How to Make a Wooden Puzzle With a Nail

Find a piece of flat wood for your puzzle. Visiting a local home repair store or lumber yard is one way to purchase scrap wood. The wood should be between 1 and 2 inches thick. The overall dimensions will depend upon how big you want your puzzle to be, but 8x10 is a good place to begin.

Find a flat surface to place your wood. Draw or trace a design onto the top of the wood. Use a pencil first so you will be able to erase until you have your image the way you want it. Leave about an inch border around your image. Draw over your image with a thin-tip black marker so you can easily see what you will be cutting.

Paint your puzzle image with acrylic paint and allow to dry thoroughly before you proceed to the next step. You may want to add a clear coat of gloss as well, not only to protect your puzzle pieces, but to give them a more professional appearance.

Use a white dry-erase marker to draw over your image for the actual cuts you'll make for the puzzle. Dry erase will allow you to wipe away the white markings when you're finished. You want to draw puzzle piece shapes over your image. The size and number depends upon the difficulty level you want your puzzle to be. Larger and less pieces will make an easier puzzle.

Use a small hammer and a wide nail to cut your puzzle pieces. You will place the tip of the nail on the white lines that define your puzzle pieces and tap gently, holding the nail at a slight angle so it bites down into the wood. The process is time consuming. Take your time and be careful not to cut away from your puzzle line. Once you've cut out each of your puzzle pieces, you're ready to begin assembling your custom puzzle.