Three Piece Puzzle-A great woodworking and drawing project for middle and high school Technology students Technology Education Project
The Three Piece Puzzle project is much more than just another woodworking project. It is a great way to tie in ELA, Math, and Science into your curriculum. The puzzle pieces are first drawn on SketchUp (fee version) to the actual dimensions. Students use screen-cast to assist with thier drawings. It is advised that the students first do the SketchUp Activity on this website first. Once the drawings are complete they layout the puzzle on one long piece of wood, using rulers and squares. Next they head to the shop to cut, drill, mortise, file and sand there puzzles to shape. Finally they use MS Word and SketchUp to create illustrated and written instructions on how this puzzle can be solved. Click here to see the 3PP overview video. Continue downward to see step by step instructions.
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Technology Education Project
CAD
Math Tools & Machines Woodworking Graphing Design Technical Writing Common Core |
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Making a 3D CAD drawing Technology Education Project
Using the screen cast you will have to create the Three Piece Puzzle in SketchUp. Follow along pausing as needed. The dimensions are available by downloading the pdf file below. If you are unfamiliar with SketchUp up may want to visit our SketchUp 101 page before attempting to draw these blocks. While drawing your blocks you should be adding dimensions to verify that your are drawing it correctly each step of the way.
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3 Piece Puzzle Part 1 (Drawing the pieces in SketchUp)
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Making COMPONENTS and moving the pieces of the three piece puzzleIt is necessary to turn each piece of the puzzle into a component prior to moving them. If this step is not done pieces will be stuck to one another when they touch, this is known as sticky geometry. One the pieces are turned into components use the move tool rotate the pieces to the proper orientation. Make sure you use the move tool, and not the rotate tool. Also make sure that you only rotate the blocks in 90 degree increments. failure to do this will cause you a big headache.
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3 Piece Puzzle Part 2 (Components and moving the pieces)
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Marking the three pieces of the puzzleYou will need to make three pieces that are 1 5/8" wide and 4" long, out of 3/4" stock. This puzzle could be made out of a variety of materials. Pine is one of the easiest and cheapest material for this project. Throughout this project you will be using a variety of tools and machines. Always wear your safety glasses and follow all safety rules that apply to you are doing. Also remember to always cut on the scrap side of the line when possible.
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3 Piece Puzzle Part 3 (Using a square to mark your 4" pieces)
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Cutting the three pieces with the scroll sawThis video shows the process of making a simple cross cut with a scroll saw. You may want to watch the scroll saw safety video prior to this step. Always read your owners manual and follow all safety procedures.
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