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How to Assemble a Spherical Puzzle

A spherical puzzle is frequently a world globe puzzle using jigsaw puzzle pieces. These puzzles, once assembled, make complete and accurate world globes, which can be turned any direction for display. The globe puzzles are 3D puzzles, so they do take up form and space. While the 3D puzzle appears complicated at first glance, solving it is nearly the same as solving a 2D puzzle. You organize the pieces and piece together recognizable images first. Instead of working from the outside in, as with a 2D puzzle, you work from the bottom up.

Things You'll Need

Globe puzzle
Flat work surface
Globe holder

Instructions

- 1
  Spread out all of the puzzle pieces on a large flat surface.
- 2
  Organize the puzzle pieces by color and country, if using a globe puzzle.
- 3
  Assemble the top and bottom of the puzzle first. On a globe these are the north and south poles. Usually, the top and bottom pieces are slightly larger than the rest of the puzzle pieces, since they serve as keystones for the puzzle ball.
- 4
  Place the bottom section of the puzzle ball into its plastic holder. If you don't have a holder, simply rest the bottom piece right side down on the table.
- 5
  Assemble the globe piece by piece working your way up to the top. Countries will be easier to assemble than the water. You can also build the sphere up in layers of completed rings. This latter technique works well for those who prefer to assemble pieces on a flat surface, then attach them to the globe.
- 6
  Attach the top part of the globe to the globe. This can be attached in one complete section or piece by piece.

Jigsaw Puzzles