The puzzle consists of four parts



Frame - 3/4” MDF with a pocket for the remaining parts

Base – 1/4” Baltic Birch plywood with outline of puzzle and parts drawn with a Sharpie in a plotter fixture for the Shapeoko

Inlay – 1/4” Baltic Birch plywood with an opening sized to accept the parts

Parts – 1/4” Baltic Birch plywood



I used the SVG file format which resulted in an immediately usable outline of the puzzle and its parts. These were drawn with the Sharpie using a plotter fixture on the Shapeoko. The pattern was drawn using a contour tool path with no offset.



In addition the resulting pattern from the SVG file let me delete the vectors defining the parts leaving only the outline. This outline was used to create the opening in the inlay for the puzzle parts using a contour tool path on the inside of the line.



I converted the SVG to a bit map file and used the trace function in Carbide Create. It separated out each piece of the puzzle which allowed the parts to be cut out using a contour tool path on the outside of the line.



One of the other issues I had to contend with was using the Sharpie. The ink bled into the Baltic Birch plywood and also reacts with finishes that contain solvents. The solution was to apply two thin coats of shellac to the base before drawing the outline of the puzzle. Then a top coat of MinWax water based polycrylic over the acrylic paint and Sharpie drawing.



The pieces were cut to size on a tablesaw and a roundover bit in a router table was used to soften the edges of the frame. All other milling was done on the Shapeoko.