How to Do a Jigsaw Puzzle

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By Lawrence N
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Do a Jigsaw Puzzle

Jigsaw puzzles are a fun hobby, and can be a nice break from TV and video games. This article offers some basic steps for doing a jigsaw puzzle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A puzzle
A large table
Three large poster boards (optional)
A puzzle rollup (optional)
Puzzle glue (optional)
A frame (optional)

Step 1

I like to do jigsaw puzzles using three white foam boards. You can get a 3-pack at an office supply store for about $20. 30"x40" works well. Dump out all of the pieces onto one foam board, and turn them face up. You'll use that as your holding and sorting area.
Step 2

You'll assemble the puzzle on one of the other foam boards. Begin searching for edge and corner pieces, and transfer them onto the edges of your main board. As you do this, you can begin transferring pieces of similar colors into piles in the center of your main board.
Step 3

Being assembling the border, using the picture on the box to guide you. I like to make pencil marks on the poster board based on the dimensions of the puzzle, so that I can see how long and wide the border is supposed to be. Very often the borders can be very tricky. It might look as though you have one edge put together correctly, but that edge may turn out to be too long or two short, based on the puzzle's dimensions.
Step 4

After the border is finished, continue sorting the pieces based on color or pattern (texture). There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just do what makes sense based on the particular picture.
Step 5

When you are ready to stop, place your holding/sorting board on top of your main assembly board, and make sure that no pieces are near the edge. Then place the third foam board on top of the second one. Then put some type of weighed object on top of your three-layer puzzle sandwich so that all the pieces will be held in place. You can then leave it where it is, or easily carry the stack to a safe area (i.e., away from rambunctious cats).
Step 6

If you don't want to use foam boards, you can also use a puzzle roll up (see picture). If you're careful, you can do your puzzle on the felt that it comes with, and then use the included long tube to roll the puzzle up. I honestly have not had much success with this, since if you're not careful you can end up breaking apart the puzzle. I find that cat hair also sticks to the felt, and is hard to get off.
Step 7

If you are using the foam board method, you can easily glue your puzzle when it's done. Hold the puzzle very tightly between two foam boards, and flip it upside-down. Get a friend to help you, and flip it quickly, and in a coordinated way. Then apply puzzle glue to the back of the puzzle as per the directions on the glue.
Step 8

If your puzzle is a standard size (such as 36"x24"), you can buy a frame and easily frame your puzzle. Enjoy!