17-Dec-2024
Today, I continued working on the 4-sun 27-step Japanese puzzle box. The photo shows the final attachment process for this box, specifically the Kannuki panel (slide key panel). As you may know, a standard Kannuki panel is cut into three parts like this.
When attaching this panel, it is best to work on dry days. Fortunately, the past few days have been sunny and dry, so the work has been progressing smoothly. This is because I believe this panel is the most unstable part of the puzzle box structure and the most prone to issues. The most common problem is warping of the wood. Since large portions of this panel are not glued to the box, there is a possibility that the panel may warp freely. The direction of the warp is always the same—it bends outward, away from the box. I won’t explain why this happens this time, but as a result, gaps can form between the box body and the panel. To prevent this as much as possible, attaching the panel on dry days is essential.
Today, I decided on the next puzzle box to make. My next project will be the 3-sun cube with 18-step mechanism. This will be the 18-step version of the 3-sun cube with the Ichimatsu design that I made recently. The previous version had a 14-step mechanism. While the difference in steps is only four, the major change is that in this version, all four panels move. Generally, from 18 steps type, Japanese puzzle boxes are designed so that the mechanism moves sequentially as all four panels shift. Therefore, the 18-step mechanism is more complex than the 14-step version, making it more challenging to open.
This will be my first time creating the 18-step mechanism for the 3-sun Ichimatsu cube, as I have only ever made a 14-step version before. Since I completed the Ichimatsu Yosegi sheet in last month, I decided to make another 3-sun cube version. Today, I have already prepared the materials and attached the Ichimatsu Yosegi sheets. As always, these Yosegi panels must be properly dried, so I made it a priority to complete this task first and allow them time to dry. I plan to start working on the box little by little from tomorrow onward.
