This puzzle will test your spatial ability and might challenge the way you think. You are given six pieces and asked to spell the letter "H". This task is pretty easy and should take less than 1 minute to figure out. Next, you hand your test subjects an additional piece with the same goal of spelling "H". You will soon see that the extra piece doesn't work out very well.

I understand this puzzle was designed by Vesa Timone and similar versions are sold online. The quality of the purchased one looks nice. However, if you have the tools/materials feel free to try to make your own. I built mine from scrap wood and it took less than 30 minutes to make 2 puzzles.

Try to mentally figure it out (don't go past step 7). If not, check out the solution video.

Step 1: Tools/Materials

Tools:

Table or Miter Saw
Ruler
Pencil

Materials:

Wood: 1" x 1" x 24"
Paint/Stain (optional)

Step 2: Drawings

The parts are straightforward. You will need 2 of the red and purple pieces and 3 green pieces.

Step 3: Initial Shape

I built two versions. The first was from a pine 2x4 and the second was from scrap hardwood. Start by cutting the wood down to a 1" x 1" x 24" Long. You don't really need 24" but the extra length will allow you to keep your fingers away from the blade when cutting the smaller pieces :).

Step 4: 45 Degree Cut

Set your miter gauge to 45 degrees. Measure off the distances shown in step 2 and make the cuts.

Step 5: Ready to Build

Step 6: Simple H

Pretty self explanatory.

Step 7: Added Piece?

Can you figure it out at this point? The slanted cuts on the pieces are a clue....

Step 8: Solution

Ok, some folks might not think this is fair but you will need to build the puzzle off the flat surface in 3D. When doing so, and viewed from the correct perspective, you will see an "H". Note that this puzzle is also called the "Half H Puzzle". Imagine a Vertical "H" that is cut on a diagonal in half resulting in a 3D H. As expected, this puzzle has caused arguments from my test subjects - mainly about not being a true solution.

After a few weird results, I had to add a few rules: