All puzzles are handmade with the highest quality 1/4” plywood (usually Baltic Birch, African Okoume or Italian Poplar). I have recently been using special 1/4” plywood that is custom made to my specifications by a company in North Carolina. The plywood is specially designed for wooden jigsaw puzzles and is made with four plies of Italian Poplar and a back ply of Mahogany. Puzzle images are mounte
d to the plywood with professional dry mounting equipment utilizing special adhesive, then topped with a UV laminate for appearance and image protection. Puzzles pieces are then cut (freehand) using the finest imported scroll saw blades. The blades are 0.007” wide, which allows for smooth cuts and tight fit. Finally, the backs of the puzzles are hand sanded and finished with a triple thick glaze to protect the wood and bring out the natural color and grain. The puzzle is then dis-assembled and every piece is carefully examined and hand sanded (when necessary). The pieces are then packaged in a customized cardboard box, lined with tissue paper. In the tradition of the original puzzle-cutters of the late 1800s and early 1900s, puzzle images are not included in or on the box. This adds to the challenge and excitement of assembly. No two puzzles are the same, as all pieces are individually cut utilizing various cutting styles. Cutting styles can vary from traditional k***s, earlets/heart-shapes, spirals, continuous cuts, long arms, grid and my favorite – a combination of all styles. My custom wooden puzzles can contain any number of specialty elements such as names, dates, themed figurals, complex figurals, color-line cuts, disguised edges, trick edges, sculpted edges and dropouts. gravespuzzles.com
