock, six 2%'-long puzzle pieces. Using a pencil, lightly label the ends and faces of the six puzzle Outfit the table saw with a dado-blade set pieces and number them 1 through 6 for reference. You'l also find that’s set to cut a °"-wide notch. Adjust it helpful to map out the pieces on a sheet of paper (or copy the art- the blade height to 2", then make a test cut work from page 67) and place them in their appropriate spot to keep on a piece of scrap, using the notching jig track of the notch cuts. (pages 18 to 19). 68 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSEecaRes reea anre watt 4" wide to the back rail of the | (ue ea fais inate in i") notch starting 2" from one end. Place each of these four parts against the notching jig, %" from the dado ‘orginal stop block from Step 5, and then clamp a second block firmly against blade. Make a test cut—the test the free end of the workpiece to sandwich itit in place. Cut the “/e"-deep piece should have 224" notch that_ notch in each of the four pieces. For a smooth, clean cut, make two or three starts %s" from the end. Make adjust-, passes, deepening the notch cut with each pass. Piece No. 2 is finished. ments to stop as needed. Test piece Reset the stop blocks to cut a All five of the remaining pieces receive a %"-wide notch 2%" from one end. notch that begins 2%" from the Sandwich the pieces between stop blocks, one at a time, and cut the ‘end of the workpiece. Test your set- notches carefully, using the illustrations on page 67 as guides. Piece No. 1 is up on a piece of scrap. finished WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 69How to Make the Six-piece Burr Puzzle (continued) Aust the dado-blade ses cut>_ 4 (ye ofthe remaining paces (3, 5, 6) receive a awe notch that ting width to 8° for the final two Qhiers Sat rom te erd ot the pee, Sandie be pieces between ho notches. Set the blade cutting height stop blocks as done previously, or go ahead and clamp the workpiece itself to to%" and clamp a stop %" from the the back rail Make all three notches, following the illustrations. Piece No. 3, blade. Make a test cut in some scrap. No. 5 and No. 6 are Finished. 1 Lint last set of notches, the dado blade should be set to cut a2" x 96" notch starting 7" from the end of the piece. Adjust the set- Up and make a test cut. [iit the last notch on Piece No. 4. Al neces are ised. 70 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSBAe are ot te mae pieces lightly, using 150- to 180-grit paper—be careful not to round edges. Test-ft the pieces, following the solution on page 119. Cut scraps of Y"-thick stock to 5” and?” wide to use as sanding blocks. If pieces fit together DA tc ty, carey sand the notches where needed. Do not remove too much stock—pieces should fit together snugly but still be easy to manipulate. sare aeteaeatea nist, following the manufacture’ instructions. Allow the pieces to dry overnight before constructing the puzzle. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 71Altekruse Puzzle Developed by W. Altekruse and patented in 1890, the Altekruse puzzle appears to be a complex notched puzzle that’s very challenging to make and to solve. But because the puzzle pieces are identi- cal, production is fairly easy. But solving the puzzle by assembling the pieces into the interlocking shape pictured above, you'll find, is another matter. While there are a dozen pieces in the original Altekruse Puzzle, Stewart Coffin developed addi- tional 14-, 36- and 38-piece versions that employ the same device. The 14-piece version is shown here. The solution to the 14-piece version shown here can be found on page 120. 72 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS ‘The Altekruse puzzle shown here is crafted from cither 54"- or 1"-thick wood stock and you can take some liberty in the basic proportions as long as the notches and the center tab are the same width, For a more finished appearance, cut shallow bevels at all four sides of each piece end, TOOLS & MATERIALS Materials: 1° x 1" hardwood, 150-grit sandpaper, tung oil Tools: Jointer, planer, adjustable square, cabinetmaker's rule, marking knife, table saw, dial caliper, crosscut jig, notching jig, brush, lint-free ragAltekruse Puzzle WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 73How to Make the Altekruse Puzzle Mill hardwood stock to your chosen dimension: 4" x 34" or 1" x 1" (shown in these steps). Clamp a stop to the back ral of a crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17) and cut 4"-Long blanks. tall adadoblade set in your table saw and setup swith a notching jig (pages 18 to 19) to cut the two outside notches—you'l need to make at least two passes to cut a 1"-wide notch. Begin by setting the depth of the blade set to be %2", using the adjustable square. Then, measure from the dutside of the blade set and clamp a stop to the back rail of the jig Make the first notch cut and then position the blank so the next pass will complete the full-width notch cut. Clamp another stop block to the rail on the opposite side of the blade. Make the second cut and test the notch width. If it is correct, you may cut all the notches simply by making a pass with each end against each stop block (Four cuts total). 74 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Set up the dado-blade set and jig to cut the middle notch. The depth of the middle notch is the same as the end notches: 12”. Use stops on each side of the blade to make repetitive cuts, as in the previous step.Bate the blank 90" and cut the center notches on an adjacent face of the blank. After cytting the first piece, use the caliper to check for accuracy. Make any nec- essary cortections and notch the remaining pieces. ‘Assemble the puzzle to check for fit (see solution on page 120). Sand or recut as needed to make the pieces fit properly. L G zane the ees for splinting or fuzzy edges, Di card splintered pieces and sand off fuzzy edges. Test to make sure the notches are wide enough to accept the full thickness of each piece. IF the fit is too tight, sand the notch or, in more extreme cases, redo the notching setup to remove a trace from each side of each notch. Tee pth net ela the manufacturers instructions. Make sure to wipe excess oil from the corner of notches before it dries. Allow pieces to dry overnight before assembling the puzzle pieces. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 7524-piece Chuck Puzzle The concept behind the Chuck Puzzle has its roots in the Six-piece Burr Puzzle (pages 66 to 71). It was patented in 1897 by Edward Nelson. The puz~ zle pieces are simple, using what might be called wide notches or flat bridges for most pieces, with an added key piece or two. The key piece or pieces serve to hold the puzzle together, and make solving interesting. The 24-piece Chuck Puzzle shown here is often called the Woodchuck. Other related puz- zles include the Papa Chuck with 54 pieces, and the 96-piece Grandpapa Chuck. Even with a relatively modest 24 pieces, the Chuck Puzzle can look a litle intimidating, But be- 7 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS cause 16 of the 24 pieces are identical, assembling the puzzle will quickly make sense to you once you understand the trick. And with the two locking keys, the Chuck Puzzle will not fall apart as soon a you set it down. Solution is on page 121 TOOLS & MATERIALS Materials: 1" x 6" x 36" hardwood, easy-release (blue) masking tape, tung oil Tools: Jointer, planer, table saw, dial caliper, crosscut jig, bandsaw, brush, rag, square, rule, pencit24-piece Chuck Puzzle Small bridge Key y Large bridge Vx Ix 6 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 77How to Make the 24-piece Chuck Puzzle 1 fo tient cutting ofthe blans to make the 2¢ puzzle pieces, mil tock Outfit the table saw with a dado- to create three 1" x 1" x 36" sticks. Gang them together (use easy-release blade set. Since most sets have a masking tape to bind them for cutting) and cut the pieces to length using a maximum cutting width of i" or 7s", stop block clamped to the crosscut jig (pages 15 to 17). You'll need 18 3"-long you'll need even the narrowest (1") Pieces and six 6"-long pieces. notches in multiple passes. Set up the dado blades to make °/"-wide x Ve-deep cuts. Clamp a stop block to the back rail 7 All 24 pieces have notches that start 42" from each end. Position the blank ofa notching ig (see pages 18 to Aor each pece against the stop and clamp the workpiece to the back ai of 419). Check with caliper to make sure the jig, keeping clear of the blade set. Make a pass over the blade set at both the setup is accurate, ends of each workpiece, on the same face. 78 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSG fish ettng al ofthis smal rg paces (are page 77) by shifting the stop block and hogging out the waste wood between the notches cut near each end. Make the same cuts on the two pieces that will become the keys (Part B, page 77). iat the sc age bridge pecs (Pat Cage 77) by passing each piece over the dado blade to hog out the waste material between the notches near each end. This ‘can be done without a stop block to speed up your work. Finish notching the two keys by positioning them be- Hveen stop blocks and cutting a 1°-wide notch, cen- tered, on an adjoining face to the one that has been notched already. QI aity sand alte ices, and ett folloing the solution on page 121. Pieces should fit together snugly. Take care not to round the edges when sanding pieces. Apply a penetrating oil to finish, following the manufacture’ instructions. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 79Notched Packing Puzzle This gorgeous puzzle is made of 18 identical notched pieces that are contained in a box made of ‘a"-thick wood. The example shown features a hard maple box and puzzle pieces cut from con- trasting mahogany. For some extra visual appeal, you can make the pieces out of laminating %"- thick strips of contrasting wood. In addition to eliminating the tearout from the notching cuts, laminating wood strips will result in edges that are perfectly square. Even though the puzzle pieces are identical, they are oriented in practically every position possible to 80 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS make the rectangular solid that fits into the box when completed. We know of at least twelve con- figurations that will solve the puzzle, and you can find one of them an page 122 Materials: '4'-thick and 1"-thick hardwood, easy-release (blue) masking tape, wood glue, sandpaper (various arits), tung oil Tools: Jointer, planes, engineers square, cabinetmaker’s rule, marking knife, table saw, dial caliper, crosscut jig, notching jig, bandsaw, clamps, brush, lint-free ragNotched Packing Puzzle 31 I" et x Be xn" et x Be x Bat x Bl x Bet Fit x Bat WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 81How to Make the Notched Packing Puzzle Mill your wood stock to 2" x24" to make the blanks for the 18 24%'-long Outfit the table saw with a dado- puzzle pieces (a pair of 36°-long sticks is plenty of stock). Set up a stop on blade set adjusted to make a 2"- a crosscut jig (pages 15 to 17) and cut the blanks to uniform length. wide x ts"-deep notch cut. ‘Bet una notching ig pages 18 tof Ald 2 second stop block so the banks forthe pure pieces Fit smugly be: 119) with a stop block that’s %" tween stop blocks. Notch all 18 pieces, making at least two passes at full from the dado-blade set. Cut a notch cutting depth for a smooth bottom on the notch cut. ‘on a piece of scrap and measure to make sure it is %° deep, 2" wide, and centered on the puzzle piece. 82 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSCut the ends, sides, and bottom for the box to size Use wood glue to construct the box, following the from '4"-thick hardwood, using the table saw and a Gross-cut jig. Refer to the cutting list on page 81 for di- mensions of box pieces. Test-fit the puzzle pieces in the box, fol- lowing the solu- tion on page 122. ‘The pieces should sit flush with the top edge of the box. Carefully sand the box and pieces as needed to soften sharp edges, smooth the overall piece, and ensure a snug fit. Tie: If you assem- ble the pieces outside of the box, it’s much easier to fit the upside-down box over the rectan- gular solid than to lower the asssembled pieces into the box. technical illustration on page 81. Apply glue lightly to the edges and use clamps as needed to hold the box together while the glue dries. Apply penetrating oil to finish the puzzle pieces and box, following the manufacturer’ instructions. Apply only one or two coats to avoid adding dimension to the parts. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 83Boxed Burr Puzzle With several puzzles in this book we've included plans for decorative wood boxes you can build to store your puzzle pieces. With this burr puzzle, however, the box is an integral part af the fun ‘Adapted from the Six-piece Burr (pages 66 to 71), the Boxed Burr Puzzle was created by Tom Lensch. ‘The addition of the boxed pieces makes the solu- tion a little more difficult, and the construction a bit more interesting, with more steps involved. ‘The six puzzle pieces are notched using a dado- blade set. Because the finished piece length is so small (244%), i's much safer to make the blanks 6" long or longer and then trim them to size after the 84 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS notches all are cut. Then you can attach each piece to a box part with a dowel. ‘The solution (and be forewarned—this is a tough one) can be found on page 122. Materials: 4s" x 4" x 24" and 9" x2" x 36" hardwood, >jx'-dia, oak doweting, sandpaper (various grits), sanding block, wood glue, tung oil Tools: Jointer, planer, engineer's square, cabinetmaker’s rule, marking knife, table saw, dal caliper, crosscut jg, notching jig, dado-blade set, Se" drill bt, drill press, ‘brush, lint-free ragBoxed Burr Puzzle re 12" ise" o a momw the . Bien 3" Sal ig delelelelelel Me monw y delelelolelel Key Part ‘A. Box sides (#2, #3, #4 and #5) B_ Box ends (#1 and #6) © Puzzle Pieces D_ Dovel pine Material Hardwood. Hardwood, Hardwood ak Size gt x oat x Be atx at ae Sit cM x 2M" Si dia 3c" WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 85How to Make the Boxed Burr Puzzle Prepare six 9%" x 3/" x 6” hardwood blanks, then in- stall a dado-blade set in your table saw. Set the dado blades to make a %s" x4" notch and make a test cut ina scrap piece using a notching jig (see pages 18 to 19). Piece No. 5 ‘BPece Ho. 5 requires two 2° notches a 4” and 14 rom the end. (After cutting the piece to final length, these notches will be 3" in from each end.) Cut the: notches. It's a good idea to write the piece number on each blank, 86 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Cut a" x 2A" notch %" in from one end of piece No. 2 (the waste will be trimmed off after all the notches are cut). The remaining notches in all the pieces are 3" wide. Adjust the dado blade to cut a 24"-wide x ?a"-deep notch. Cut a %' notch in piece No. 1 3%" from one end.Cut a 94'-wide x a"-deep notch in piece Ne from the end in an adjacent face to the *" natch. The notching in piece No. 2 is finished. B fefering tothe station on page 85, mack the aa ent side of piece No. 1 at %" and 17, Remove the material between these marks to create a 1¥"-wide notch. The notching in piece No. 1 is Finished. Cut side-by-side 3/"-wide x *"-deep notches in piece No. 4, °f" and 17" from the end to make a 142"-wide notch. The notching in piece No. 4 is finished. ‘Cut the first 3"-wide x 3"-deep natch in piece No. 3, 34 in from the end. Flip the piece so an adjoining face is down and mark cutting lines %e* and 1%" from the end (see illustration, page 85). Remove the material be- tween the cutting tines by passing the workpiece over the dado cutters. The notching in piece No. 3 fs finished. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 87How to Make the Boxed Burr Puzzle (co: Cut the centered %"-wide x °4"-deep notch in piece No. 5. Flip the workpiece onto an adjacent face and ut another *4'-wide x %'-deep notch according to the illustration. All of the notch-cutting is finished. Lists i tong tenths fom ia, doweting (preferably oak). Mark a centerpoint in one end of each piece (see illustration), then clamp each piece to a Arlking table and drill a?"-dia, x 5he"-deep dovel hole at the centerpoint. 88 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS LO Setu7 the rossut a (ee pages 15 to 27) witha stop block to trim all six pieces to 23%" long. 4 Diusing te crosscut i, cut the four box sides and two ends to size according to the cutting list on page 85. Measure and mark drilling points on the box: ends 1" and 174s" in from one corner, For the box sides that will attach to pieces No. 2 and No. 5, locate the hholes %4" and 17/6" in from one comer; for No. 3 and No. 4, mark drilling points 1" and 14%" from one corner,iT out the pieces prior to gluing to ensure pieces and box parts are assembled in the correct orienta- tion (see solution, page 122) and that they fit together. If the pieces are too tight or do not fit together cleanly, carefully sand the notches as needed (do not remove too much stock). eS 4 Giisssemble and ue the box parts and pieces parts together one ata time. The dowels will protrude from the finished box sides by approximately %4", Make certain the pieces and box parts remain in the correct orientation to one another, 1 ee the box parts, using a flush-cutting saw or Gentle- man’s saw. Sand the dowel end smooth and finish-sand all parts. For decorative effect, sand bevels on the edges of the free ends. Coat all wood parts with Danish oi, using a brush Jor a rag. Wear nitrile gloves to keep the oil off your al hands. Wipe off excess oil after a couple of minutes and recoat the pieces. Make sure the Danish oil does not obstruct the notches. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 89Pentominoes Sixty 54” cubes are assembled into a dozen shapes that can be slotted and reconfigured in nearly 3,000 combinations to fit into a neat box ot com- bined to create interesting geometric shapes. Called Pentominoes, this classic puzzle challenge will en- tertain you almost indefinitely. And making your own set is a simple matter of cutting and pasting. The twelve shapes in this version of Pentomi- noes are based loosely on letters of the alphabet. ‘We made them by gluing 54" cubes together, but if you're handy with a jigsaw, you could cut them out of solid hardwood instead. There are a number of different puzzles and games that can be created 90 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS from solid Pentominoes (page 93). We've also in- cluded plans for constructing two different boxes, one for a 3D cube puzzle (page 94) and one for a 2D rectangle puzzle (page 95). Solutions for Pen- tominoes are on page 123. TOOLS & MATERIALS Materials: 1" x 6" x 24" hardwood, 4" x 4" x 24" hard- ‘wood, yellow wood glue, 100- to 120-grit sandpaper, tung oil Tools: Cabinetmaker’ ruler, engineer's square, marking knife, dial or digital caliper, planer, table saw, crosscut iig, sanding block, brusheg ed ‘Eos be oF Tor technical drawings si and instructions on nae xx brutdinga box and 2 eas base for Pentominoes see pages 941095. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 91How to Make Pentominoes iityour harnood stock to 2 x 24" strips, then set Arrange the cubes into the 12 letter-base Pentominoes up a crosscut jig (pages 15 to 17) to slice off %" shapes, following the illustration on page 91. Consider pieces on your table saw. You'll need 60 cubes for the the wood grain during assembly, and butt end grain to Pentominoes puzzle pieces, but cut a few extra to use as end grain where possible. spacers for gluing up the pieces. Glue up each puzzle piece, sliding ghtly and carefully sand each Finish the pieces as desired. You the glued faces together and Pentomino piece, following the may wish to stain or paint the aligning them in a square corner glu- wood grain. If any of the fits seem __Fentominoes contrasting colors if you ing jig (see page 30) to ensure square tight, sand off a bit more wood. Ifa have used a single wood, or simply Joints. Apply light clamping pressure fit seems sloppy, replace the piece _ finish with penetrating oil if you and allow the glue to dry overnight. that’s too small. have used contrasting species. Always follow the manufacturer's recommen- dations for application. 92 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSMore Pentominoes Puzzlers The 12 Pentominoes pieces can be used to create a examples to test your skills. How many can you variety of geometric shapes. Here are a few create on your own? uty i WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 93a4 Box for Solid Cube Pentominoes CUTTING LIST: Key Part Material Sie Number ‘A Bottom Hardwood 4%" x 386" 37h" 1 B Side Hardwood %' x 3%" x 2¥e" 2 © Tront/ Hardwood 14" x 3%" x 24e" 2 back set 0 3A" x 3A" x 218" How to Make a Box for the Solid Pentominoes Cube Puzzle | Cut the sides, front, back, and bottom pieces to size ac- cording to the dimensions shown above, Apply wood glue ‘to the joints between the pieces and assemble, checking for square and clamping together into a box shape. Make sure all joints are flush and square. Allow glue to dry overnight. 94 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Lightly sand the base, then test-fit the pieces, following the solution on page 123. Pieces should fit snugly but be ‘easy to remove. Carefully sand the inside edge of the sides and ends to make adjustments, then apply a penetrating cil, following the manufacturer's instructions,Base for 2D Pentominoes Overall size: 310" 16" 3" CUTTING LIST: Part Material Size Bottom Baltic Bitch 3p" x 3" 1644" Front/back rail Hardwood ie" x 2" x 1644" End rail Hardwood a" x 3a" x 3" Mill hardwood stock to %s" x 7" Lightly sand the base, then test-it the Pentominoes pieces, following the so- thickness and miter-cut ends at 45° lution on page 123. Pieces should fit snugly but be easy to remove, Carefully to the lengths shown above to make _sand the inside edge of the sides and ends to make adjustments, then apply a rails. Cut base from Baltic birch or penetrating oil, following the manufacturers instructions. hardwood and glue rails to base. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 95Twin Homes Puzzle The Twin Homes Puzzle is unlike any other in this book. The goal is pretty simple—fit the puzzle pieces together so they fit inside the gable-topped hhouse frame. But there is more to the puzzle than that. If you flip the house frame over, you'll find another frame that looks like the first but is actu- ally sized a bit differently. The solution that works for the first side will not work for the opposite side. Construction of the two: plished by gluing all the parts for each side to the divider panel (at slight offsets from one another) and then cutting the final house shape from the ¢glued-up parts on the table saw. 96 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Another offering from noted designer Stewart Coffin, the Twin Homes Puzzle proves that even as houses today look more and more alike, there are often subtle differences that are easy to overlook. Solutions on page 123. TOOLS & MATERIALS Materials: 34" x 3" x 24" hardwood, 4" 1" x 60 hard wood, %' x 8" x 9° hardwood or Baltic birch plywood, ‘wood glue, sandpaper, teak or Danish oil ‘Tools: Cabinetmaker’s rule, dial caliper, pencil or marking knife, adjustable square, planer, table sav, miter saw or table saw miter jig (to cut miters), brushTwin Homes Puzzle (Side A) Sree ste : pesiuied —_ 52" > i. | + Size Number Hit 9h x4 Satoh oc Yat x 3h" 3" = Side B E Floor Yat x Ya x 4h" F Divider Hardwood or plywood %4" x 5%/x" x 6° 1 a 1 D_ Wall, right Ht xSta" x3" 1 1 1 G Puzzle pieces Hardwood BRE XH 2h WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 97Twin Homes Puzzle (Side B) she" Part site Rafter, eft Wr he" x 6 Rafter, right Yet x he" x 4" Wal, left >The x3" Wall, right x Boat x3" Floor Mat hs" x ahs" 98 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSHow to Make the Twin Homes Puzzle Blade guard removed for clarity Diiamp a stop block 3p" from the blade and cut 24 7"-thick puzzle pieces, using a crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17). For safety, shut off the saw and remove the cut square after each cut. flowing the techniques on pags 22 to 24, mill hardwood stock for the puzzle pieces to 7" x 34", Lightly sand the edges of the Arrange the squares into the figures shown in the illustration on page 97. ‘cubes with 150-arit sandpaper. Wipe on a dab of glue and rub the pieces together, then set in the square Tape a section of sandpaper flat to corner gluing jig for at least an hour under light clamping pressure. Make sure the work surface, then simply draw the glued pieces lie flat. To prevent possible sticking to the workbench, use a each edge of a cube across the sand- nonstick work surface, coat the benchtop with paste wax, or slip wax paper paper twice. The result gives each Under the glued-up pieces. ‘cube a cleaner, polished appearance. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 99How to Make the Twin Homes Puzzle (continued) Cut a %"-thick piece of hardwood or Baltic birch ply- wood to 8" x 9" to use for the divider. Label one face A" and the other “B”. Begin making layout lines by scrib- ‘ng a centerline that bisects the 9” sides on both faces of the workpiece. Lay out the interior dimensions for the first puzzle on Side A: Measure down from the top along the centerline and mark at 1°, 3%2*, and 54742", Make a 45° miter cut at one end of eight /*-thick x "wide hardwood sticks so each stick is at least 6" in lenath. These will be used to make the walls and rafters for both Side A and Side B. Glue the mitered ends of two pairs together to create a 90° comer of the roof pitch, and allow the glue-up to dry. Set one roof assembly and two of the side pieces aside for Side B, 100 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Measure out from the 5!%e" and mark one side at 282" and the other at 244". Do the same at the 232" mark along the centertine. Use the square to connect the dots and form the lower rectangular half of the puzzle house. Glue the roof assembly on one side of the divider panel )s0 the inside angle of the roof peak hits the 1" mark on the centertne, and the inside edges of the rafters in- tersect the second layout line, Glue two wall frame pieces along the sides of the layout rectangle with the mitered ends butted against the rafters. Fit the puzzle parts into the house to test the fit. aWith the puzzle parts still in place, measure between the walls, and cut a %4" x 1"-wide stick to fit, Glue it to the the divider panel, so there is a 4/2" gap between the puzzle pieces and the bottom edge. Remove the puz- le pieces and lay a flat, heavy object (such as an ency- clopedia) onto the pieces to clamp them and hold them in place while the glue dries, Mutt pute co to sie using your table sas miter gauge and a hold-down clamp (or you could Use a power miter saw). The illustrations on pages 97 and. 98 provide the finished dimensions you'll need to cut to. = 1 Cia at ite a da th Sa ay as ox Side A (Steps 5 and 6), but with stightly different measurements. Measuring down from the top along the centertine, mark points at 1", 3%", and 52/2". Measure ‘out 2°32" and 2%" on each side of the 5?%2" mark. Do the same at the 3%" mark. Repeat the rest of the Side A steps to complete the framing for side B. 4 Diiahty sand the Twin Home frame onal sides and also sand the puzzle pieces. Test-fit the pieces to make sure they fit snugly, but can easily be removed. Fin- {sh the puzzle and pieces using a penetrating oil, follow- ing the manufacturer’ instructions. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 10118 Sticks Puzzle The 18 Sticks Puzzle is comprised of 18 Y2" x 12" wood sticks (17 are identical) and 35 dowel pins. ‘The dowels serve as linchpins to hold the poly-he- dron shape created by the puzzle pieces together. The last dowel to be inserted has a pin on one end only and is the key to the puzzle solution. We made the puzzle seen here out of maple stock with '4"-dia, maple dowels. You can use just about any hardwood you choose. One attractive combination would be walnut pieces with contrast- ing maple or oak dowels. You can also vary the size if you wish. It is important that you maintain the same proportions between the sizes of the parts and the spacing. If you make the thickness of the puzzle pieces (Y2" as shown) one unit, then the length should be seven units (31" as shown) and 102 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS the spacing between the inside edges of the dowel pin holes should be five units (2%c" as shown) As with many other puzzles, the trick to solv- ing the 18 Sticks Puzzle is the sequence in which you join the pieces. The solution can be found on page 124. Materials: "fe" x 4" x 72" hardwood, 1h" x 24" hardwood dowel, wood glue, tung oil ‘Tools: Jointer, planer, engineers square, cabinetmaker’s rule, marking knife, table saw, dial caliper, crosscut jig, rill press, '%" drill bit, miter saw, miter box, clamps, brush, lint-free rag18 Sticks Puzzle tpt woe Size at Mt x 4 Ye dia. xe" Material Chery or walnut Birch or maple WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 103How to Make the 18 Sticks Puzzle / Mill your hardwood stock to Ye" x Ye sticks and cut 18 sticks to 342" long using a crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17). ‘Diake a ditng ig (see pages 26 to 27) and position one of the sticks ito the comer where the jig rails meet. Mark a drilling point that’s centered lengthwise on the stick, #8" from the end. With a 34" brad-point or Forstner bit mounted in your drill press, align the stick’so the drilling point is directly tunder the bit spur, and clamp the jig to the drill press table. Set the drill press depth stop to drill a hole that’s "4° deep. Flip the piece end-for-end and drill an- other hole. The centers of the holes should be 3" apart. Drill holes in both ends of 17 of the pieces, leav- ing one piece with only one hole (this willbe the key piece), 104 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Cut 35 Ye-long pieces from a length of 4'-dia. hardwood doweling. For safe, clean cuts, use a hand miter box and fine-tooth backsaw to make the cuts. A stop block ensures uniform length of parts. Lightly sand the ends of the dowels to clean up the cuts and create a slight bevel all the way around (this will help you insert the dowel and prevent splintering),‘Apply glue to one end of each Didone pin an insert the pins into the dowel holes in the puzzle pieces. Press the dowels firmly so they are fully seated in the holes. ‘After the glue has dried, assem- ble the pieces to create the polyhedron shape (see solution on page 124 ). Ifthe pieces do not fit together properly, the inside faces of the dowels can be sanded until ‘the fit is snug. Finish the project with pene- trating oil WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 105Tower of Hanoi The goal of this ages-old three-post puzzle is to move all of the di s from one end post to the other. Start with the game pieces stacked in de- creasing size from top to bottom on one end post. Moving only one picce at a time, you must transfer the stack. This would be very easy except for one stipulation: You may never place a larger piece on top of a smaller piece. 's or dl Sold in toy stores as far back as the 1880s, the ‘Tower of Hanoi puzzle can contain just about any number of pieces, which determines the level of difficulty (the more pieces, the harder it is to solve). The version shown here has eight square 106 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS chips made from 14-thick maple. More traditional puzzles are made with disc-shaped pieces that can be cut with a set of hole saws. In case you're stuck, the basic strategy for moving pieces is shown in three photos on page 124. Materials: 94" x 5" x 13" hardwood hoard, 7h"-dia, x 24" hardwood dowel, 4" x 44%" x 28° hardwood board, glue, sandpaper, paint, stain, tung oil Tools: Jointer, planer, table saw, drill press, miter box, miter sav, brush, rag, square, rule, pencilTower of Hanoi Met x 3H x 3K etx 340 x 3K" Ut x 34 x 3K Yt x3" x3" Yet x 2H DK Yet x 24 24 Yat x 24 24 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 107sing aiter box and backaw, ccut three 7° lengths of '%'-dia. doweling to make the posts for the game board. Round one end of each piece with sandpaper. Cut the game board for the puzzle to size (?4" x5" x 13"). For a finished appearance, round- over the top edges of the game board with a router and Ye" roundover bit. Alternately, ease them with a sander. Bia the baseboud with a tne down the center lengthwise. Mark points at 242, 6%" and 10%" from one end. Dril 62" holes that are Ye" deep at each point to make guide holes for the dowel posts. 108 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTSged oes ete ect) ea a nee (ee Mark a centerpoint on each playing page 107). A table saw with a crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17) makes this piece and mount a hs” dil bit in job safer. Be sure to use a hold-down to secure the workpiece when cutting your drill press. Drill through each smaller parts. playing piece. Use a square corner drilling jig (see page 26) or a clamp to hold the disks steady as you drill ein the dowel posts into their holes, using a small Finish or paint the playing pieces as desired. Make cer- amount of wood glue. Wipe up any excess or squeezed- tain finish does not collect in the center holes as this out glue with 2 damp cloth immediately. will affect the ft. WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 109Melting Block Nine blocks of wood fit snugly into a rectangular solid inside this box to complete the Melting Block. When built with a rich hardwood, like the Hon- duran mahogany seen here, the puzzle has an ex- otic, captivating appearance. Solving it isn’t especially difficult, so it’s a great choice for younger kids (but they should be at least three years old—like most of the puzzles in this book, the Melting Block has small parts that pose choking hazards) Building this puzzle can be a little tricky because you'll need to cut the wood stock into small, unique shapes with virtually no margin for error, But all of 110 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS the parts are designed so they can be cut from stock that's thicknessed to '%2" with a planer. Fig- uring out how to make the pieces as efficiently as possible is a bit of a puzzle in itself, The solution to the Melting Block is on page 123. TOOLS & MATERIALS Materials: 'n" x 4" x 24" hardwood for blocks, 5404 3° 18" hardwood for box, wood glue, tung oil Tools: Jointer, planer, table saw, bandsaw (or scroll saw oF hand saw), dial caliper, crosscut jig, brush, rag, square, rule, pencil—_— tet, AWE g nenmonmucund he" x 1st 24" 9p" x 12h x Dla pa x Phe! x Pie Wye" x Mpa" x DU Bast x Ba x12 h6 Mp" x Pn" x Phe pat x he" x De" Sp x Bho x Det Yet x 35h6" <2" Yet x Ya x2" Yet iat x 26 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 111 Melting BlockHow to Make the Melting Block Puzzle Peper woodstock forthe puzzle pees. Al the pieces can be cut or glued up from slices of a 4 x 24" piece of hardwood that’s been thickness-planed to #32" thick, Use a dial caliper for precise thickness measure- ments. We used Honduran mahogany for the puzzle shown here. Plane stock to 1% thick for making the box. Cut the blocks into the finished puzzle sizes shown on page 111, Crosscuts on some of the larger pieces may be done with a table saw and crosscut jig (see pages 15 to 17), But more delicate cuts on smaller workpieces require a bandsaw, scroll saw, or handsaw. Cut all nine puzzle pieces to size, sand them, and see if you can assemble them into a rectangular solid (see solution on page 123) 112 WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS Dist sam rete Jt Ei ork neo ae thick blocks. If you examine the cutting list on page 111, you'll see that every.puzzle piece has one dimension that’s either "a2" (one layer) or '/16" (two layers)—note that this dimension is not always the thickness. Yfolloning the istration and cutting Uist on page 111, ‘cut the pieces for the puzzle box, and glue them to- gether. Use small hand clamps as needed to hold pieces in place and allow the box to dry overnight.Test-fit the pieces in the box. The inside dimension of the box should be no more than 2" larger in width and length then the blocks when they are in the rectangular solid form. Blocks should fit snugly but still be easy to remove. Giese amaiay sand or round off the edges of the blocks, Finish the nine blocks and box with tung oil, following the manufacturers ‘instructions, WOOD PUZZLE PROJECTS 115Wood Puzzle Solutions S: you couldn't solve it, eh? If you must, here ate the solutions to the puzzles...well, most of them, anyway, We've left the solution to Peg Soli- taire up to you—it’s really more of a game than a puzzle and there are many routes to the goal. As for the other puzzles, the solutions are found on the following pages. If you can, though, try not to give in to temptation and peek. The fun is in the frustration, so it’s best to keep these pages far from sight when playing with the puzzles. The point of these brainteasers is to put your problem-solving, skills to the test. If the solutions are readily avail- able, where's the challenge? Allow your mind to work out the solutions, and you'll be rewarded with satisfaction, accomplishment, and bragging rights over all those people who can't solve your wood logie puzzles. In This Chaptel 116 Two Rings Puzzle Solution 116 Dagger Puzzle Solution 117 Block and ‘Tackle Puzzle Solution 118 — Soma Cube Solution 118 — Half-hour Puzzle Solution 118 Four-piece Interlocking Cube Solution 119 Wooden Knot Solution 119 Six-piece Burr Solution 120 Altekruse Puzzle Solution 121 Puzzle Solution 122 Notched Packing Puzzle Solution 122 Boxed Burr Puzzle Solution 123 Solid Pentominoes Cube Solution 123 Pentominoes 2D Base Puzzle Solution 123 Twin Homes Puzzle Solutions 123 Melting Block Solution 124 Tower of Hanoi Solution 124 18 Sticks Solution WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONS 115,| Pages 36 to 39: Two Rings Puzzle 1 = ud La a a Pages 40 to 41: Dagger Puzzle 1 awe ae 116 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONSPages 44 to 45: Block and Tackle PuzzlePages 48 to 53: Soma Cube (1 of 240 solutions) Pages 58 to 61: a 3 Fout-piece Interlocking Cube oe és Pages 54 to 57: Half-hour Puzzle eo 118 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONSPages 62 to 65: Wooden Knot | | Pages 66 to 71: Six-piece Burr Puzzle | ja 2 ie o 5S WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONS 119Pages 72 to 75: Altekruse Puzzle 1 >| 120 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONSPages 76 to 79: 24-piece Chuck Puzzle —— = &s we sti v3 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONS 121Pages 80 to 83: Notched Packing Puzzle (1 of 12 solutions) + Pages 84 to 89: Boxed Burr Puzzle | a 122 WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONSPages 90 to 95: Pentominoes Solid Cube Puzzle Pages 96 to 101: (1 of 2940 solutions) Twin Homes Puzzle | 1 ™~ Side A Pages 110 to 113: Melting Block > * WOOD PUZZLE SOLUTIONS 123,Pages 102 to 105: 18 Sticks T= Pages 106 to 109: Tower of Hanoi 124 WOOD PUZZLReference Charts Converting Measurements ToConver: To: Multiply To: Multinly by: Inches iiate a5 4 taineters inches 0.089 Tnohes Contino ea Gonimoions inches 0.384 Foot Meters 0.90 ‘Motors Feet 3.28 Yara Matos oom Motors Yards 1.08 Square whos Squao contre ‘Squao contimeters Square inches 0.185 ‘Square feet Square meters 0.008 ‘Siquno motors Squaroiect_ ‘108 Square yards Squane motors 0.86 aro motors Squoro yds 12 Cubicinenes _GuBIEcontmotare 164 Gubieconimoios —_Gubioinches 0.08 Cubic fot ‘Cube meters 00263 Cube motors Cubic feet 35 Cubieyards __Guble ators O76 ‘Gabe rors Gubieyards «ST Ounces Matos 200 Mater Ouncos oss Pne(US) Mo (0.473 (inp 0868) tow Finis (US) Atta (inp 176) uae (US) Liters 0.946 (mp. 1.136) io Quarts (US) 1057 (mp. 0.88) Galons(US) Lore "3785 (inp. 4548) iia Gains (US) 0.264 (mp. 022) ‘Ounces Grams 26.4 Grn ‘Ounces (0.035 Pounds Kilogram O64 Kiograme Pounds 22 ‘Lumber Dimensions Nominal-U.S. Actual - U.S. Metric xe EES 19.8 mm Te ar 164m Ta x 3 1969 mm TS. axa 19x14 me 1x6. EEE 19 140 re TT. EXC 19189 mr xe Foe 74 19 x 184 mn Tx10. HO 19 235 mm Te 12 Beta 19 x 286 mm Tied Tx 2569 mm Tax 6 TSW 25x 140mm Tie Dea 25184 mT TM 10 TOW 25.235 mm Taz Tana 25 5286 mm Tax TWaix3vF 3280 mm Tax Tax Se 92 x 140 mn Te TM Tia 92 x 184 rom TAXI TB a2 235 rom Tex 2 Tx 114 22¢288 mm De Taxa 38% 890m 2x6 1x5 38% 40 mm De WvaxTe 36x 184mm 2x10 Taxa 88 x 235 mm ar Tax TV 88 286 mm IH Bex 64x 140mm oe Bex 8989 me 4x6 Bix 89x 140mm REFERENCE CHARTS — 125INDEX A Altekruse Puzzle, 72-75, 120 Ash, 21 B Balls, 27 Bandsaws, 11 Belt/disc sanders, 11 Black gum, 21 Blade heel, 12 Blades safety, 8 for table saws, 10 truing, 12-14 Block and Tackle Puzzle, 44-45, 117 Boxed Burt Puzzle, 84-89, 122 Brad:-point bits, 9 Bubinga, 21 Burr Puzzles boxed, 84-89, 122 six-piece, 66-71, 119 € Cabinetmaker's rule, 9 California laurel, 21 Calipers, 9 Cherry, 20 Chuck Puzzle, 76-79, 121 Chucks, 11 Clamping, 28-31 Clamps, Cocobolo, 21 Converting metries, 125 Cordless drills, 9 Crosscut jigs, making, 15-17 D Dado-notching jigs, making, 18-19 Dagger Puzzle, 40-43, 116 Dial/igital calipers, 9 Dowel bits, 9 Drill bits, 9 Drills/dcilling, 9, 11, 26-27, E Edward Nelson Puzzle, 76-79, 121 18 Sticks Puzzle, 102-105, 124 Engineer's square, 9 Epoxy, 28-29 126 INDEX F Face jointing, 11 Finishing, 33 Forstner bits, 9 Four-piece Interlocking Cube, 58-61, 118 G Gluing, 28-31, 51 H Half-hour Puzzle, 54-57, 118 Hickory, 21 Holly, 21 J Jigs cube corner gluing, 31 to hold wooden balls, 27 making crosscut, 15-17 making dado-notching, 18-19 for square and rectangular parts, 26 square corner gluing, 30 Jointer, 11 b Lumber. See wood M Mahogany, 21, 22 Maple, hard, 21 Marking knife, 9 Measurement conversion tables, 125 Melting Block Puzzle, 110-113, 123 Mesquite, 21 Miter slots, 12-13 N Notched Packing Puzzle, 80-83, 122 ° aks, 20-21, 22 Oiling, 33 Pp Pacific myrtle, 21 Padauk, 21 Peg Solitaire Puzzle, 46-47 Penetrating oils, 33 Pentominoes, 90-95, 123 Piet Hein Puzzle, 48-53, 118 Planer, 11 Plastic Puzzles, 5 Purple heart, 21 R Rectangles, forming, 25-26 Red oak, 21 Rip fence position, 12, 13-14 Rosewoods, 21 s Safety, 8 Sanding, 32 Satinwood, 21 Saws, 10, 11 Six-piece Burt Puzzle, 66-71, 119 ‘Small pieces, gluing, 51 Solid Cube Pentominoes, 94, 123 Solutions, 5, 116-124 Soma Cube, 48-53, 118 Squares, forming, 25-26 Stewart Coffin Puzzles Block and Tackle Puzzle, 44-45, 117 Four-piece Interlocking Puzzle, 58-61, 118 Half-hour Puzzle, 54-57, 118 Six-piece Burr Puzzle, 66-71, 119 ‘Twin Homes Puzzle, 96-101, 123 T Table saws, 10, 12-14 ‘Tom Lensch Puzzle, 84-89 ‘Tower of Hamtoi, 106-109, 124 ‘Tupelo, 21 e Chuck Puzzle, 76-79, 121 ‘Twin Homes Puzzle, 96-101, 123 ‘Twist bits, 9 2D Pentominoes, 95, 123 ‘Two Rings Puzzle, 36-39, 116 w ‘Walnut, 20 White oak, 20-21, 22 ‘Wood dust from, 8 lumber dimensions, 125 preparing stock, 22-23 ripping into usable shapes, 24-27 selecting, 5, 20-21, 22 ‘Wooden Knot Puzzle, 62-65, 119 y Yellow glues, 28-29 Z Zebra wood, 21 Ziricote, 21fy CREATIVE PUBLISHING INTERNATIONAL Table Saw Techniques ng the right nner The book ible saws and safety precautions as well g the saw and on its versatility as discussions on tui Traditional uss are detailed, as are dado tongue-and:-groove joins, coves and mold dL rabbet joine variations, id keef-cutting ISBN 1-58923-097-3 Woodworking Tools & Techniques lg ‘on tools, materials, and techniques for the new woodworker. This book covers everything from planning and preparation 10 joinery to finishes, Every woodworket—whether beginner oFseasoned vet ‘eran—ean find information and inspiration in the large color pho: tos and practical, expert instruction, = ISBN 1-58923-0965, Router Techniques workers most versatile power tool. From resurfacing wood to cut- ting fine relief patterns, this book gives beginnin woodworkers everything they need to get the most from a router intermediate ISBN 1-58923-156-2 CREATIVE PUBLISHING INTERNATIONAL Se we CHANHASSEN, MN 55317 Pn edeta ateMa Mat ena heh emana ES a ie have ent fratted athe tinepie erathedMinsbuned a eae saieiee kids of a w—w_s y " ages. Studies show these engaging “brain teasers” provide unsurpassed b bene>) \ fits to the body and mind, increasing manual dexterity, mathematical abilities om overall intellectual agility. Crafting Wood Logic Puzzles provides plans and instructions for crafting 18 of the most popular manual puzzles. Projects range from traditional “put | together/take apart” games like pentominoes and soma cubes to more sophisticat- ed “unlocking” head-scratchers, such as the Tower of Hanoi and the Wooden Knot puzzles. Readers will also learn specialized cutting, drilling, sanding, gluing and finishing techniques that make crafting wooden puzzles possible and stress-free. Crafting Wood Logic Puzzles holds the key to: * 18 entertaining puzzle plans * Clear explanations and photos for all the techniques you'll need * Complete materials and cutting lists * Color how-to photos * Color photos showing the slippery solutions ISBN ~ 13: 978-1-58923-247-1 CATEGORY: Crafts Woodworking o ISBN ~ 10: 1-58923-247-x Oo i oes art e MINN Ml ; iroise%esz!