CM Parametric Product Design Final: Truchet Puzzle
https://frog-bamboo-rrm2.squarespace.com/
To be honest, I didn’t set out to solve a problem, in a sense I actually maybe created one with this truchet puzzle. What I really wanted to do was to create something more or less just for fun and to have something different to work on than the rest of my class projects this semester. Less of a puzzle and more of an activity, the truchet puzzle was designed simply because it seemed like an interesting thing to make related to parametric product design.
The truchet puzzle is simply a passtime, an activity, and a creative outlet for one to use to create unique patterns in real life, just as we did with Grasshopper and Rhino. The 16 pieces give the player nearly endless combinations of patterns to create and discover.
I accomplished the making of this puzzle with assistance from the Idea Forge and help from my husband, Jake. The process began with sketches to figure out sizing, measurements, etc. This took a lot of trial and error to decide the sizing of each piece and how they would all fit together. I initially started with the tray size but found out that would make the puzzle shapes an odd measurement so I started over and worked backwards starting with making the puzzle pieces 2.5 inches, each with 1/16th in between pieces so they could easily be moved in the tray.
After sketching, I realized that each piece is simply a 2D shape that will be laser-cut so I made each piece in Illustrator. This took some time to actually find correct measurements to work all together. Creating the shapes for the tray were easy, but figuring out the exact size of circles to make the puzzle pieces fit like a true truchet was tricky. I found out that the size of the circle must match the size of the puzzle piece and from there I split each circle into quarters. Then I counted and laid out how many of each shape I needed and sent it off to the Idea Forge for fabrication.
I wanted to have a better idea of what this puzzle would actually look like so I decided to model it in Rhino as well. Since the shapes and exact measurements of the pieces were already sorted out, this step was pretty easy and didn’t take much time.
A short time later, the wood was laser cut and I was ready to build out the puzzle. I sanded each piece of wood with a 220 grit sanding sponge first. Once that was done, I then selected a dark walnut stain for the puzzle and began to stain each piece. Multiple coats didn’t seem to make too much of a difference, so all the pieces with the exception of the quarter-circles were stained a single time.
Once the stain was dry, it was time to glue. The actual puzzle pieces were easy to put together; I grabbed two quarter-circles and aligned them on the small squares so that the grains were going in opposite directions to show some contrast. A little bit of wood glue and those were ready to go.
The tray was more difficult to put together though. First off, I purchased some black velvet (similar to what is used in jewelry boxes) for the bottom of the puzzle tray because I figured this would add a nice touch to the tray and also hold pieces in place. So I placed the velvet on the bottom of the tray and then proceeded to glue the sides of the tray on. We got the first two sides on there and did some trial and error with figuring out to clamp the sides at right angles. I happened to have a book that fit the space perfectly so those two side were good to go.
Getting the other two sides glued on was more challenging because one side wouldn’t stay level when we fastened the clamps on. We had to turn the tray upside down to clamp it and all seemed to go just fine. But since we had the tray upside down, we didn’t have the counter pressure of the book to make those sides stay 90°. We found this out once the glue was all dry and by this point it was what it was. So the tray isn’t perfect, but the rest of the puzzle turned out pretty darn close.
After the puzzle pieces were made, all that was left was to photograph and present the puzzle. I decided to make a site for the puzzle too to display the process which is linked above.
This project was pretty much a one and done kind of deal for me and I wanted to create something that was different from the rest of the projects we have wrapping up this semester. It was a simple diversion for me compared to the rest of what I am working on and I am pleased overall with how it turned out. I always underestimate when taking on a physical project at how difficult it is to do woodworking, even with digital fabrication. Things can look perfectly aligned on a computer, but it doesn’t always work out perfectly when it comes to the physical world and I am okay with that. I tried to take what I learned from this class and turn it into something I could appreciate and I believe I accomplished that with this puzzle.
Materials:
- wood (baltic birch plywood 1/4” thick to be precise), three 12" squares
- wood glue
- tarp or newspaper
- varathane stain… say that 5 times fast
- chiseled foam sponge brush
- dish gloves for staining
- velvet
- sanding sponge, 220 grit
Programs Used:
- Illustrator
- Rhino
- Lightroom
- Squarespace
- Canva
Accomplished with help from:
- Jake Wells
- CU Boulder’s Idea Forge
