Today was another warm and humid day, with a cloudy sky that looked like it might rain at any moment. I spent the entire day working in the workshop. Today was also the last weekday of May. I have already started working on pieces planned for June, but I was able to finish all the boxes that I had scheduled to complete in May. During the morning, I checked the movement of the mechanisms in those finished boxes to make sure everything worked smoothly. I also worked on making the side panels for some 2.5-sun puzzle boxes.
The boxes completed today were a 4-sun 21-steps puzzle box and a 2-sun Cube 7-steps puzzle box. One of the 2-sun Cube boxes was missing an internal part, so I added it and corrected the issue. You might wonder, “If an internal part was forgotten, can it really be added later?” The answer is yes, it can. Normally this would be impossible, but I have a special method for dealing with this situation. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal the details here, but it is something like a secret technique that I developed through many years of making puzzle boxes 🤭 As for the 4-sun 21-steps puzzle box, the first move of the sliding key panel was a little too stiff, so I adjusted it. This happens from time to time. In a way, it may be better than having it too loose. Of course, a stiff mechanism is not good, but if the very first sliding key moves too easily, it immediately reveals where the first move is. In some cases, it can even move just by tilting the box. For that reason, I intentionally adjust the first sliding key so that it stays firmly in place. However, if it becomes too stiff, that is not good either, so I often make fine adjustments at this stage to achieve the right balance.
After that, I worked on the long side panels for the 2.5-sun puzzle boxes that I had glued yesterday. As I had feared, one of the boards ended up shifting during the gluing process (photo). You may be able to notice it if you look closely. On the slightly longer center panel, only a small portion of the yellow wood is visible. Normally, the yellow section should extend about 4 mm beyond the inner panel that it is glued to. Three long side panels can be cut from this larger panel, so unfortunately this mistake reduced the number of completed boxes by two. I usually make a few extra panels just in case, but this time I had prepared enough for only 40 boxes. I believe the cause was that I rushed and applied the clamps too early. The pressure from the clamps is very strong, so I need to wait until the glue has dried enough that the pieces will no longer move before tightening them. However, if I wait too long, the glue dries too much and the pieces will not bond properly even when pressure is applied. Finding the right timing is very difficult. This process of applying glue, allowing it to partially dry, and then applying strong pressure once the pieces can no longer shift is used many times during the making of Japanese puzzle boxes. It requires years of experience, as well as careful judgment based on the weather and other conditions on that particular day. When mistakes happen, it is usually because I become impatient and move too quickly. This time, I did it again 😭
In the afternoon, I prepared the parts for the side panels of a custom order for a customer in Japan. The boxes are relatively large, and since there are quite a few of them, I decided to spend today preparing the parts and leave the gluing work for another day. I expect to spend a significant amount of time on this project during the first half of next month.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
