Introduction: Tangram Puzzle

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A couple of years ago at school my woodworking teacher got me to make a tangram puzzle. It's incredibly easy to make, and quite good woodworking practice for beginners. Here's how to make it.

    Step 1: What You'll Need

    • Scroll saw or coping saw
    • Sanding machine or sandpaper
    • Pencil
    • Ruler

    Step 2: Drawing It Up/planning

    You can print off this template to use, or draw up your own. If you're drawing up your own, here's what you'll need to do.

    1. Get some scrap wood or a piece of paper, 15 x 15 cm.

    2. Draw a border all around, 1 cm out from the edge.

    3. Draw a line from corner to corner, and another one crossing it from the other corners. You now should have a large x across your wood/paper.

    4. Now, draw a straight cross through the middle of your material. It should now look a little like the Union Jack.

    5. Draw a diagonal line through three of the quarter squares, then one along the middle of the top half of your material.

    6. Now look carefully, and carefully compare your drawing with the template above. You should be able to identify the shapes.

    Step 3: Making the Base

    1. Get two pieces of wood, 15 x 15 cm, (MDF will do), and draw a border 1 cm in from the edge of one of them, if you haven't already from the steps above.
    2. Cut all around the border, staying straight on the line.
    3. Glue the two pieces together, and clamp them. Wait until the glue is dry to take off the clamps.
    4. Paint it a bright colour, and you can wipe off some of the paint if you wish to give it a slightly rustic old fashioned look.
    5. You have made the base for your tangrams puzzle!

    Step 4: Making the Pieces

    1. Using the wood you cut out from the top layer of the base, follow the first steps to draw the shapes onto the wood, if you haven't already.
    2. Cut carefully along the lines of the shapes, and sand them carefully.
    3. Paint it a bright colour, and you can wipe off some of the paint if you wish to give it a slightly rustic old fashioned look.
    4. You have made the shapes for your tangrams puzzle!

    Step 5: Done!

    When all the paint and glue has dried, fit the shapes into the base to reveal a colourful tangram puzzle!

    Step 6: Now You Can Make Cool Shapes!

    Now, you can fit the shapes together to make loads of cool shapes and things! Here are some ideas.

    Enjoy!