Puzzled

I’ve got to switch it up. No bowls today. It’s puzzle day. I have an order for 4 puzzles and I have none in inventory. I make two sizes of wooden puzzles, small and large. They are often called quilters puzzles because the patterns you can make look like quilting squares. The puzzles can be arranged in many different patterns.

I have been making these same puzzles since the 1970’s. I have no idea how many I’ve made and sold but it’s in the thousands. The process hasn’t changed that much but new equipment has made it easier. The Powermatic planer I use to prepare the stock has a helical cutterhead and the finished stock needs very little sanding. The sanding is still done by hand on my big stroke sander.

The pieces are made from 3/4” walnut, cherry, maple or poplar and oak. The sides are 1/2” walnut and the bottom is 1/2” baltic birch plywood.