Jigsaw Puzzle beginner's advice

[maple]

Hi,
I've been toying with the idea of creating some jigsaw puzzles for my 5-year old son for a while and finally decided to create some more challenging than the cardboard puzzles he's used to. He is already used to completing 500 piece puzzles and so am looking to create some fairly challenging puzzles for him.
I have decided to purchase the Axminster AWFS18 as this seems to be pretty highly recommended by users on this forum.
I will obviously start by just learning the basics but and very keen to progress quite quickly and want to create puzzles that are not just toys but pieces of work that can be cherished for the future.
I have purchased (and waiting for) a copy of "Making Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles" by Evan Kern. This was recommended as a very good reference.
There are a few questions that I would like to ask in the meantime that I hope members of this forum can help with:
1. I live in South London and wondered if Richard Russell would be a good supply of plywood for puzzles.
2. What is the best type of plywood to use for quality puzzles? I have read about issues with holes in the middle layers of plywood when cutting and wonder if there is a compromise between hardness of timber used and the type of blades used.
3. Can members recommend any sites that discuss the process of fixing images to the surface of plywood before cutting the puzzles? This is something that I'd like to do.
I look forward to hearing from you and participating in future discussions.
Kind regards
Mark

 

[Carter Johnson]

Hello Mark....

Welcome to the world of cutting jigsaw puzzles. Here are a couple of links you may find helpful.

The first is a link to a tutorial I wrote on cutting freehand puzzles. Some of my materials may be unique to the US, but you should be able to find something comparable in S. London.

http://wmyoung.proboards107.com/index.c ... 1173906092

Next is a link to one of my Picture Trail albums that shows the fronts and backs of quite a few puzzles, including a couple just for children:


http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/vie ... &members=1

I hope these help. If you have questions, I'd be happy to help more in any way I can. It sounds as if your little guy has a real interest and I don't think you need to worry about the puzzles being too difficult.

The most important advice I can give is to NOT use a pattern. Let the picture you are cutting be your guide to pieces. It will be much more enjoyable to cut and the assembler will have a lot more fun.

If you want to question me directly, feel free to email me at [email protected]

Good luck and have phun.....Carter