Introduction: Two Piece Wooden Pyramid Puzzle

The idea of this puzzle is to use two wooden pieces to make a four-faced pyramid. Since it only consists of two matching pieces, each made with four cuts, you can make this puzzle in less than an hour.

Step 1: What You Need:

- Band saw
- Sandpaper
- Glue stick
- 1 1/8" x 1 3/8" x 5 1/4" piece of wood (preferably hardwood)

Step 2: Cuts 1 and 2

- Cut the piece of wood into two 1 1/8" x 1 3/8" x 2 3/4" pieces.
- Mark one of the 1 3/8" x 2 3/4" faces on each block with an "X". This will be the top of the block. From now on I will refer to this face as Side X.
- Set the table of the band saw to a 30 degree angle.
- Use the band saw to make a cut at a 30 degree angle on one of the 1 3/8" x 1 1/8" ends of one block, as shown in image 3. Spin the block 180 degrees and repeat the cut.
- Repeat for the other block.
- Check the dimensions of the side opposite Side X on each piece with a ruler. It should be square. This is important; if it is not square, the puzzle won't work properly.

Step 3: Cuts 3 and 4

- Draw a line down the center of one of the 1 3/8" wide faces on one block. Measure two 30 degree angles from the center line down to the corners of the side opposite Side X.
- Cut along the lines on the band saw. Side X should now be a narrow edge.
- Repeat for the other block.

Step 4: Sanding

- Sand the all the faces of each piece. Don't use any form of power sander! You don't want to remove too much off of each face, since that can skew the alignment of the blocks.
- To assemble the pyramid, position the pieces like in image 1 and slide them together.
- Glue the two pieces of the pyramid together WITH A GLUE STICK. You don't want to create too strong a bond.
- Sand the faces of the pyramid smooth. This will make the puzzle pieces flush with each other when assembled.
- Break the two pieces apart and sand off the glue.
- Give the puzzle to someone, and watch them try to figure it out!

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