Pencil Puzzle Revisited

[Woodbutcher68]

I did this today. The holes are a little off-center. I have in-process pics too!

[miamw]

Oh boy, here we go again! Actually, I'm just kidding. Congratulations! I hear it's quite difficult to acheive, is that true? Tell us how YOU did it, please.

[Paul S WI]

Way to go Fred. I wondered how many people were curious enough to take on the challenge of trying to figure this out. I also tried it but no proof as I didn't take any pics.

[JimSawyer]

OK, I'm stumped... Do post the in-process pics.

[William Young (SE BC)]

Hi Woodbutcher.
That's a good one and I would also like to know the secret to that one. I am thinking the method is similar to the arrow through an apple puzzle .
I presume both the pencil and the wood block are totally solid with no glue joints in either piece.

I love puzzles like this.

Here is one that I am out of again and must make a few more when I get around to it because people buy them for a conversation piece.
Like the wood block with the pencil in it there is only two pieces of wood with absoloutly no glue joints anywhere . This is an easy one to do and probably most here will know how I do it but I would like to know the secret behind the one you posted with the pencil.

The apple is turned on my lathe in one piece and the arrow is both turned on the lathe and scrollsawed and is also one piece .
W.Y.

[Woodbutcher68]

Here we go!

1. I cut out the notches and put one end into a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes.



2. I compressed the boiled end with a Bessy Clamp until I had clearance for the drill bit. A bench vise would be better, but I didn't want the water to freeze in the garage over night.





3. After drying all night, I removed the clamp and drilled the holes. One end wasn't square, so the hole is on an angle.



After drilling the hole and inserting the pencil, I put it back in boiling water until the wood resumed it's original shape. I let it dry and sanded it.
That's it!
Have fun with it!

[Dragon]

Neat. What kind of wood did you use? Or does it matter?
Diane

[Greenfield_Bob]

Pretty cool Fred.
Thanks for posting the pictures.

Bob

[miamw]

Thanks so much for the great pictures of each step!

[Woodbutcher68]

It's pine, you'd have a very hard time compressing a hardwood that much. The pic with the vise didn't come out very clear, but you get the idea.

[3_M]

Fred,
You are a master. Thank you.
Mike

[ozarkhillbilly]

LOL! Thanks Fred for the pics.

[utbva]

Nail puzzle

I don't have a drill long enough for the pencil, but I did make these today. I used red cedar for the wood. I learned alot on these, now I think I can tackle the pencil one when I get the right size drill.

I took one of these to Lowes today and asked one of the guys in the tool department if he had a rubber drill so I could drill holes like the ones in the block. He told me to go to the electrical department, that they have flexible bits there. He was dead serious. Any way, these are going to be fun to take to the hardware stores and see the reactions of the people working there. It drives them nuts when you don't tell them how it's done.

[JimSawyer]

Awesome,
Thanks wood butcher...I knew how to do the arrow through the heart trick, same as the arrow through the apple. It hit me when I saw the apple pic from Will Young, ( looks great, by the by). I'll be doing this one soon, probably a few times, as people will see this and want one.

[tcleckler]

Hi Woodbutcher.
That's a good one and I would also like to know the secret to that one. I am thinking the method is similar to the arrow through an apple puzzle .
I presume both the pencil and the wood block are totally solid with no glue joints in either piece.

I love puzzles like this.

Here is one that I am out of again and must make a few more when I get around to it because people buy them for a conversation piece.
Like the wood block with the pencil in it there is only two pieces of wood with absoloutly no glue joints anywhere . This is an easy one to do and probably most here will know how I do it but I would like to know the secret behind the one you posted with the pencil.

The apple is turned on my lathe in one piece and the arrow is both turned on the lathe and scrollsawed and is also one piece .
W.Y.

Hi William, I'm a wood turner & am very interested in how to make the arrow in the apple. This is the first time that I have seen it though several people have talked about it on here before. Now that I have seen it I have to make one. Could you tell me how you did it?