A Step-By-Step Guide To How Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles Are Made

You may remember playing with wooden jigsaw puzzles when you were a toddler or as an older child. Unlike today's cardboard puzzles which can easily fall apart, wooden puzzles stand the test of time and you might still own the ones you had when you were young.

You may have wondered how wooden jigsaw puzzles are made. How do they get to you from conception to store? This blog will give you the lowdown and show you that it is an intricate procedure that will make you appreciate the final product all the more. 

Let’s dive in and see how they are made.

1. Design

Before each wooden jigsaw puzzle is made, designers create images to print on the wood. This is very important as it is one of the main reasons you buy a jigsaw puzzle. 

Designs For Children

If you have children, there is bound to be an image they like as the choice is diverse. The most popular pictures are of animals, cars, flowers, and, perhaps most of all, scenes from current children’s films and TV shows.

Designs For Adults

For you, the sky’s the limit when it comes to choosing a wooden jigsaw puzzle. It includes original designs, film and music stars, famous works of art, and notable buildings like the Eiffel Tower. 

Choosing The Number Of Pieces

The number of pieces in the puzzle then has to be decided upon. Toddlers need only a few large pieces they can grasp, while you will probably be looking for a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Then, of course, there are puzzles in between as your children grow up and want more pieces to challenge their skills.

Designing The Shape Of The Puzzle

The shape of the puzzle is also important and is another factor that may attract you to it. Gone are the days of simple rectangular wooden jigsaw puzzles. You can still buy them, but now you can also get unique shapes. There are round puzzles, 3D wooden jigsaw puzzles, and unique shapes such as an animal or a building. 

2. Printing

The next step is to print the image onto the wood. The sturdiest woods that are used to produce your wooden jigsaw puzzles are birch plywood, walnut, cherry, and maple. They are hardwoods so are amongst the best as they will ensure that your jigsaw puzzle lasts for many years. 

Eco-Friendly Wood

Many wooden jigsaw puzzle makers use eco-friendly wood to produce their puzzles. Robotime is partnered with One Tree Planet, which is dedicated to reforestation. You can be assured that forests will not be depleted to produce your puzzles.

Trees are essential for the environment in that they remove carbon dioxide from the air, filter water, cool down neighborhoods, and stop natural disasters from happening.

Ink

Non-toxic inks are used in the printing process. It is useful to know this especially if you have small children, as they are known for putting toys in their mouths when you aren’t looking.

Printing And Laminating

Many wooden jigsaw puzzles are printed using the lithography method which uses a plate to transfer the image. The puzzles are then laminated and left to dry for a few days before moving on to the next step which is cutting the puzzle. 

3. Cutting

Cutting is an important step as it ensures that the pieces fit together. Many wooden jigsaw puzzles are made in a small studio or factory so a laser cutter or scroll saw is used to cut the pieces. 

Mass-Produced Puzzles

Some factories will mass-produce wooden puzzles so they may use die-cutting. A die-cutting press stamps out the pieces with a sharp, flat metal ribbon. 

Puzzles For Children

Puzzles are cut in different shapes according to the people they are directed at. If you have young children you will want to buy them a simple puzzle with large pieces. As your child gets older, they will want to be challenged so they will want puzzles with more pieces, such as 250 or 500 and they will want the pieces to be smaller. 

Puzzles For Adults

You, as an adult, will want even more of a challenge to stretch your brain so a 1000-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle or a 3D wooden puzzle will suit you down to the ground. 

If you want a particularly challenging puzzle, go for one of the shaped puzzles. They are even harder because the puzzle makers do not give you straight-edged borders. This makes it more difficult to find the edge pieces.

4. Quality Control

After the puzzles are cut, they are checked to ensure that they fit together properly. There is nothing worse than finding that your new puzzle doesn’t fit together properly or that pieces are missing. 

5. Packaging

The final step is for the pieces of the wooden jigsaw puzzle to be separated and put in a box. There is always a picture of the puzzle on the box so that you can compare the scene as you are working on the puzzle. 

Cardboard vs Wood

Cardboard puzzles are flimsy. They can easily fall apart and pieces get lost, unlike wooden puzzles which stand the test of time. You might still own the ones you had when you were young.

 If you aren’t a fan of cardboard puzzles, you may worry that you can’t get wooden jigsaw puzzles any more but don’t. They are still being produced, mainly by exclusive companies like Robotime, who make them with precision and care. 

Wooden Puzzles For Adults vs Children

Although you may have enjoyed wooden jigsaw puzzles with a small number of pieces when you were young, now that you are an adult you may wonder if you can get them to suit your skills. The good news is that you can find puzzles which are more challenging.

There are many puzzles to be found which have at least 1,000 pieces and will offer you hours of fun. In addition, because they are sturdy, your friends and family can also enjoy solving them without worrying that they won’t stand up to the pressure. 

Takeaway

Wooden jigsaw puzzles are a work of art and a challenging toy that you can keep for your whole life. Check out Robotime for their fantastic range of wooden 3D puzzles. Great care is put into producing them so you will know that you are getting a quality product.