Puzzle Build Tray

The "Build It On The Table, Move It Off The Table" Puzzle Build Tray 🎯

A 1000-piece jigsaw owns a table for a week. This is a tray you build the puzzle inside, so the table goes back to being a table and the half-finished puzzle moves to a shelf in one piece.

🟩 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞

▸ 𝗔 𝟮𝟳 𝘅 𝟭𝟵-𝟭/𝟰 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 — 685.8 x 488.95mm, inner wall to inner wall. That is the usable building area, not an outside dimension you have to subtract a rim from.

▸ 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 — Three wide by two tall, joined on jigsaw-style tabs that straddle every seam. The panels key into each other, so the floor stays flat and the seams do not creep apart while you work over them.

▸ 𝗔 𝗥𝗶𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀 — A 4.57mm wall runs the whole way around, so a nudged piece stops at the edge instead of going on the carpet.

▸ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗲 — No printer has a 27 inch bed. Splitting it into six was the design, not a compromise.

🟩 WILL YOUR PUZZLE FIT?

▸ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟳 𝘅 𝟭𝟵-𝟭/𝟰 𝗶𝗻. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 — "1000 pieces" is a piece count, not a size, and the sizes are not close to each other.

▸ 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 — Pinkey Puzzles "Spanish Ceiling", 1000 pieces, 19 x 26-3/4 in. It fits with about 1/4 in to spare on each axis.

▸ 𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗼, 𝗖𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟬𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟵-𝟭/𝟰 𝘅 𝟮𝟲-𝟱/𝟴 𝗶𝗻 — that is flush on the short axis at best.

▸ Ravensburger and Ceaco 1000s are usually 20 x 27 in, and Ravensburger's European 50 x 70cm is 19.7 x 27.6 in. Neither of those fits.

🟩 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗧 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦

▸ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝟲𝟵𝟰.𝟵 𝘅 𝟰𝟵𝟴.𝟭𝗺𝗺 (𝟮𝟳.𝟯𝟲 𝘅 𝟭𝟵.𝟲𝟭 𝗶𝗻) — the pocket plus one rim wall on each side.

🟩 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗨𝗭𝗭𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗦

▸ 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘁 — My stackable Puzzle Sorting Trays, a separate free model, hold edge pieces and color groups next to the build tray while you work.

▸ 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗨𝗽 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 — Stack the trays, put the lid on top, and the sorted piles go to the shelf with the half-built puzzle. Nothing gets re-sorted next session.

🟩 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦

▸ 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗗. 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝟮𝟲𝟬 𝘅 𝟮𝟲𝟬𝗺𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗱. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗺 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟱𝟬.𝟭 𝘅 𝟮𝟱𝟵.𝟲𝗺𝗺, 𝘀𝗼 𝗮 𝟮𝟮𝟬, 𝟮𝟯𝟱 𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟱𝟲𝗺𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 — open the print files against your own printer before you start.

▸ Print the panels flat, floor down, in PLA. Nothing here carries load; the tray only has to stay flat.

▸ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝘅, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 — they are six distinct parts (top and bottom, left, center and right), not one panel printed six times.

Happy puzzling! 🎯