My Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Recommendations

There are so many types of wooden puzzles – these are just a few of my current favorites.

Current Discounts & Promotions I have found

1. Wentworth wooden puzzles:
   Any puzzle 500 piece or more – 15% off with this code US15XM in the US and UK15XM in the UK.  Only from 15 – 18 Nov.
   10% off & free UK delivery for over £50 from their Christmas collection.
   Only until 9th December with this code UKXM24
2. Nautilus Puzzles:
   25%-35% discount for certain lines such as Tour de France, Butterfiles and Space!

Harry Potter Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Above are only six of the seventeen amazing Harry Potter wooden puzzles from Wentworth.

If you are a Harry Potter fan in the USA, here’s a 10% discount with the code HPUSXM24

For Muggles in the UK, the discount code is HPUKXM24!
The Harry Potter puzzles are part of the Christmas offer only with free delivery
but only until 9 December. 

Christmas Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Look at this lovely Snowy Fir tree with the stand up whimseys!
There’s a robin, dove & bauble – see what else you can find!
Wentworth are offering a 10% discount and free UK delivery for orders over £50
until 9th December with this code AUKXM24

In the USA, get free shipping for orders over $75 with this code HPUSXM24 until 9 December.

This one is a ‘cracker’ from Nautilus – Nutcrackers on Parade to be more precise!
You can see more details here.

What are Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles?

Wooden jigsaw puzzles have intricate pieces crafted from wood instead of the more common cardboard.
Each puzzle is cut by hand or laser, and as each piece can vary significantly in shape and have much greater stiffness, they feel very luxurious! (Wentworth puzzle shape below).

There is also much less chance of a piece missing for cardboard puzzles which have to go through a mechanical scrambler!

Wooden puzzles also last much longer and can be passed through generations as heirlooms!

History of the Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
(in five sentences!)

1. In the 1760s, John Spilsbury created the first-ever jigsaw puzzle by gluing one of his maps to a flat piece of mahogany or cedar wood and cutting out the outlines of countries.
2. These early jigsaws were called ‘dissections’, meaning ‘cut into pieces’.
3. They weren’t called jigsaws as he cut them using a marquetry ‘hand’ saw.
4. In 1855, the Jigsaw tool was invented – named as the vertical saw looked like it was dancing or performing a ‘jig’!
5. The word ‘Jigsaw Puzzle‘ was first used in 1906.

How are Wooden Puzzles made?

Once the painting has been designed (hopefully with lots of interesting colours and not full of just blue sky!), it is then printed directly onto wood or paper. The printed paper is usually coated on one side, which allows the ink to be absorbed in just the right amount and produce vibrant colour and sharp detail.

This paper is then glued to the wood using a strong adhesive and smoothed to ensure there are no bubbles or wrinkles.
Once the adhesive has dried, the wood is ready to be cut into puzzle pieces.

There are three main methods of cutting: Traditional hand cutting, Die cutting and Modern laser cutting.

1. Traditional Hand Cutting: A craftsman uses a jigsaw or scroll saw to cut the puzzle pieces. The process begins by creating a pattern for the puzzle. This could be a standard grid or a unique, irregular pattern. The craftsman then uses the saw to carefully cut along the lines of the pattern. This process requires a very steady hand and a keen eye for detail. It’s time-consuming, but it allows for high customization and those essential ‘whimsy’ pieces.
2. Die Cutting:  Stamped out by something that looks like a highly complex cookie cutter using vast amounts of pressure. Used mainly by cheaper brands as this cutting can create splinters – be careful out there!
3. Laser Cutting: The modern method uses a laser cutter to cut the puzzle pieces. A pattern is specially created, which uses the puzzle image for inspiration and the designer’s imagination! The laser cutter follows this pattern to cut the pieces, which is much faster than hand cutting and allows for precise, consistent pieces. Does it burn the wood? Yes!

(Disclaimer – the image below is not factully correct, just my imagination!)

What type of wood is used for a Wooden Puzzle?

The wood is generally 1/4 inch plywood and can vary from Maple veneer (Liberty) to 4mm Birch/Basswood plywood (Nautilus) & Mahogany veneer (Bogarts). In 2022, Wentworth changed from 3mm plywood to 4mm plywood. See the table below.

Benefits of Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

1. Shapes of the Puzzle Pieces – wooden puzzles can have an incredible variety of shapes or ‘whimsies’.
2. Durability: Wooden puzzles are generally much stronger and more durable than cardboard puzzles. Made with recycled puzzle board, cardboard pieces have laminated layers that can split apart – especially if trying to fit the piece in the wrong place! This is the most common area of faults with cardboard puzzles and doesn’t happen with plywood.
3. Tactile Experience: The feel of wooden pieces can be more satisfying to handle with their weight, and they don’t bend!
4. Puzzle piece fit: Wooden pieces often fit together more securely, reducing the frustration that can come from cardboard pieces that split, bend or don’t snap into place properly.
5. Shaped puzzles – laser cutting allows a greater variety of more intricate puzzle shapes.
6. Dust – laser cut wooden puzzles are relatively free from dust compared to the dust found in the corner of every bag of a cardboard puzzle.
7. You could appear on an Antique show in the future! – as the puzzles are passed down through generations as heirlooms!

How to Protect My Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle?

Your wooden puzzle is precious! You have spent good money to buy it and spent precious time to put it together.
What if you decide to keep your completed puzzle and not put it back in the box?

General tips

• Keep the puzzle dry
• Don’t display in direct sunlight, which can cause fading of the colours

Gluing the puzzle

• Use a thin layer to avoid making the puzzle too wet.
• Let it dry properly before moving or storing it.
• If you are storing more than one puzzle, use a flatboard between each puzzle. Foamboard or cardboard is good.

What Type of Glue?

There are specific puzzle glues available. A very popular alternative is ModPodge.

• Be careful when using any kind of glue – always have good ventilation.
• Make sure any young children are left alone with it – especially those under three years of age.
• Also, because wooden puzzle companies use different types of wood, I suggest always trying any glue on a small test area first.
  Maybe even the underside of a couple of pieces first.

Some Wooden Puzzles for the Kids too!