Introduction: 3D Interlocking Wooden Puzzle Toy

By Aaron Lapp
About: I am 16 years old and I work in my dad's cabinet shop during the summer and after school.

This 3d interlocking puzzle is quit challenging to make so it will require:

  • A good thinking brain
  • some scrap wood
  • table saw capable of dado
  • precise wide belt sander
  • time to do it

Step 1: Cuting All the Parts

This is all the parts that are needed. Width and height need to be 1/64'' less than 1/2''.

These are all the lengths:

  • 3--10.5''
  • 6--9.5''
  • 10--8.5''
  • 14--7.5''
  • 18--6.5''
  • 22--5.5''
  • 26--4.5''
  • 30--3.5''
  • 34--2.5''
  • 38--1.5''

First cut 5/8'' square strips on the table saw and then run them through the belt sander to achieve a little less than 1/2'' square strips. These strips will then be cut to length using the measurements above. From 6pieces of 9.5'' to 38pieces of 1.5''.

Step 2: Dadoing

Now set up the dado on the table saw and make so that it cuts the same width as the width of your strips.Make so the dado cuts into the wood 1/4'' or so.You need to cut the wood at a right angle to the length of the wood, this is opposite of how you normaly would dado. Expirement by dadoing two pieces. Each piece should be cut half way through,and then put those two pieces together at a right angle to each other so that the part that was cut goes directly against the part that was cut on the other piece. The pieces should fit snugly and they need to be perfectly flush with each other.

Now take all your cut pieces except one of the 10.5'' pieces and dado a groove exactly in the center of all the pieces.this is what takes time and it can be dangerous so be careful.

Now the 10.5'' piece that you did not dado needs a 1/4'' dado that is not in the perfect center.Draw a line in the very center and then dado to the left of the line.

Step 3: More Dadoing

separate these pieces from the rest of the pieces:

  • 3--10.5''
  • 2--9.5''
  • 2--8.5''
  • 2--7.5''
  • 2--6.5''
  • 2--5.5''
  • 2--4.5''
  • 2--3.5''
  • 2--2.5''

Take one of the pieces and put the dadod side down. Then twist/turn the piece a quarter turn. Dado all the wood off except a half inch on the outside ends of the piece.Do the same for all of the pieces that you separated.

Step 4: Makeing the Key Piece

This little piece is what makes this puzzle possible when this piece is in place it can still twist allowing all the pieces in that row to slide up which in turn lets other pieces out.This piece has already been dadoed once so now turn is a quarter turn and dado it again so that you have a quarter by quarter inch bit of wood in one corner. Now use a knife to round the inside corner of that quarter by quarter inch bit of wood.

Step 5: Put It All Together

First you need to put the foundation together correctly. Refer to the first picture on how to place the first two pieces. Make sure that the pieces are turned the exact same way that they are in the picture.Take the special piece that has the quarter inch dado on it.Place it into the dado that is on the bottom piece in the first picture.Be sure that the center line of the piece runs through the center of the piece that is on it's side and level with the top of the bottom piece.Be sure that your foundation looks just like mine or it will not work.

Arrange sets of pieces as shown in picture 5. Place in order from largest to smallest. Now place two sets on on the foundation as shown in picture 7.Be sure that the little square of empty space is on top of the foundation.

Next take the pieces that were dadoed differently and arrange them into two sets,add 1.5'' pieces to the end of the the sets to make them complete.Now take the second to smallest one from one of the sets and fit 2--1.5'' pieces into it. Then get the next largest piece and fit 2--1.5'' pieces and 2--2.5'' pieces into it.Keep doing this untill all the special pieces are filled.Start placeing the special pieces on the last leg that has a flat side on it.

Here is the tricky part, You should still have two sets of the original pieces .These pieces should have only one dado in it.Place one of these sets on one of the remaining legs of the foundation ,but don't put it on the one that is opposite the leg that has the special pieces on it.On this set replace the 1.5'' piece with the key piece. leave the piece untwisted and the other pieces held up so that the pieces that are being prevented from going in can go in.Put that set in next, leaving the 1.5'' piece out.Depending on where you put the first set on the upper three legs it will either be the special pieces or the other set.After you have put that set on put the last set on and then put the 1.5'' piece in that you have left out before.Finally twist the key piece into place,and you are done.

If you have any questions please comment below.Thanks for reading my first Instructable.Don't forget to vote.