Project Information
Over the last couple months I've been saving all my small scraps in hopes of making a bunch of washer puzzles. Well, I finally got around to it this weekend thanks to the help of my brother.
We finished a total of twelve this weekend, but we still have ten or more to go, plus there's a whole stack of scraps waiting for next round.
We used several different types of wood to make them: walnut, mahogany, maple (splalted & curly), paduk, cedar, hickory, cherry, and even some poplar. We just sorta mixed and matched until we found combinations we like then glued them up. The drill press table sure made drilling all the holes much easier.
We sanded each of puzzles to 220 grit, gave them a couple baths in BLO, and finished up with some wax. For those who are wondering, the string came from Joann's Fabrics. They've got all sorts of different types for less than a buck a yard. I really like the red string with the paduk and copper washers. Speaking of copper washers, those things are expensive, about a $1.30 each at one of the local hardware stores, but they sure do look good.
My grandfather gave me one of these puzzles made out of a popsicle stick when I was little, but I had forgotten about it until I saw a few here on LJ's. Thanks for those who reminded me of how much fun it is to watch people struggle with these things. And if people are interested, I'll put a blog post on how solve them.
I plan on giving most of these away as gifts. Maybe I'll save a few for stocking stuffers for next Christmas, but I'm sure I'll make more by then.
Thanks for looking!
David
EDIT: I forgot to mention the object of the puzzle, which is to get both washer on the same "loop". The washers do not fit through the center hole so it's trickier than you think.
EDIT: I created a blog on how to solve the puzzle.
We finished a total of twelve this weekend, but we still have ten or more to go, plus there's a whole stack of scraps waiting for next round.
We used several different types of wood to make them: walnut, mahogany, maple (splalted & curly), paduk, cedar, hickory, cherry, and even some poplar. We just sorta mixed and matched until we found combinations we like then glued them up. The drill press table sure made drilling all the holes much easier.
We sanded each of puzzles to 220 grit, gave them a couple baths in BLO, and finished up with some wax. For those who are wondering, the string came from Joann's Fabrics. They've got all sorts of different types for less than a buck a yard. I really like the red string with the paduk and copper washers. Speaking of copper washers, those things are expensive, about a $1.30 each at one of the local hardware stores, but they sure do look good.
My grandfather gave me one of these puzzles made out of a popsicle stick when I was little, but I had forgotten about it until I saw a few here on LJ's. Thanks for those who reminded me of how much fun it is to watch people struggle with these things. And if people are interested, I'll put a blog post on how solve them.
I plan on giving most of these away as gifts. Maybe I'll save a few for stocking stuffers for next Christmas, but I'm sure I'll make more by then.
Thanks for looking!
David
EDIT: I forgot to mention the object of the puzzle, which is to get both washer on the same "loop". The washers do not fit through the center hole so it's trickier than you think.
EDIT: I created a blog on how to solve the puzzle.