Bee and Flower puzzle

[chrispuzzle]

Here's my latest puzzle. I tried to do a more intricate cut than usual with many earlets to try and match the floral subject. Not sure if I have succeeded though! Also I freehanded a few figurals, without a pattern, just for fun. Some are more easily recognised than others.

The photo was taken on a recent trip to Australia by my brother, who doesn't know it is coming back to him cut into a puzzle for Christmas. Does anybody know what sort of flower it is?

There are 147 pieces and it was cut on 4mm 3-ply birch with FD SP blades.

Chris

[PeteB]

Looks good! Yes, I think your cut complements the picture very well.

Did you use a scanner to get a picture of your puzzle?

The flower looks something like a rhododendron, but I don't know about those spiky things.

Pete

[chrispuzzle]

Just logged in and Tania pops up on my screen. Oh my. There really has to be a market for jigsaw puzzles of Australian native life, doesn't there....?!

Yes I scanned the puzzle to make the jpg to post. It seems to be the best way of avoiding perspective issues when taking a pic of a puzzle.

Chris

[PuzzledMoose]

That looks great, Chris.... I've never tried that style of cutting. My first thought, like Pete's was that that was some kind of rhododendron/azalea.

I'm sure your brother will appreciate the puzzle.

Just logged in and Tania pops up on my screen.

Chris

Is it just me who doesn't know what this means?

BTW, Chris. I've been meaning to ask - where does the quotation in your signature come from? It's been intriguing me for ages ...

[PeteB]

LOL, I killed the Tania picture because it was barely related.

I've had a hard time getting good pictures of finished puzzles, between getting sufficient detail and having to adjust for skewing.

Looks like I need to invest in a scanner, but they get pretty expensive over 11" X 17".

Pete

[chrispuzzle]

Pete: I just have an A4 scanner. A small scanner is very inexpensive and does at least scan small puzzles. I also used "sharpen" to bring out the cutting lines more strongly for the purposes of showing the puzzle on the forum.

Ian: Thanks! I don't know anything about flowers either, but I agree it looks too spiky for a rhododendron. A puzzling flower, clearly.

The quotation comes from Antarctic explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrard who was on Scott's expedition, but not selected for the final trek to the Pole. Instead he made a nightmarish journey, at the height of the Antarctic winter, to look for the breeding ground of the Emporer penguin at the foot of Mt Terror.

The full quote at the end of his book "The Worst Journey in the World" runs:
"And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore. If you are a brave man you will do nothing: if you are fearful you may do much, for none but cowards have need to prove their bravery. Some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, "What is the use?" For we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which does not promise him a financial return within a year. And so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal. If you march your Winter Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is a penguin's egg."

Chris

[Carter-Johnson]

Great pieces! Your brother will be pleasantly surprised....and a bit baffled when putting it together.

Carter

[PuzzledMoose]

Here's a Canadian bee for you, Chris. I was thinking of doing a puzzle of this one. I can't take credit for the pic - Sue took it. The flower is a lupin BTW.

The other pic is the first sharp closeup I managed to get of a white-tailed deer. I like action shots but wasn't actually looking for this kind of action!!!

[workin for wood]

Nice job on the puzzles guys...those are some very interesting puzzle shapes in your flower picture. Lucky for everyone, I am also a botanical scientist on my spare spare spare time. What you call is yellow spikey thing is actually an Alaskan Buckshwancker (illius wanabatanaku), and the purple flower is Conopalis (aktu shuku).

[utbva]

That is some action shot Ian. You ought to make a puzzle of the chipmonk you took in Zions Canyon. BTW are there any links or threads that can give me some tips on puzzle making? I would be interested in trying to make some puzzles.

[chrispuzzle]

Bill - Apart from recommending threads in which Carter and PeteB are prominent you might try looking at Bob Armstrong's site. He is a collector of puzzles and has written some lengthy articles about various historic styles of cutting and the different types of knob and so on.

http://www.oldpuzzles.com/ is the site.

I think Bob is one of those people who loves to classify and analyse and you don't have to take much notice of the difference between "long round" and "long wavy" from the point of view of cutting, but there are lots of examples of different cutting styles.

John Stokes at:

http://www.custompuzzlecraft.com/CuttingStyles/cuttingstyles.html

also has a lot of information about different styles of cut that he uses. These are spectacular contemporary puzzles, very inspirational. One thing about some of these puzzle sites I've noticed is that they can be very serious about puzzling and make it sound very grand and daunting. I reckon that is mostly for the benefit of potential customers. If you are trying to get someone to pay $500 or $1000 for a puzzle, you have to make it sound almost as good as buying the original piece of art.

I'm not saying anything about the preparation and gluing and finishing aspects because I still have so much to learn. I'll leave that to people who know more. My preparation routine and Carter's comments on it are at the back end of the "MGB puzzle" thread on "Beginners" which is still current.

Blades: You almost certainly want to be using 2/0 blades, probably FD superior puzzle blades, and I know some people even use jeweller's blades.

Wood: Needs to be dense with little tearout on the bottom, probably around 1/8" to 1/4" thick. A void-free plywood such as good Baltic Birch is the most popular but it seems that many puzzlers use other woods too.

Chris

[workin for wood]

I must say I made a couple puzzles after recieving one for a gift, and they are very addicting to make...they make great gifts too...not too expensive or time consuming.

[PuzzledMoose]

Chris has pointed you in the right direction for threads on here - or just do a search for "puzzles" on the forum.

Not info on making puzzles, as such, but these sites have some interesting examples with out of the ordinary puzzles . ...

http://www.bradypuzzles.com/

http://www.stave.com/

http://www.jardinpuzzles.com/

I've also used 1/8" MDF for puzzles - nice and cheap to practise with ..

[Carter-Johnson]

The third largest puzzle maker in the country, after the Stave and Elms production puzzles, is Mark Cappitella at mgcpuzzles.com. He started making them the same year I did and we've kept in touch and met since then, the last time at a get-together of puzzle makers at a "Puzzle Parley" out East, organized by Bob Armstrong. All the people at the sites above were there.

Mark has made a very successful business out of his puzzle making. Almost all of those who make money at it are quite artistic. I found that I was the most severe line cutter of them all, and one of the only ones that do not offer puzzles for sale.

A good group of people, just over 15 in all.

Carter

[chrispuzzle]

I've also used 1/8" MDF for puzzles - nice and cheap to practise with ..

How strong is it for small knobs and thin necks? As good as ply or better or worse, would you say?

Chris