Welcome to polyhedralpuzzles.com, home of a gallery and some notes on puzzles made by Scott T Peterson.
2011 Update: I am now back to making puzzles in earnest after a year of furniture making in 2010. Please stop in at Renegade Puzzle forums to contact me, or stop by Puzzle Paradise to see if I have any puzzles currently for sale
I'd like to thank John Devost for making possible both of the websites listed above, and for being the glue that keeps us puzzlers together in a happy community!
About Scott:
Scott Peterson currently lives in the east San Francisco Bay area with his wife and three young children. He was born and raised in a small town in central Wisconsin, and attended both Michigan Technological University and Washington State University to study civil engineering. He currently works full time as an engineer, and makes polyhedral puzzles as a hobby.
Scott first discovered the world of polyhedral puzzles in 2003 when he checked out a book from the library which included a re-print of an article Mr. Stewart T. Coffin had published in a 1984 edition of Fine Woodworking Magazine. A description and directions for making a Pennyhedron puzzle were included in the article, and even before finishing the article he compulsively went to the garage to start making his first attempt at one of Mr. Coffin’s fantastic puzzles.
The first Pennyhedron was a shabby attempt—made from a re-sawn 2x4 and hardly finished. The puzzle warped badly and soon opened on its own. This led to an exploration into the world of exotic woods in search of a more dimensionally stable wood to use for puzzles. Puzzlemaking has turned into a very interesting and challenging hobby—which includes elements of mathematical recreation, wood behavior, and precision machining techniques, as well as handcraftsmanship and fine wood finishing. These are a few of the varied areas which keep Scott challenged and interested in his spare time!
Scott wishes to express his gratitude to Stewart Coffin, Rob Stegmann, and the other puzzle designers who have allowed him to reproduce their work.