3-D Wooden Puzzles

3-D Wooden Puzzles are more than just a way to impress your friends and family. These three dimensional puzzles make great decoration and conversation pieces for your home.

Generally speaking they are easier to make than they look, but still have a perceived value that is higher than their plastic and cardboard cousins.

There are literally tons of plans and kits for 3d wood puzzles in the marketplace and online these days. Each has its own degree of difficulty and detail. We’ll suggest a couple of these wonders for you and offer up a few ideas that will increase the aesthetic and functional value of these fun little projects.

What is a 3-D Wooden Puzzle?

Let's define the 3d wooden puzzles. There are puzzle kits you can buy online and at the store. These kits will allow you to build everything from a dinosaur to a replica of Buckingham palace.

The other kind of 3d wooden puzzle is a geometric puzzle that has many pieces. These pieces fit together in a specific way to form a shape. These are the puzzles we’ll be talking about in this article.

Are 3-D Wooden Puzzles Hard to Make?

How hard are these 3d wooden puzzles to make? Most of the difficulty level is up to you. You know your skill level better than anyone. So once you get an idea of what you are going to make, go for it.

Whatever you decide on, make sure you have the sharpest woodworking tools you can have. All of these puzzles require a level of accuracy that most woodworking projects do not often require.

Finish Your 3-D Wooden Puzzle

Once you have decided on your design and completed building your puzzle, you want to take care of it in the long run. Typically, most people will not bother to put the finishing touch to their puzzle. By finish I mean protect the wood through the use of paint, varnish or some other coating.

This is important when you think about multiple people picking your puzzle up and playing with it. You want this to happen. What you do not want is for them to leave oil deposits on your nice wooden piece. Over years (or with kids around) the wood will become stained, worn down and just nasty looking. And there goes your work of art.

For finishing, it is suggested that you use a stain or paint that contrasts with where you are going to display it. This will draw the eye to your piece and allow you to better showcase it. In addition to this you should build a custom stand for your puzzle if there is a possibility of it rolling off of something. And one final suggestion would be to glue two pieces together to confuse people you don’t like.


Choosing Your Finish

For choosing a finish, go with what you think looks nice. Some puzzles require different types of wood and finishing them with the same stain will not affect the contrast in the piece its self, so go for it.

If you decide to paint your puzzle, try using two different paint colors.  Stick to the plans when they call for two different types of wood. Mainly because if you are using say oak and cedar, you want to be able to keep that contrast by painting the oak one color and all the cedar another. By going with all oak you run the risk of painting a piece the wrong color and blowing the effect you are looking for.

Also, whatever you do, don’t use anything too slick. Yes, you want a nice shine, but a puzzle that keeps sliding apart is kind of worthless. Use fine grain sandpaper on your 3d wooden puzzle if you have to.

Order 23 Different 3-D Wooden Puzzle Design Plans Here