Iggy's Animal Puzzle Assembly Line

[Iguanadon]

Hi, I'm Iggy and as a relative newbie I thought I'd share my process for making my animal puzzles since I've seen some folks recently talking about them and showing what they've been making.  My current sales outlet is a weekly farmers market on Saturday's for five hours.  I average selling 26 pieces each week and since this is only a hobby for me along with my full time job I've worked at becoming efficient in my cutting process to ensure I can restock for the following Saturday.  I will spend the winter months stockpiling my top 12-15 selling items so that I won't be in this situation next year having to restock everything I sell on a weekly basis.

 

So, here are my steps with corresponding photos.

 

1)      Do a dry layout on the board doing my best to have minimal waste by aligning the various body shapes.  I snap a picture with my phone, remove the patterns, adhere my clear shelf liner paper on the board and spray adhesive on the entire surface.  Using the picture I took, I duplicate the layout, sticking the patterns in place.

2)      I then cut the long board into manageable pieces usually with 3 or 4 animals in each piece.

3)      I then cut the outline of each animal and stack 'em up.

4)      Next is to drill holes in each animal as needed for eyes, closed loop letters, etc

5)      And then it's time to start cutting each one into their puzzle pieces. I use compressed cans of air to blow the sawdust out of the fine detail cuts after removing the pattern.

6)      After I've cut 20 of them I dip each one in the mineral oil fully assembled and lay them out on a drying rack to sit for a couple of days to soak in.

7)      Tada! finished product.  I display them, then when I sell a piece, I shrinkwrap it on the spot for the customer. 

 

When I first got started with these puzzles 3 months ago, each one took me an hour from beginning to end.  I now have it down to 30 minutes each and that's probably about as efficient as I can get it as I don't want to rush through them.  I enjoy cutting them and want to continue enjoying it.  And you'll notice there is no mention of sanding or filing, I don't need to do either of those things.

 

List of materials used:

-          Harvey Byler patterns purchased thru Wooden Teddy Bear (I now sell Harvey's patterns, so if you see a puzzle on my website, I have the pattern and can sell it to you for $2.50 each and I email them out right away at no extra cost)

-          12" wide poplar

-          Duck Brand Peel N' Stick Laminate Adhesive Shelf Liner

-          3M General Purpose 45 adhesive spray

-          #3 Mach Speed Olson blades

-          UltraSource Food Grade Mineral Oil (from Amazon, by the gallon)

Total cost of materials for each puzzle is around $2.50

 

Anyway, not sure if this will be of interest to many of you, but I figured I'd toss it out here.

 

Iggy

 

(the pictures didn't upload in the correct order, but you'll get the idea)

(Updated 4/4/17 with new oiling process I use)

Edited July 20, 2017 by Iguanadon

[hawkeye10]

Thanks Iggy for taking the time to lay this out so I can understand it. You are doing a very good job of cutting. I might be able to help you some. Try using mineral oil to soak your puzzles in. This is what I use on wooden cutting boards. It might save you a little money.

[Iguanadon]

Thanks Iggy for taking the time to lay this out so I can understand it. You are doing a very good job of cutting. I might be able to help you some. Try using mineral oil to soak your puzzles in. This is what I use on wooden cutting boards. It might save you a little money.

 

Thanks hawkeye.  The butcher block oil I use is mineral oil based.  I'd be afraid to "soak" the pieces in mineral oil (or anything else) for fear of absorbing too much, swelling and then not allowing the puzzle pieces to slide together and apart.  

 

It's something I could certainly test though and if it works, it would definitely be a big time saver.  Thanks for the idea.

[Montserrat]

I brush them with mineral oil and a paint brush.  works like a charm

[rdatelle]

Very interesting Iggy. I've never cut out those types of puzzles. I gather you only cut one at a time seeing that your using 3/4 wood. Can I ask how much are you selling them for and is that the only finish you put on them.

[Iguanadon]

Very interesting Iggy. I've never cut out those types of puzzles. I gather you only cut one at a time seeing that your using 3/4 wood. Can I ask how much are you selling them for and is that the only finish you put on them.

 

Yes, only cutting one at a time due to thickness of wood and using a #3 blade.  Stacking wouldn't work in this case.

 

I sell them for $25 each and I donate $5 of that to a dog rescue that my wife and I are members of.

 

I live in a beach/vacation town so I have the luxury of having a fresh, new batch of customers every week.

[Greenie]

Thanks for sharing Iggy. Great job

[Lucky2]

Iggy, thanks for the mini-tut, it was an interesting read.

Len

[Dave Monk]

Good job! dave

[jerry1939]

Even Henry Ford would admire your efficiency Sir.

 

jerry

[Iguanadon]

Even Henry Ford would admire your efficiency Sir.

 

jerry

Along the same lines as Mr. Ford, one of my favorite books growing up was "Cheaper By The Dozen"  A great, fun, true story about an efficiency expert with 12 children. 

 

My favorite saying is "If you have a difficult task, give it to a lazy person, they will find an easier way."  I'm the ultimate lazy person.  ;-)

[Rob]

Very interesting Iggy.  Thanks for sharing your process.  I always apply my patterns direct to bare wood with a re-positional adhesive spray and rarely have problems.  If you can find a cheap compressor that will save you having to buy expensive cans of air.  I find mine useful for all sorts of things and recently picked up a brad nailer for it which is great.  Although you don't sand your pieces, I would also recommend a sanding mop in a drill press.  You can make one from a long bolt with a couple of nuts and washers and strips of abrasive.  It makes quick work of removing fuzzies and softening the edges.

 

I wish you continued success,

 

Rob

[Iguanadon]

Very interesting Iggy.  Thanks for sharing your process.  I always apply my patterns direct to bare wood with a re-positional adhesive spray and rarely have problems.  If you can find a cheap compressor that will save you having to buy expensive cans of air.  I find mine useful for all sorts of things and recently picked up a brad nailer for it which is great.  Although you don't sand your pieces, I would also recommend a sanding mop in a drill press.  You can make one from a long bolt with a couple of nuts and washers and strips of abrasive.  It makes quick work of removing fuzzies and softening the edges.

 

I wish you continued success,

 

Rob

 

Thanks Rob.  With the repositionable adhesive, don't you have to use something to clean/remove the adhesive after removing the pattern?  By using the shelf liner paper and gluing the pattern to that, I don't have any residue to remove/clean.

 

Thanks for the idea of the small compressor.  I'll look into those... after I use the 12 cans of compressed air I just bought.  LOL

[Sam777]

Iggy,

Great job, very efficient, nice looking pieces.

Some day I would like to be able to dedicate more time to scrollsawing and to this great forum. Like you I have a real full time job and it is taking more hours from me than the average person.

Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing.

Sam

[Rob]

Thanks Rob.  With the repositionable adhesive, don't you have to use something to clean/remove the adhesive after removing the pattern?  By using the shelf liner paper and gluing the pattern to that, I don't have any residue to remove/clean.

 

Thanks for the idea of the small compressor.  I'll look into those... after I use the 12 cans of compressed air I just bought.  LOL

 

I find that the pattern comes off with no residue.  If it does stick though, a light spray or wipe with white spirit (mineral spirits I think you call it in the US) and it comes right off.

 

I managed to pick up a small compressor for $75 NZD ($55 US) second hand.

 

Rob

[lawson56]

Your puzzles look Awesome    ,And Thank You for the walk through.I found it Very informative.

[NC Scroller]

Iggy, you say you shrink wrap them after they are sold. How do you store and transport them?

 

I have soaked puzzle parts in oil based finishes for as long as 30 minutes and the parts do not swell. Water base finish is an entirely different story.

[hawkeye10]

Thanks Rob.  With the repositionable adhesive, don't you have to use something to clean/remove the adhesive after removing the pattern?  By using the shelf liner paper and gluing the pattern to that, I don't have any residue to remove/clean.

 

Thanks for the idea of the small compressor.  I'll look into those... after I use the 12 cans of compressed air I just bought.  LOL

When I carve signs with a router I spray the pattern with  adhesive  and remove it with a heat gun. I then wipe it with paint thinner to get the  adhesive off. The heat gun I got at Harbor Freight for about $8 .  

[Iguanadon]

Iggy, you say you shrink wrap them after they are sold. How do you store and transport them?

 

I have soaked puzzle parts in oil based finishes for as long as 30 minutes and the parts do not swell. Water base finish is an entirely different story.

 

Excellent question... transporting was a bit of a challenge at first.  I tried standing each one in a box and lining them up like soldiers... but because of the varying body shapes, parts would fall off into the bottom and I had quite a mess and a real big puzzle jumble.  Then I came up with this idea, see picture... large plastic tub with "layers" using rigid cardboard as stacking dividers.  No more problems.  I even had the tub fall over one time and I was amazed there were no broken pieces and everything stayed where it was.

 

Thanks for the info about the oil based finishes... I'd love to be able to dunk the pieces instead of brushing on the oil.  I'll definitely give that a try in the near future.

[Rolf]

Great process. What wood are you using? The only thing I would do different is to use a mop to soften the edges. I also use the removable shelf paper for larger projects, I don't like using solvents at all.

Sounds like you have a great place to market your work.

[amazingkevin]

Well worth the reading of your tips an tricks your using.Looks like you've got it down to a science! Keep them coming!

 

Hi, I’m Iggy and as a relative newbie I thought I’d share my process for making my animal puzzles since I've seen some folks recently talking about them and showing what they've been making.  My current sales outlet is a weekly farmers market on Saturday’s for five hours.  I average selling 26 pieces each week and since this is only a hobby for me along with my full time job I’ve worked at becoming efficient in my cutting process to ensure I can restock for the following Saturday.  I will spend the winter months stockpiling my top 12-15 selling items so that I won’t be in this situation next year having to restock everything I sell on a weekly basis.

 

So, here are my steps with corresponding photos.

 

1)      Do a dry layout on the board doing my best to have minimal waste by aligning the various body shapes.  I snap a picture with my phone, remove the patterns, adhere my clear shelf liner paper on the board and spray adhesive on the entire surface.  Using the picture I took, I duplicate the layout, sticking the patterns in place.

2)      I then cut the long board into manageable pieces usually with 3 or 4 animals in each piece.

3)      I then cut the outline of each animal and stack ‘em up.

4)      Next is to drill holes in each animal as needed for eyes, closed loop letters, etc

5)      And then it’s time to start cutting each one into their puzzle pieces. I use compressed cans of air to blow the sawdust out of the fine detail cuts after removing the pattern.

6)      After I’ve cut 8 or 9 of them I apply the butcher block oil and let them sit overnight to soak in to minimize the amount of wiping of excess oil.

7)      Tada… finished product.  I display them “as isâ€, then when I sell a piece, I shrinkwrap it on the spot for the customer. 

 

When I first got started with these puzzles 3 months ago, each one took me an hour from beginning to end.  I now have it down to 40 minutes each and that’s probably about as efficient as I can get it as I don’t want to rush through them.  I enjoy cutting them and want to continue enjoying it.  And you’ll notice there is no mention of sanding or filing… I don’t need to do either of those things.

 

List of materials used:

-          Harvey Byler patterns purchased thru Wooden Teddy Bear

-          10†wide ¾†poplar

-          Duck Brand Peel N' Stick Laminate Adhesive Shelf Liner

-          3M General Purpose 45 adhesive spray

-          #3 Mach Speed Olson blades

-          Howard Butcher Block Conditioner

Total cost of materials for each puzzle is around $2.75

 

Anyway, not sure if this will be of interest to many of you, but I figured I'd toss it out here.

 

Iggy

 

(the pictures didn't upload in the correct order, but you'll get the idea

[Scrappile]

I always enjoy these kinds of post and the follow on thread.  I always learn new things.  Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your successful business.

[WayneMahler]

Great setup. Looks to be as efficient as can be. I do something similar when I cut ornaments. Thanks for sharing. Looks like this can be applied to many other items also.

[hawkeye10]

I always enjoy these kinds of post and the follow on thread.  I always learn new things.  Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your successful business.

I agree Paul. A post like this is a win for everyone.

Edited August 23, 2016 by hawkeye10

[Iguanadon]

Thanks everyone.  I posted this for 2 reasons... to share what I've learned as I've geared up doing these puzzles and to hear suggestions, recommendations and ideas from our village.  I'm excited about trying to dip the pieces into mineral oil instead of brushing it on.  I'll try that in a couple of weeks after we move into a new house next week.

 

Keep the suggestions coming if anyone sees anywhere that I could improve my process.