Spunwood: A Guide to Wending the Wavy Way

Working a Wavy Wood Puzzle

1. Purchase Wisely:
Wavy Puzzles can be difficult. They are only for adults or children of at least 11 years old. Some have very small parts and can present a choking hazard.

Try an easy 4x4 (16) piece beginner puzzle first.

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2. Find a Place to Display:

A Coffee table or shelf in the living room can be a great place to display the puzzle. Family, friends, and guests can appreciate its beauty and may even be tempted to try their hand at working it.

3. Find a Place to Play:

Place the puzzle on a flat, level surface where you have adequate lighting.

It is best to have a clean area where the pieces will not get lost.

Somewhere comfortable, where the puzzle is close to eye level is a big help.

2. Observe:

Before taking it apart, examine how it looks and fits together. If it is already apart, you can see its picture in the listing.

3. Scramble
Go ahead, mix-up those pieces good! Don't be shy.

4. Sort:

You can sort pieces into those that have flat faces (outside pieces) and those that don't. Sort the flat pieces into those with one flat side and those with two. Those pieces with two flat faces are corner pieces. If you have been counting, that makes for three piles

Warning: More difficult puzzles are harder to sort. They may lack flat faces or overwhelm you with their numerous pieces.

Here they are sorted into 3 piles:

Those without any flat faces

Those with one flat face

The four corner pieces (each having 2 flat faces).

5. Find the fit:
I often start with a corner piece and build from there. An Outside face will have two corner pieces and two pieces with one flat face (the middle pieces).

I had some trouble with the last Ash wood (white) corner. The tricky part is to remember that each corner piece can have 2 possible orientations. They can only be tested by turning the piece onto the untested flat side and rotating.

This is the same piece in the picture above. But it has been rotated and flipped to the other flat side/face.

Keep up the momentum!

6. Beware of a false fit!

There is a space, and you see a piece that matches the missing opening.

The white piece looks like it works, but there are a few clues it is wrong:
a. grain and color are wrong for the location

b. it does not sit comfortably in its space

c. in some places it is too high or too low for its row

LET's TRY A DIFFERENT PIECE

Yes, a perfect fit, and it is flush with its row!

7. Stuck?

Try Some of these Solutions:
-Don't chuck the pieces!
-Take a break
-Set aside the problem piece and try a different corner piece
-If the corners aren't working, try putting similar together or picking a piece that interests you.
-Study the wood grain to align the pieces
-Look at the listing pictures
-Don't Force it.
-Use negative space (look at the shape needed/missing)

7. Solve it & Celebrate with a 15% off Coupon