Saws

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles are not made with Jigsaws!

Most wooden jigsaw puzzle makers, myself included, use Scroll Saws. A few wooden jigsaw puzzle makers use other equipment: lasers and water jets. In my opinion, Scroll Saws are the best way to make puzzles, as they enable the cutter to dynamically decide how each piece is to be cut and to interact with the image being cut. Lasers and water jets have to be programmed ahead of time, so the operator does not interact with the work as it is being cut!

There are a number of good saws on the market. I use a Hegner for virtually all of my cutting and an Excalibur for the initial cuts in very large boards.

Scroll saws range from less than $100 to over $1000. You need to figure on spending at least $300 for an acceptable saw. The following list is not complete, rather this is a list of some manufacturers that I know first hand who make good saws. Make sure the saw you purchase has variable speed.

• DeWalt
DeWalt DW788 is popular with puzzle makers

• Eclipse
Very high end with true vertical blade motion.

• Excalibur
Very large saws

• Hegner (Advanced Machinery) - exclusive factory-authorized North American importer and distributor of Hegner scroll saws
Very high end (made in Germany). Note: The Hegner website says "smooth edges without sanding". For the jigsaw puzzles I make, absolutely not true, sanding is still a requirement!

• RBI Hawk Precision Scroll Saws
Very high end (made in USA)

Other makers include Black & Decker, Delta, Dremel, Grizzly, Makita, Rigid, Ryobi, Sears

Blades

One rule: The thinner the blade the better! One exception: For very large boards, sometimes a slightly stronger blade is needed, particularly if you are inexperienced with rotating large work, as it is very easy to break a blade. I find I like the "skip tooth" blades the best. The ultra thin super fine blades designed for cutting jewelry are not acceptable for making puzzles: they cut slowly and break too easily.

Wood

Virtually all puzzle makers use one kind of plywood or another. The main reason is for strength to avoid puzzle pieces (particularly finely cut figurals!) from breaking during the stress of cutting and to reduce warping during storage.

A popular wood is Baltic Birch, usually 5-ply. This wood is commonly available and strong.

Some puzzle makers have their wood custom made, using an interior ply like maple or poplar and using a mahogany or similar veneer on the back. Some manufacturers suggest putting the same veneer on the front, even though it will be covered by the puzzle's paper, to reduce possible warping.

My main staple has been a 4-ply Finland Birch. The wood is strong and has a nice light color and is useful for special situation puzzles, like Wedding Reception puzzles, when people want to write messages on the back of the pieces. For large "corporate puzzles" and puzzles with very large pieces, I may use a 5-ply Finland Birch.