11-Jun-2025
Today, I worked on the final steps of the 27-steps puzzle box that I finished yesterday. Since it was raining and the humidity was quite high, I can not do tasks like making Aruki parts. from the morning, the humidity was already over 80%. Yesterday, the rainy season officially started in our area, so we can expect many rainy days ahead. During this season, I need to adjust my work depending on the weather. The rainy season usually continues until around the middle of July.
Besides that, I also made and attached the top and bottom panels for some 4-sun boxes whose internal structures were already completed and kept in storage. This time, I’m making three types. This step isn’t too affected by humidity, but after attaching the panels, I always store them in a humidity-controlled case. If the panels absorb too much moisture, it can cause problems.
The three types I’m using are traditional yosegi and two kinds of natural wood. When I say “natural wood”of this time, I mean a veneer of sliced real wood that is glued onto plywood. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to use solid wood for the top and bottom panels. These panels are only about 3 mm thick, and even if the wood is dried well, it can still warp or shrink later. This is especially likely if the box is sent to a country with lower humidity than Japan.
So for now, using natural wood on top of plywood seems to be the best choice. However, I sometimes use solid wood panels that are made by combining several different kinds of wood in striped patterns for the top and bottom. These also have the same risks, but because the woods are combined, the effect of moisture is more balanced. In other words, this kind of panel has more strength than a single piece of solid wood.
Strictly speaking, this combined type of panel is more resistant to warping, though it might still shrink a little. But since each stripe of wood is narrow, it doesn’t absorb or release moisture as much, so the shrinking effect should be smaller than with a single wide piece of solid wood.
That’s why I use both plywood-backed and solid wood types for my natural wood panels. Of course, the biggest reason I like to use mixed-wood types is that they look colorful and beautiful 😊
