| What makes a jigsaw unique? | | | | hundreds of pieces and may have to try large |
| Unique means unparalleled, having no equal, the only | | | | numbers of different pieces before finding the right |
| one. | | | | one. By the end of the jigsaw, the last pieces are very |
| The elements of a jigsaw that can make it unique are: | | | | easy to put in because the image can be used and |
| | | | there are only a few pieces to search through. |
| 1. The image. | | | | When doing a colour line cut jigsaw, the puzzle is |
| 2. The cut pattern. | | | | difficult at the start and even when down to 5 or six |
| 3. The type of material. | | | | pieces, it can still be difficult! This is because the image |
| 4. 2D or 3D | | | | is no help, the colour of one piece will not show the |
| 5. Limited edition. | | | | colour of the next adjacent piece. |
| Hand cut jigsaws are certainly unique. Usually only one | | | | The image selected for a jigsaw is extremely |
| jigsaw is cut and certainly when my father and great | | | | important. The image can be unique because it is |
| uncle cut their jigsaws by hand, they cut the only copy | | | | created from someone's wedding photograph or a |
| of the image. These jigsaws are unique without | | | | family picture or because the image is painted by the |
| question. They fulfill all the definitions of unique. The | | | | jigsaw cutter. Otherwise the image can be from a |
| cutter will choose the cut line as he/she cuts. If asked | | | | photographer or illustrator and will be used multiple |
| to cut the same picture again, they would take a | | | | times. The picture needs to have lots of interest |
| different path. | | | | throughout the area of the jigsaw with lots of colours |
| The mass produced pressed jigsaw can not be unique | | | | and no big areas of one colour. It is best to select |
| even when it has a special image or is limited edition | | | | neutral images, not particularly male or female. The |
| numbers. The cut pattern is used on numerous other | | | | picture should be beautiful otherwise there is no point in |
| images and the quantity produced exclude them from | | | | recreating it. When looking at jigsaws in general, there |
| the definition of only one. | | | | is a laziness when choosing the image. Many |
| In the middle are the hand designed jigsaws cut on a | | | | companies churn out the same type of old fashioned |
| laser. Here, a number of jigsaws can be made but the | | | | pictures that give jigsaws a bad name. |
| cut lines are unique because they are not used for any | | | | Jigsaws are made of many different substances |
| other image. | | | | these days. Hand cutters still use wood as this cuts |
| By hand designing the cut lines, the image is enhanced | | | | well with a treadle fret saw. Some companies use |
| and the jigsaw created is tricky without being | | | | MDF despite claiming they are wooden jigsaws! 3D |
| repetitive. | | | | jigsaws are often made of plastic as the modeling |
| Types of cut patterns used in hand cut jigsaws. | | | | process requires a material that can be deformed in all |
| - Interlocking - similar to a normal standard jigsaw | | | | planes. With the invention of Yag lasers, metal jigsaws |
| - non-interlocking - the piece shapes sit next to each | | | | can be produced. Acrylic works beautifully for CO2 |
| other but do not lock into each other. A very old | | | | lasers as the cut edge is very smooth when cut in this |
| traditional way of cutting. This creates a difficult jigsaw | | | | way. |
| as there is no shape recognition involved in putting the | | | | A unique jigsaw should be something the puzzler has |
| jigsaw together. | | | | not come across before. New ideas, tricks and |
| - Colour line cutting - here the cut lines are placed | | | | surprises should be contained within the cutting. The |
| along colour changes e.g. cutting around a person in a | | | | mind set for doing the jigsaw can be unique, a colour |
| picture. This makes a difficult jigsaw because the | | | | edge cut jigsaw requires a change in how the person |
| jigsaw can not be put together by looking at the | | | | goes about doing the jigsaw. Looking for the shape |
| colours or the picture. The puzzles is reliant on the | | | | rather than the image is unique to the colour edge cut |
| shape of the piece to work out where it goes. A small | | | | jigsaw. |
| jigsaw can be very challenging when cut in this way. | | | | Some would claim a very difficult jigsaw is the largest |
| The different cutting creates a different jigsaw | | | | jigsaw in the world or one with a totally repetitive |
| experience for the person putting the jigsaw together. | | | | pattern e.g. baked beans. However, a colour edge cut |
| When putting together a standard interlocking jigsaw | | | | jigsaw is intelligently difficult, a small jigsaw with |
| of 1000 pieces, the jigsaw is very very difficult at the | | | | seemingly few pieces can be exceptionally difficult but |
| beginning because the person has to search through | | | | challenging and great fun to complete. |