Category Archives: Technical

Joining large puzzle prints

My next two puzzles are going to be large ones once again. I have posted several articles about joining prints end to end to make larger puzzles than my printer or saw can handle. These have been done using 13″ … Continue reading

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Blade Kerf Concerns

I am preparing to cut some puzzles that require the large depth of cut allowed for with the Hawk G426 scroll saw I own. You may remember from my prior posts on scroll saw comparisons that I had an issue … Continue reading

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Heating the shop

A while back, I mentioned in a post that I sometimes get frustrated by burn bans where I live. My shop is heated by a woodstove, and when air quality gets low, I cannot burn wood. My neighbor can, but … Continue reading

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Scroll Saws (Part 5 – Seyco ST-21)

In May and June of 2023, I posted a series of blog articles about scroll saws I currently have or have used in the past. I cut some similar puzzles on three of those saws and discussed the different cutting … Continue reading

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Puzzle Material – Second set of results

Over a year ago, I started a project to run comparison tests of various wooden materials available for puzzle creation. Three blog posts resulted: the first talked generalities about plywood types, the second talked about the specific types of plywood … Continue reading

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Double-sided Pocket Watch (part 2)

Second Challenge – reducing or preventing tear-out roughness on the backside Once the alignment issue was resolved, next was to reduce the amount of tear out on the backside of the puzzle. At first, I attempted to do this by … Continue reading

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Double-sided Pocket Watch Puzzle (part 1)

I have wanted to create a double-sided puzzle for a number of years. The first one I ever encountered personally was from the 2012 Puzzle Parley. It was created by Fools Gold Puzzles and has a reverse image on it … Continue reading

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Mounting the image to the wood

I am going to walk through the steps I use to mount an image to the wood. This is my next project to cut. The customer emailed me with a digital file she wants cut into a puzzle. It is … Continue reading

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Dry Mount Press Issues and Maintenance

In this post, I will discuss some issues I have encountered with my dry mount press. I will also review the manufacturer recommended maintenance on these. My particular press is a Seal Masterpiece 210M. This unit was designed for mounting … Continue reading

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The Boxes I Use for My Puzzles

There have been numerous postings about boxes on several puzzle related Facebook groups. Some people insist that custom puzzles deserve a wooden box, others detest wooden boxes. One fellow indicated that if the puzzle comes in a wooden box, he … Continue reading

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