The rain that started last night was still falling this morning. In the afternoon, the sun came out, but it was a bit humid today. Today, I was planning to work on the finishing process of the 5-sun 27-steps puzzle box, so the timing was just right, and I was able to do the work with peace of mind. As I wrote in another post a few days ago, I feel that this finishing process, leading into the base coating stage, is the most delicate time for the boxes. Maybe it is also because, after coming this far, I really do not want any problems to happen. Anyway, everything went well, and the 5-sun box has now moved on to the base coating stage.
Today, the finishing work was my main task, but I also made some progress on a 4-sun 18-steps puzzle box that I am currently working on. I took a panel that had been fixed in a flat board shape with a vise and processed it into a side panel for the puzzle box (photo). On the inside, four grooves have been carved. Each groove is for one of the four Aruki sliding panels to pass through. The shape is symmetrical in all directions, but I still set a specific orientation. In practice, the side that will be on the top of the box is finished more smoothly, while the side that will be on the bottom is left as it is after being cut with a saw. Leaving it as it was cut may sound like a rough finish, but in fact, it often keeps the dimensions more accurate. However, cutting with a saw leaves slight marks, and they do not look very nice when the box is opened. So the side that will face the top is planed with a machine to make it smooth. Because of this, when assembling, I need to match the left and right panels carefully so I do not mix them up. Still, when making many pieces, it is easy to make a small mistake, so I draw a line with a pencil on the side that will face the bottom. When assembling, I place the panels so the top side is facing up, so if I can see that pencil line, I know immediately that something is wrong. Even so, if I happen to make a mistake, I can simply erase the pencil line and assemble it, and it will still function properly as a mechanism, since the panel is completely symmetrical in all directions.
In addition, as I mentioned yesterday, I prepared the material for the top Aruki panels by shaving it down to the proper thickness and adjusting the width. Like the side Aruki panels, I only added the small serrated detail at the tip. It is still in the form of a long board, and I plan to continue the processing after the frame part is completed.
By the way, in Japan, a three-day holiday starts tomorrow. Tomorrow is a public holiday for the Spring Equinox. Many schools have already finished their graduation ceremonies this week, and students will probably be on spring break. Until the beginning of April, when the new school year starts, tourist areas are likely to be quite busy.
