Enjoy puzzles? Enjoy easy wood working projects? Check out these DIY wooden puzzle cube plans, and you’ll have a new wood working project that you can make in a weekend (or less). You can see a very basic finished example in our wooden puzzle cubes post.
This puzzle requires 27 cubes, all of uniform dimensions. So the length, width and height all need to be exactly the same. You can make them any size you wish, and I typically do 3/4″, but they need to need to be exactly the same. When I make these, I typically make enough for more than one cube because the setup and preparation takes the majority of the time.
The first step is to decide on the dimensions, and find the piece of wood you want to use – which should be slightly thicker than the desired dimensions. For example, I may start with a 1x6x6 board. Then I plane the board down to 3/4″ – and I leave my planer set to that setting. Next, I rip the 1×6 down into 7/8″ strips so I wind up with five 6′ strips, each 7/8″ wide. Now, I turn those strips on their sides and run them through the planer as a group so that all five strips are each exactly 3/4″ x 3/4″ x 6′.
The last cutting step requires setting your table saw fence to exactly 3/4″ as well. Now, take the first 6′ strip and put it on your table saw sled (if you have one), and nip off the end of the 6′ strip so that you can be certain the end is square to the rest of the strip. Throw that piece away. Now cut one more piece of the 6′ strip and use your calibers to ensure that all dimensions of the cube are exactly 3/4″. You may have to micro-adjust your fence, if you do, make certain to repeat the setup and test until you have it 100% dialed in for perfect cubes. Once you have your table saw dialed in, then it is just a matter of cutting as many cubes as you can (or want to) from the 6′ strips you’ve prepped.
So now you have a lot of perfect cubes. Depending on the quality of your table saw blade, you may have to do some light sanding – but don’t over sand and change the dimensions or take them out of square. Once you are satisfied with your cubes, the last step is to glue them into the seven shapes you see in the image below. Given all of the time and effort you put into making your cubes perfect, you’ll want to ensure you glue up is perfect as well. I like to use a piece of aluminum L channel to ensure I am perfectly square on the two long sides of each piece. Don’t feel like you need to glue up each piece in it’s entirety to start, again, I like to just do one “side” of each piece in the L channel, let it dry, and then turn the piece so I have a good 90 degree corner for the next cubes.
That’s it! Once you have these seven shapes glued up and ready, they fit together into a perfect cube – but you’ll have to figure that part out on your own, that’s the fun. I hope you enjoy this DIY wooden puzzle cube project!
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