19-Dec-2024
Today, I worked on various tasks, progressing each one little by little. First, I applied the final coat of finish to the 4-sun, 27-step puzzle boxes. The weather is very dry today, and the finish dries quickly, which is great. In between tasks, I quickly assembled the frame for the 2-sun cube puzzle box with drawer (photo).
When applying the finish, I use a large industrial ventilation fan. It pulls in a lot of air, pushing the air inside the workshop outside and drawing fresh air in through the windows. If I do this work in the morning when the temperature is low, it gets quite chilly!😂 That’s why I usually do this task in the afternoon. However, Japan’s real winter chill is still to come. Once the new year arrives, the cold intensifies all at once.
After that, I packed some shipments and then made some progress on crafting the Aruki (moving panels) for the 3-sun cube 18-step puzzle box I’ve started working on. It’s not finished yet, but I managed to shape the stepped grooves and finalize their dimensions. As you can see in the photo, the notched design of Aruki for this 18-step mechanism has three levels. By the way, the 27-step mechanism has four levels. As the number of steps increases, so does the number of levels in the notches.
For the 27-step mechanism, the Aruki thickness is 8.5 mm, and each step measures 2.2 mm. In contrast, the 18-step mechanism has an Aruki thickness of 6.5 mm, with each step measuring 2.3 mm. The total doesn’t add up precisely, because the first step is made slightly thinner. Specifically, the 18-step mechanism has an Aruki thickness of 6.5 mm = 1.9 mm + 2.3 mm + 2.3 mm. This initial offset of 1.9 mm compared to 2.3 mm is essential to ensure the mechanism works smoothly. If everything fit perfectly, even a slight misalignment could cause the mechanism to stop functioning.
Tomorrow, I hope to make further progress on these tasks.
