It has come as quite a surprise that there is such a strong community of lovely people who are involved in the making-and enjoyment of-wooden jigsaw puzzles. I was merely looking for a way to keep myself from going crazy during the pandemic shut down and cardboard puzzles worked for awhile. But, it seemed that all of the cardboard puzzles were cut in the same pattern-only the design was different. I eventually lost interest. Once I discovered how varied wooden puzzles can be cut, it was just a matter of finding out what works for me and what doesn’t. But boredom has never come into play…frustration, yes, but mostly just sheer joy.
I didn’t discover the community of cutters and enthusiasts until I joined the Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Facebook page and the Hoefnagel Rental Club. Hoefnagel allowed me to explore the different styles and options in wooden puzzles without going bankrupt and the FB page introduced me to a wonderful world of fellow enthusiasts.
So, as many hobby experiences go, my taste and choices have evolved. I still enjoy many of the companies I discovered early on, but now, I choose to spend my budget primarily on custom hand cut pieces. While these are obviously more expensive (they are very labor intensive) I am able to have them cut in a way that is just right for my special needs: larger cuts, brighter colors, thicker wood…
I would like to list the wonderful artists/cutters who have given me so many blissful hours of puzzling:
PUZZLAPY (Isabelle) puzzlapy.com
SHAY’S PUZZLE WORKSHOP (Shay) shaycarm@yahoo.com
CHESTNUT and HEMLOCK (Terra) chestnutandhemlock.com
FOOL’S GOLD (Simon) foolsgoldpuzzles.com
MSQUARED PUZZLES (Mark)
BELLART (Juliet)
LUCRETIA’S PIECES (Tracey)
CONRAD ARMSTRONG
POSITIVE PUZZLES (Jeannine)
To have an artist make something just for me is one of the greatest feelings ever! And these people, without fail are so passionate, accommodating, and friendly. It has given me a happiness well beyond the puzzles themselves!
So, if your budget can allow, I would strongly recommend contacting one of these very accommodating artists. They can work with you to design a puzzle that matches exactly what works for you: design, shape, size of cuts, colors, and price. Every one of them has been a joy to work with and the end result is a very happy customer and cabinet full of heirloom treasures!
Just look at these beauties: