dollhouse puzzle (a tutorial)

It has been so satisfying to make wooden toys that inspire imaginative play in my children. Some of you requested a tutorial for making this beautiful toy (not my own design - the company that came up with the brilliant design sells the finished product through companies such as The Wooden Wagon).

Except for the table and chairs, the pieces of this puzzle are open-ended. My girls play with them in a variety of ways, as well as in conjunction with other wooden toys. I especially love watching the girls play with this puzzle when they intersperse objects found on nature walks.

As with the rainbow arches tutorial, this tutorial doesn't have photos of the machines you'll be using as I'm nowhere near my dad's woodshop at present.

Materials for a dollhouse puzzle:

•  A 9" x 6" piece of hardwood, about 2 1/2" thick. Oak, Elm or Sycamore are some suitable options.
• A Bandsaw. My dad strongly recommends bandsaws as opposed to jigsaws. He says that a  jigsaw typically wouldn't be powerful enough to make smooth cuts through such a thick piece of wood - the blade would bend and result in a slanted cut.
• Sanding equipment. I used an Oscillating Spindle Sander and a Belt Sander, but plain old sandpaper will accomplish the same thing, just a lot more slowly.
• Beeswax Polish. I purchased mine here.

Prep: Make sure your wood is squared before beginning.
Safety: Wear safety goggles and proper ear protection when using the bandsaw and sanders. Make sure they are in proper working order to ensure safe use.

click here for pdf pattern

•  Trace the pattern above onto your wood (the shaded portions are empty space in the finished puzzle).
• Cut away the outside portion first, then work your way into the interior shapes.
• Go slowly and steadily for smooth cuts.
• The chairs can either be left as is for a bench-like look, or sliced in half (depth-wise) to create 4 individual chairs.

Step 3: Sand the puzzle pieces

• If using power sanders, gently and evenly rotate the puzzle pieces along the sander.
• Use a table belt sander to sand the outer edges of the pieces.
• Use an oscillating spindle sander to sand the inner sides of the pieces.
• If using sandpaper
• Start with the coarsest grit (60) and sand all surfaces of the puzzle pieces until smooth.
• Use progressively finer grit (higher number) sandpaper on all the pieces up to at least 220 grit.
• Wipe the sawdust off the pieces.

Step 5:  Protect with beeswax.

• Apply beeswax with a soft cloth, working it into the wood.
• Let dry.
• Apply additional coats as desired
• To maintain your wooden dollhouse puzzle, periodically reapply beeswax.