Our collection of challenging wooden jigsaw puzzles for adults is perfect for those who love the combined challenge of tricky images and confounding puzzle cuts. These unique jigsaw puzzles offer a rewarding challenge for those who dare to try them. Extra Difficult puzzles are great jigsaw puzzle gift ideas for expert puzzlers and will provide hours of engaging fun.
Solving a difficult wooden jigsaw puzzle can be a truly rewarding and satisfying experience, but it requires different strategies compared with standard whimsy puzzles. Here are some tips to help you conquer your next challenging jigsaw puzzle:
Before you start:
Understand the challenge: Is it the repetitive pieces, the lack of straight edges, the similar tones, or something else? Knowing what makes wooden puzzle so challenging will help you tailor your approach.
Spread out and sort: Empty all the pieces onto a large, flat surface with good lighting. Sort them by colour, pattern, shape, or any other criteria that helps you see connections and group your puzzle pieces. If you’re someone who likes to spread your pieces out on the table and build your puzzle, you can easily transport the pieces you’ve built with our portable puzzle board, which might just make completing these hard puzzles a bit easier!
Consider the image: If you have a reference image, use it sparingly. Studying it too much can remove the satisfaction of discovery! Some of the most challenging jigsaw puzzles often implement repetitive pieces and an image won’t be much help. So, trust your instinct and work with the shapes to find where they fit within the wooden puzzle.
General solving strategies:
Ignore the edges: Unlike cardboard puzzles, wood puzzles ones often lack distinct edge pieces, which puzzlers typically use as a starting place. Focus on finding matching shapes, colours, or textures first. Many of the puzzles in our Extra Difficult Collection also have an uneven edge and no corner pieces to be found! Our shaped extra difficult puzzles can be even harder, with a puzzle shape that follows the outline of the illustration there is no obvious place to start! Don’t let these dastardly designs bewilder you, piece by piece you will conquer your puzzle challenge.
Work in sections: Divide the wood puzzle into smaller areas based on colour, pattern, or theme. Completing these mini sections of jigsaw puzzle gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps you identify larger connections. Working in small areas also allows you to stop, take a break and re-visit your puzzle whenever you need to.
Shape over colour: In wooden puzzles, intricate shapes often trump subtle colour variations. Pay close attention to the way pieces fit together, not just their hues. Some of these jigsaw puzzles for adults also have themed whimsies that will make finding the jigsaw puzzle pieces that surround them a little easier.
Take breaks: Don’t get frustrated! Step away for a while, come back with fresh eyes, and approach the jigsaw puzzle from a different angle. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes are exactly what you need to identify the piece you’ve been searching for.
Additional tips for solving difficult wooden puzzles:
Utilise the tactile experience: Feel the texture of the wood puzzle, the thick wooden pieces, the intricate shapes and how they fit together. This can offer clues that your eyes might miss.
Look for repeating patterns: Many challenging wood puzzles use repetitive patterns within the design. Identifying these can unlock larger sections.
Don’t force it: If a piece doesn’t fit easily, it’s time to move on. Forcing a puzzle into place can damage the wooden pieces. Some of these challenging wooden puzzles have been designed with deceptively difficult pieces and they look to be the right piece, but they actually fit somewhere else entirely!
Remember: The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process! Solving a challenging puzzle is a journey, not just a destination. So relax, be patient, and celebrate your progress along the way.
If you’re not quite ready to take on an extra difficult puzzle with a large piece count puzzle, we have a collection of smaller puzzles, with fewer pieces that still provide a pretty big challenge and a fantastic way to focus your mind in just a few minutes.
If you’re taking on the challenge yourself and you’re not sure what to do when you have finsihed your puzzle, you could display it proudy with one of our jigsaw puzzle frames, lend it to another to enjoy or revel in the break-up! It’s weird, we know, but sometimes breaking up a jigsaw puzzle can be just as enjoyable as completing it. Pack it away and you can enjoy it another day! The joy of wood jigsaws is that they are made with thick 4mm wood and state-of-the-art laser cutting technology so you can enjoy them time and time again.
We hope these tips help you conquer your wooden puzzle challenge!
Don’t forget to share your puzzle progress with us on Social Media and use #WentworthPuzzles.
