21-Nov-2024
I was out for most of the day today, but I managed to attach the Aruki (moving panels) to the 3-sun cube Japanese puzzle box I’m currently working on. As shown in the photo, the Aruki for this box is longer vertically compared to a standard puzzle box. Because of this, there’s a higher chance that the Aruki panels might warp. Preventing wood from warping is quite challenging, but to ensure the movement doesn’t become too stiff even if warping occurs, I attach the panels with slightly looser movement.
Fortunately, the rain that had been falling continuously until recently stopped this morning, and by evening, the humidity had dropped. This allowed me to attach the Aruki under ideal conditions. Starting tomorrow, I will begin attaching the outer checkered Yosegi panels.
The other box in the photo is a 2.5-sun 5-step puzzle box. I don’t make this size very often these days, but I’ve received an order from a store, so I’ll be making some soon. For those who may be familiar, this box is part of a nesting puzzle box set. In other words, a Mame puzzle box can be placed inside this 2.5-sun box, regardless of the number of steps the Mame box has.
I came up with this design and started making it about 25 years ago. Since I was already making Mame puzzle boxes at the time, I thought it would be interesting to create a puzzle box that could hold them. However, due to the size limitations of the 2.5-sun box, I couldn’t incorporate too many steps, so I settled on a simple 5-step mechanism.
The top and bottom panels feature traditional Yosegi designs, while the side panels are made of solid Nyatoh wood. Currently, I don’t have any Mame puzzle boxes in stock, but I plan to make a small batch soon. When I do, I’m considering making a few extra 2.5-sun boxes as well, so I can offer them as a complete nesting puzzle box set.
