For many people in Japan, the Obon holiday ended yesterday, and today marked the return to their normal work routine. Until yesterday, we had several cloudy and relatively cool days. Today, however, the sunshine returned, bringing warmer weather again. Even so, it was nothing like the extreme heat we experienced in July. With a high of around 30°C, it felt more like a typical summer day.
Although the humidity was still fairly high, as you would expect during a Japanese summer, we finally had some sunshine again today. I decided the conditions were good for attaching the sliding key panels. I had reached that stage in the production of the Square puzzle boxes, so I went ahead and attached one side. As you can see in the photo, I am making about 40 boxes in this batch, but only a few of them are the full Walnut version. I used the leftover materials from the 4-sun Walnut puzzle boxes I made recently, so this time I made only four. They are not limited editions, and I will probably make them again someday—although, as always, I cannot say when…😅 Most of this batch features a combination of checkered Yosegi (ichimatsu) and Walnut. On both versions, the top and bottom panels are faced with Walnut veneer rather than being made from solid Walnut. As I have mentioned before, this construction is more durable. From the outside, they still look like solid Walnut. The side panels, of course, are made from solid wood.
The sliding key panels of the Square puzzle box are exactly the same as those used on the 4-sun puzzle box. The internal mechanism is also identical to the 4-sun 14-step version. As you can see in the box at the front of the photo, although the Square puzzle box is shorter than the 4-sun version, the longer sides are fixed panels, so I use flat-sawn Walnut for them. Of course, quarter-sawn wood would be ideal for every piece, but because of the way the wood must be cut, that is not always possible. Quarter-sawn wood is more stable and less likely to warp. That said, many people actually prefer the look of flat-sawn wood because its grain patterns are more bold and attractive. Since Japanese puzzle boxes use very thin wooden panels, wood with extremely dramatic grain is not always suitable for smooth operation. I always try to find the right balance when selecting the wood.
It took a little longer than expected, but I finally listed the 4-sun 14-step Walnut puzzle boxes today. If you have a chance, please take a look.
https://www.japanesepuzzlebox.jp/product/80
