Jigsaw puzzles have always been a favorite pastime of many since time immemorial. It is credited with the ability to boost the brain development and intelligence of a kid and for adults, it acts as a relaxing and focus-developing game. As far as adults are concerned, puzzles come in various shapes, sizes, and themes. There are many puzzles that have thousands of pieces in them which makes them more complex and more interesting for puzzle enthusiasts.
But the major issue faced by the most serious puzzle players is the difficulty in arranging and storing the puzzles when they are only halfway into finishing the game. As there are many puzzles available in the market that come in countless pieces, it may take multiple sittings for someone to finish them. Many a time, the puzzlers find it difficult to leave an unfinished puzzle as it is due to space constraints in the home or office, or any play area.
Puzzle accessories were introduced to control and avoid such issues related to the storing and piecing together of the puzzles. Among the many puzzle accessories, puzzle tables are something that gained immense popularity over a short period.
What is a Puzzle Table?
A puzzle table is a specially made table that is manufactured with the sole intention of aiding in spreading and storing a big puzzle. It provides enough space for puzzles to be arranged, and the storage slot provided in it makes enough space to store multiple puzzles once they are finished and disassembled. Puzzle tables are a blessing for places with space constraints and limited furniture.
Puzzle tables are generally made of wood and made at the height of a standard work or study table. They are often made with an extremely smooth surface unlike the regular tables to make the puzzling experience an uncomplicated one. There are no watertight guidelines regarding the sizes and measurements of a puzzle table, as it is totally up to the player and the nature and size of the puzzles that he or she is used to playing. There are many variations to the normal puzzle table. There are puzzle tables with covers, puzzle tables with removable planks for extra space, puzzle tables with drawers, etc. available in the market.
Size of a Puzzle Table
Puzzle tables are available in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It is just a matter of personal preference when it comes to choosing the size of the puzzle table. If you are interested in playing smaller puzzles, you don’t need to look for bigger purchases, and rather stick to a smaller table.
Micro puzzles are the ones that only contain 20- 50 puzzle pieces and are easy to solve. They only occupy a little bit of space and thus, do not require any special space or tool to play it on. So, if you are a puzzle enthusiast who has an affinity for such micro puzzles, you don’t need to spend your money on a puzzle table or any other puzzle accessories as you can play them on small spaces like coffee tables or any other flat surfaces. It also does not take much time to complete and the player need not leave it unfinished on the playing surface. So, think of your puzzle preference before proceeding to buy a puzzle table.
The second category of puzzles is the 250-piece puzzles. They are the most popular type of puzzle that is sold across the world in huge numbers. It usually occupies a reasonable space and time to complete, and the player may take two to three sessions to complete it accurately. As it takes time to complete, a puzzle table is necessary to have a place of its own. It needs a space similar to a space on the coffee table or small desk space. So, it is ideal to choose a puzzle table that comes in the measurement of 250 x 360 mm. The provided measurement is a minimum value, and you can upgrade it to any value as you wish.
Another kind of popular jigsaw puzzle is the 500-piece one. Rather than regular puzzle players, people who have a strong liking for the puzzle game may only choose such puzzles as they are more complex and complicated than usual puzzles. To assort them completely, a decent-sized coffee table will be enough and thus, a puzzle table with 360 x 510 mm measurement will be ideal. From this size onwards, the puzzle tables tend to get big and it would be ideal to look for space-saving options like foldable tables and wall mount tables from this range onwards.
The next option for the puzzle table is for the 1000-piece puzzles. They are one of the larger ones on the lot and need to have quite a lot of space to be assembled and disassembled. It would also take a lot of time to get completed accurately, and needs to have a bigger table with a lot of storage options to keep all the puzzle pieces in. It usually occupies the space of a dining table or a large coffee table to be spread on. A puzzle table with dimensions 510 x 730 mm will be required minimum for such puzzles. The table needs to have drawers and other storage options as the number of puzzle pieces is quite high and may have to be grouped into small bunches and kept separately to make the arrangement easy.
There are many more to the puzzles like 1500-piece puzzles and 2000-piece puzzles. They are bought and played by avid puzzle players and thus, are not so popular comparatively. But still, puzzle tables are made for them also and the measurements are 610 x 810 mm and 685 x 990 mm respectively. As such tables might be huge, the manufacturers usually resort to space-saving options for them and usually made in a foldable manner.
Puzzle tables with covers and puzzle tables with drawers are recent additions to the lot and they cater to the needs of puzzle enthusiasts by leaving an unfinished puzzle untouched. Puzzle tables are a great addition to your puzzle accessories and the only thing that you need to be vigilant about is to not go overboard with the size of the table and identify your puzzle needs to purchase the most ideal-sized puzzle table for you.