A lot of people think that I am very strange for the items that I keep. I try to recycle them in ways that are not generally common. One of the things that I keep, as you already know, are cardboard boxes of many different sizes. Whenever I keep corrugated cardboard boxes, the first thing that I do is cut all the sides off and store them away, whenever I need them for one reason or another.
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If you order numerous items online, you obviously receive them in cardboard boxes that you too may cut up and store for later use. You may have read about the way that I improve metal shelves so that items will not fall between the spaces in them, and so that items will not fall between the edges of the shelves and the wall that they are next to.
For those of you that like to make jigsaw puzzles, I’ve got a solution for you to put together puzzles that are bigger than your table. Most jigsaw puzzles tell the finished size of the puzzle on the front of the box. Now you can make your own puzzle board as big as what you need.
To make a puzzle board of any size, you need only corrugated cardboard and heavy-duty shipping tape. You need only use cut-up corrugated boxes of various sizes to make the boards. You can also use them when you are sealing the puzzles. Simply seal the puzzle and let it stay on the board until it is dry.
Now, for how to make the boards. You need to know how big the puzzle is that you are going to put together. When I go to make a puzzle board for friends, I find out just how big the puzzle will be when it is completed. Then I measure the pieces of cardboard, that I have stored away, to find out how many pieces I need to put together to make the puzzle board.
Usually, I will need to use three pieces to put together with their long sides being side by side. This is necessary because most puzzles are wider from side to side than they are from top to bottom. I usually add anywhere from 6 to 10 inches to it, so that the board may also be used for bigger puzzles than just the one that I am making the board for.
You put the boards together as close as you can to eliminate any spaces where the puzzle pieces may fall in between them. Then you take the heavy-duty shipping tape and tape the first two pieces together, pressing down very firmly to make sure that it is tight. I usually use the side of my hand to guide the tape so that there won’t be any bubbles in it. I try to make sure that I have a longer piece of tape, than what is necessary to actually tape the two pieces together.
That way I can use the excess tape to tape the back side a little ways up on both ends. Turn the cardboard over and bring the excess tape up and tape the back side. After taping the excess tape on the back side, you need to cut a piece of tape that is shorter than the length of the board, but that is not shorter than the excess tape that you brought up on the backside. The tape needs to overlap the first piece of tape, but not go over to the front of the board.
Press it down firmly. Now tape the third piece of cardboard together in the same manner as the first two pieces were taped. When you are through taping the boards together, you will have a big board that has the three pieces of cardboard taped together side by side. The overall board may seem sort of flimsy, but don’t worry about it because you will be reinforcing it in the next step.
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To reinforce the big board, you will need to have a solid piece of cardboard that is at least as wide as two of the boards taped together. It should not be as long as the boards are though. You will need to center the board on the back of the big puzzle board. The back of the board is the side where the tape overlaps. You will need to tape all four edges of this smaller piece of the board onto the big board.
Once you have the first piece of tape on all four edges of the big board, go back and put pieces of tape on either side of this first piece of tape. The first piece of tape should be in the middle of these last two pieces of tape on each of the four edges. This is necessary for the stabilization of this board so that it will keep the big board from bending while the puzzle is on it. Once this is done, you may cover the board with contact paper or wallpaper, if you wish.
Contact paper and wallpaper both come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one to your liking. It would be wise to purchase one that is slick so that when you seal the puzzle, it won’t stick to the board. Contact paper or wallpaper, that has a raised design, may make the puzzle stick to it when you seal it.
Have fun making and personalizing your own puzzle board, and enjoy using it.
I will add some pictures as soon as I can. I may even do a video showing me making a puzzle board.