# Puzzle Pen



## rpasto92 (Sep 14, 2006)

This is my first attempt at this concept for a pen and I have a few changes I want to make for the next try but thought I would share anyway.  It's made from Maple and Cherry thin stock (1/8" thick) laser cut into 48 individual puzzle pieces and then glue together into a blank with CA.  Pen parts are chrome.








And here is a picture of the blank being assembled







Comments/critiques welcomed.


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## kkwall (Sep 14, 2006)

I love the pens!

Your execution is excellent!


Great work!


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## Jim15 (Sep 14, 2006)

Those are great.


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## OSCAR15 (Sep 14, 2006)

AWESOME


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## Marc Phillips (Sep 14, 2006)

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Great job...


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## Jerryconn (Sep 14, 2006)

Very cool!!


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## chigdon (Sep 14, 2006)

Awesome!!! When are you going to start selling those blanks?


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## Dario (Sep 14, 2006)

Great design, idea and execution.  Can't imagine it working as well as it did!

What range of pen diameter do you see this working without obscuring your pattern/design shape?


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## NavyDiver (Sep 14, 2006)

Wow, those look really great!  Do you have your own laser or do you contract out the cutting?


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## chitswood (Sep 14, 2006)

Wow!!!

Those are excellent! What colors can you get those in? what about coming up with new patterns for them too?

Thats a great idea, good job! I look forward to seeing the next ones...


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## btboone (Sep 14, 2006)

Nice job Ryan.  I've tried doing the puzzle pieces on a rotary axis laser, and the problem is the same; you have tons of small parts to assemble.  Even worse than being a normal puzzle, it becomes a 3 dimensional puzzle that's harder to put together.  The pieces can only interlock in one directon, so it's a nightmare to get everything to fit also.  I think your approach is more straightworward here.  The parts can fit tighter if the programmer allows for the beam kerf, but it's a tricky thing to do since some of the cuts are male and others on the same piece are female.  Thinner stock will also get a tighter fit, but that means more pieces!  I hate when that happens!  One approach that might help is to cut all the pieces of one wood in a single block; in other words, leave them attached together on the part outside the pen that will be turned off.  This will allow better alignment and fewer parts to keep track of. You would have a single strip around 1" wide and 5" long that has 5 puzzle shaped holes coming out of it.  When the opposite wood pieces are glued in, they will be perfectly spaced and aligned.  On the unused outer section you could even program holes for toothpicks to exactly align the blocks.


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## alamocdc (Sep 14, 2006)

Wicked idea, Ryan![^]


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## rpasto92 (Sep 14, 2006)

> _Originally posted by chigdon_
> <br />Awesome!!! When are you going to start selling those blanks?



If you want me to I can talk to my engraver and get you a quote on getting the pieces cut out.  I have no intentions of taking the time to do all the glueups to sell a completed blank but I'm sure I could get you the puzzle pieces and you can glue them up if you want.


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## rpasto92 (Sep 14, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Dario_
> <br />Great design, idea and execution.  Can't imagine it working as well as it did!
> 
> What range of pen diameter do you see this working without obscuring your pattern/design shape?



Not sure how thin you could go before it starts looking weird.  I'm thinking that it would not work in a slimline/Euro(bottom)/or pretty much most of the 7mm kits.  Maybe I'll try a Sierra next and see how that goes.


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## btboone (Sep 14, 2006)

Sell the kit as a puzzle.  Just send a bag of parts, and the recipient gets to solve the puzzle before making the pen.  []


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## redfishsc (Sep 14, 2006)

Those are some cool, sweet pens. I love that! 

I just milled up a pile of walnut and maple 1/16th planks for some laminations, and I know a few laser engravers around, I may give them a buzz. 


I'd love to see this pen done in bloodwood and yellowheart.


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## ctEaglesc (Sep 14, 2006)

A scroll saw would make cleaner cuts with out the burn and you would not be limited to the thickness of the stock


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## Snazzypens (Sep 14, 2006)

Gorgeous, jigsawers will love that
Toni


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## emackrell (Sep 14, 2006)

> _Originally posted by ctEaglesc_
> <br />A scroll saw would make cleaner cuts with out the burn and you would not be limited to the thickness of the stock



  Eagle, haven't used a scroll saw yet, how thick a piece of wood will it cut?  Could you use it to cut a normal size pen blank into puzzle pieces the way Ryan cut the thin slices?  Or for that matter into slices for glue-ups?  

cheers  Eileen  [8D]


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## ctEaglesc (Sep 14, 2006)

I do it all the time


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## jaywood1207 (Sep 15, 2006)

> _Originally posted by emackrell_
> <br />
> 
> 
> ...



A scroll saw will cut through a pen blank no problem.  I am not at home to measure but I think it can go up to almost 2" BUT once you get too thick and depending on the density of the wood your cuts may not be as accurate from top to bottom due to blade deflection.  For this type of pen if you were to do it with a scroll saw you would want the smallest blade possible to leave the smallest amount of kerf.  Once you get into the small blades even cutting through 5/8" or 3/4" can be tricky to keep the blade perpendicular to the table as you cut.  To get the best results you would want to cut thinner strips as in the laser cut pen but then with the scroll saw the pieces will not be exactly the same so the alignment would be really tricky.

By the way nice pen Ryan.  This is something I have seen before and have wanted to try using a scroll saw.


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## thewishman (Sep 17, 2006)

Cool pens and what a great idea! Nice creativity!

Chris


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