Making 3D Wooden Puzzles for Christmas

In this episode, I make 3D wooden puzzle cubes for Stocking Stuffers. One of my kids’ toys inspired the design, and I thought I could make a fun version for all ages. If you are interested, you can purchase a 3D Puzzle Cube or build your own; plans are available.

Summary

Brian discussed his recent project of building 3D puzzle cubes as stocking-stuffer ideas for Christmas. He shared his process, which included milling and cutting the Alder, sanding the board before cutting, and setting up a stop on his miter gauge. He also built a jig to hold the puzzle pieces accurately and safely. After making test cuts, he cut the puzzle pieces and added a chamfer to the ends using his router table. Finally, he applied a few thin coats of finish to complete the project.

DIY 3D Puzzle Cubes: A Festive Woodworking Project

Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re looking for unique stocking stuffers, why not try building some 3D puzzle cubes? These little wooden brain teasers are fun to make and even more fun to solve. Below, I’ll walk you through my process—and if you’d like to try it yourself, I’ll have a downloadable template available!

Getting Started: Milling the Lumber

Like most woodworking projects, I began by milling the lumber down to the required size. Since cutting and sanding a bunch of tiny individual pieces can be tedious, I decided to keep the workpieces as a single board until the final cuts. To ensure consistency, I set up a stop block on my miter gauge and cut all the pieces to the same dimensions.  As a precaution, I cut an extra piece to use for test cuts—this helped me dial in the fit before working on the actual puzzle pieces.

Building the Jig for Precision Cuts

Next, I prepared two strips of wood matching the thickness of my puzzle pieces to serve as setup blocks. Then, I constructed a jig to hold the pieces securely and ensure accurate cuts. (All measurements for this jig are included in the downloadable template.)

Using scrap plywood, I cut two parts: One piece is attached to my miter gauge, and another to act as a hold-down.  I used the puzzle pieces as spacers while assembling the jig to set the height correctly.

Test Cuts and Fine-Tuning

Before making the final cuts, I ran a few test passes on scrap wood to adjust the width and height. Once satisfied, I took one of my test spacer blocks and secured it into a notch with CA glue.   After the glue dried, I used the second spacer to position the jig on the miter gauge, clamping it temporarily for further adjustments. Once everything was perfectly aligned, I screwed the jig in place to prevent any shifting.   Since holding small blocks near a spinning dado stack felt risky, I added toggle clamps for extra safety.

Cutting the Notches (Similar to Box Joints)

If you’ve cut box joints before, this process will feel familiar—except you’ll need to pay close attention to the puzzle’s design to ensure notches are cut in the right spots.

Following my template, I positioned each block either:  Against the spacer strip, or aligned with a notched section.  One piece was shorter than the rest, so I saved it for last and adjusted the toggle clamps accordingly.

Finishing Touches: Sanding and Chamfering

After cutting the pieces, I cleaned up the notches using a benchtop sander. I ran each piece through my router table with a chamfer bit to add a polished look.  Since the router bit couldn’t reach the inside corners, I hand-sanded those areas for a smooth finish.

Final Step: Applying the Finish

All that’s left is to apply a few thin coats of finish, and these puzzle cubes will be ready to stuff into stockings!

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