Dolphin Puzzle Box

Cedric Boyns uses his scrollsaw to carve out an intricate box

Wooden dolphin-shaped jigsaw puzzle piece.
Table of Contents
Dolphin template with dimensions and design details.

This project was inspired by some boxes I saw on a visit to Costa Rica several years ago, and I have finally got around to having a go at making one myself. Because of my interest in cetaceans, I decided to make a dolphin, which was not one of the many animals that the Costa Rican craftsmen seemed to be making at the time.

This is basically a scrollsaw project and the size of the hidden box inside is limited by the depth of the throat of the scrollsaw being used. I have a fairly basic, small scrollsaw so the depth and width of the dolphin is limited to about 50mm. This therefore involves using the scrollsaw pretty close to its limit! It is vital to make the saw cuts needed in the correct order if the project is to be completed successfully.

There is huge scope in this technique for making, not only many different animals and birds, but also other objects. I used mahogany but any other suitable wood could be used, and bits of other woods can also be glued on to the top surface to enhance the decoration. I have included a photo at the end to illustrate this idea.

Getting started

Dolphin outline on wood and puzzle piece.
1. Having selected the wood and cut it to size, the sides should be checked, and planed if necessary to ensure that they are square. The template is then used to draw the dolphin shape onto the block as shown
Bandsaw cutting wood block with drawn pattern.
2. The dolphin can then be cut out on the bandsaw using a suitable narrow blade
Wooden dolphin cut on a bandsaw.
3. At this early stage a slice about 8–10mm thick needs to be cut from the bottom surface. This is done on the bandsaw
Wooden dolphin shapes on workshop table saw
4. This slice will form the base layer of the dolphin and will need to be glued back once the two end ‘keys’ have been cut out. However, with this dolphin shape there is enough support for this to be done after it is cut out as shown here, but it can also be done before the cutting out with the slice being glued back to the block with small blobs of hot melt glue in the corners

Cutting on the scrollsaw

Wooden dolphin-shaped puzzle piece on grey background.
5. With the slice separated from the back, the first scrollsaw cuts can be completed. These are the two ‘keys’, the first at the beak end and the second at the tail end. They are first marked out
Scroll saw cutting a wooden puzzle piece.
6. Then the cuts can be made with a narrow blade. I used a spiral twist plain end 40 tpi blade and because of the thickness of the wood

You will need

MATERIALS:

  • Try square
  • No.11 veiner, 2mm
  • No.9 gouge, 10mm
  • Spoon and knife riffler
  • •otary tool with abrasive disc • Wood glue
  • Hot melt glue gun
  • Abrasive sheets, 120–400 grit • Sanding sealer
  • Clear wax polish finish
  • Block of mahogany: 130 x 80 x 55mm
  • Short length (about15mm) of 6mm dowel (beech)
  • Suitable PPE and dust extraction
  • Bandsaw
  • Scrollsaw
  • Pillar drill
  • Plane or planer thicknesser
  • Belt sander (or sanding block)
  • Forstner bit, 6mm
Scroll saw cutting intricate wood piece
7. With the two ‘keys’ cut out AND REMOVED, the second scrollsaw cut can now be made on the central section. The idea of this cut is to create a top section which will hide the central box region. This cut again needs to follow either one or two loops. This top section can only be removed horizontally once the two end ‘keys’ have themselves been removed

Making the box and lid

Scroll saw cutting wooden block with precision.
8. With the top section removed, the next cut is to remove the centre section of wood to create the box void in the central section. I cut in from the outside from under the flipper (this can be seen in photos 12–15). The small void left in the wall of the box when the base is glued on will be hidden
Two interlocking wooden puzzle pieces
9. The central region can then be removed as shown
Close-up of bandsaw cutting wooden piece.
10. From this central block, the top region is cut off on the bandsaw to create the lid of the central box region. At this point, the dolphin- shaped slice previously cut off the bottom must be glued back so that the box now has a bottom, and the two ‘keys’, when replaced, have something to rest on
Wood block being cut by bandsaw machine.
11. To support the lid of the box, two small slices need to be cut from the ends of the waste block cut out of the middle in step 8
Wood carving being smoothed by hand.
12. These slices are then glued onto the end walls of the inside of the box
Hand holding interlocking wooden puzzle pieces
13.  The slices are the right depth to now support the lid of the box when it is in place
Wooden puzzle piece on grey fabric background.
14. Here you can see the lid in place
Wooden elephant puzzle on grey background
15.  The top section can now be replaced to hide the box inside …
Wooden bear-shaped jigsaw puzzle, unassembled.
16. … and the two end keys can be replaced to seal the top section in place and complete the puzzle
Wooden dovetail joint with dowel pin.
17. To reduce the amount of movement of the end ‘keys’, short lengths of 6mm dowel can be glued into holes drilled in the base …
Drilling a wooden block on workbench
18.  … so that they fit into another hole drilled in the bottom of the ‘key’. (This is an optional step. The puzzle will still function perfectly well without the dowels.)
Chisel carving intricate wooden pattern on log
19.  This completes the basic box puzzle but I decided to put some decoration on the top. This was achieved firstly with a No.11, 2mm veiner …
Wooden animal carving with chisel tool
20 … and then enhanced with a No.9, 10mm gouge as shown here. The eye was also cut in with a 4mm homemade punch made from a 4in nail

Finishing

Sanding tool polishing a wooden surface.
21. The completed box is now ready for a thorough sanding firstly with the aid of a small sanding disc used with a rotary tool to remove all the saw marks from the accessible regions. I used a spoon and knife riffler and strips of abrasive to reach the less accessible areas such as under the flipper
Wooden bear-shaped puzzle on a grey surface.
22.  This was followed with hand sanding through the grits to 400g
Wooden bear puzzle on crumpled fabric surface.
23. It is now ready to apply a finish
Wooden turtle puzzle box with pieces apart.
24. A coat of sanding sealer was followed by a couple of coats of clear wax polish buffed up with a soft cloth or brush

Different designs

Wooden owl and bear puzzles on display.
25. Here are two more puzzle boxes that I made with different coloured woods providing the decoration

Brief summary of cutting order

A) Cut out the dolphin shape from the block.
B)  Cut off the slice from the base of it.
C)  Cut out the two ‘keys’ at the head and tail ends and remove.
D)  Turn on its side and cut off the top section and remove.
E)  Turn back upright and cut out the centre section (to form the box).
F)  Cut the top off the central block just cut out to form the lid of the box.

G) From what remains of this central block, cut a thin section from either end to glue back as supports for the lid.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CEDRIC BOYNS

Further reading

Watch Box

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