The Puzzle

That’s very nice. Thank you for submitting this because it gave me the idea that I could do something like this for my kids.

-- There are three types of people in the world, those who can count and those who can't!

excellent

I’ll be looking for your puzzles !!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Debbie,

That is a pretty cool puzzle. I am sure that your grand daughter will love it. A thought to ponder for your next puzzle. In some cases you can drill a small hole where you are going to be cutting to thread your blade through and avoid the inlet cut..

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

I have been doing that with other work but thought it would look “like a hole”. I have only, so far, been successful with the pin blades and so the required hole is quite large (unless I’m missing something).
Half-way through this, now that you have reminded me, I thought that I could have made the hole into an eye and started from there. I’ll try and work that into my “next” puzzle .. haaa… that won’t be for a while, I don’t think!! That was toooo frustrating.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Deb, you are amazing… you just jump right in there and DO IT… I love it. Piece is great. Keep up the good work!

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

oh yah.. I “just jump right in there” (hmmm thinking back at the “first tries” that others have posted in the past few weeks.. yah.. this one is a really hard “first” )

Thanks for the compliment. It makes me want to go try something else!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Debbie, Very good. You are starting to build up your skill database. What can I do, How can i do it more effectivly, How can I do it so I don’t go “Arrgh”.

Puzzle no problem, “Whada you wanta!”

Debbie this was made for me by my daughter. She had never tried a Jig Saw before. But, she had fun making it. It is not a puzzle but all pieces were cut out and then painted and then reassembled and all glued to a backing sheet. All of stars are just holes with white paint on the backing board. There is nothing filling in the star holes. And yes they were all drilled and then cut out with a jig-saw.

If you were to make one you’d probably want a Canadian flag.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Getting a bit more skillful I see.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Ms Debbie -

You have truly inspired me. My grandaughter will be one year old this May. Something like this would be wonderful for her. Well, maybe in a little while and bigger pieces since everything goes into her mouth right now.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Fred, I wish my grand-daughter was only 1 … big pieces would have been MUCH easier!!

Dennis: thanks for the support (as always).

Karson: each little star??? wooooow. And yes, I’d do the Canadian flag. It would be pretty easy until it came to that maple leaf in the middle.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Oh, and last night Rick and I made a stand for the puzzle to sit in. It now sits up at a 40 degree angle so that it is a picture for her shelf. Then when she wants to do the puzzle, she just takes it off the stand.
The 40 degrees (or whatever the exact angle is) allows it to be shown off but at the same time keeps all the little pieces in place).

I made the base and back support out of pine and put a piece of matching walnut on the front of it.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

My grandfather mad a puzzle for me, when I was too little to remember getting it. It’s of a Manger scene, with abstract shapes for the figures and animals. You can see where he drilled a hole to start, even though over the decades, the pieces have shrunk more (or were sanded well) than the frame (which was glued to a backer) so that the fit is pretty loose. Anyhow, I think you’re right to try getting the hole as part of the design, or you should try cutting in with the grain, to help camoflauge it a bit.

your flag shoudn’t be that hard, isn’t the maple leaf a pretty angular design? take a look around the world, countries, states, and provinces… there are a lot of designs that would be a lot harder. Saudi Arabia, Brasil, New Hampshire.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

I never thought about cutting with the grain – I focused on “shortest cut” and which one would flow into the design.
Next time, next time. Great tip, Scott. Thanks.

Yes, our flag is pretty darned easy, although those angle turns are pretty tricky unless of course you use that spiral blade (you know, the kind that I broke – 3 times).

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Very nice Debbie, I see you’re going to a higher class of wood, that makes it nicer yet.
If you want to make it easier for her to remove the pieces, drill some holes in the backing.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

that’s another good tip.
“when” I make my next puzzle, I’m going to encorporate the stand into the backing as well.

I had thought about woodburning words in the backing, behind each puzzle piece as well, but decided not to do it on this one. Too much work so far and it’s looking OK so I don’t want to go and mess it up.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Debbie: On the stars you had to just drill a 1/4” hole and then mainly cut out the points. of the star.

If you could get a picture of a Canadian flag billowing then you could draw, trace, glue to your board for your pattern.

This one was from Wood magazine about 4-5 years ago.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I was checking out some sites and saw a great Canadian flag using intarsia. It was NICE.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Very nice Deb. You could make all of us one. It might help our abstract reasoning. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

I’ve said it before, ”Go girl!”

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

thanks Mike & Don
:)

Mike, how about we just pass this one around hahaa I’m not up to making 500+ puzzles!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Nice puzzle. Your grand-daughter is a lucky girl to have you for a grandmother. You’re too young to be a grandmother, aren’t you?

-- Jesus is Lord!

of course I am too young!! I’m just a spring chicken :)
But with my kids approaching the 30 mark and my grand-daughter heading towards 5.. yikes, I am reminded that the spring chicken isn’t so springy any more.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

cool,must have been hard to make

-- Phil, Chattanooga,TN

It was difficult but I did stick to it and I did get it done and it does look good.. So I’m quite proud of it.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Karson’s comment just reminded me that Wood had the plans for a canadian flag (something or other) the month after publishing the American flag version of the same project. And as I type this I realize I don’t remember what the project was…. time for more coffee… still too early for this puppy…. If I come across it going through the stacks, I’ll be sure to let you know.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Vincent Van Gogh

oh that would/wood be wonderful!!!
Thanks :)

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

The American flag was in Feb 2002, Issue 139. I didn’t see anything about Canadian flag in the wood magazine search.

Debbie a web index shows that Canadian Woodworking Magazine had one in Feb /2004.

By the way the web index is here

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

the Canadian Woodworking Magazine—that’s the one that I talked about from the last wood show. The Editor lives about 15 min. from me.
I’m sure I can get my hands on a copy! Thanks Karson.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

The puzzle arrived today and she loves it! It’s very beautiful. She has been taking it apart and putting it back together for at least 30 minutes. Now she’s trying to figure out where to display it so everybody can see it.

aaaaaw MsWooka!!! HELLO

I’m so glad :D

Send me a PhotoBooth pix!!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)