I stopped by my workshop this afternoon and worked for a while. It has become quite warm, and it was sunny again today. I finished the final check of the 4-sun 18-steps Japanese puzzle boxes, and they are now complete. I also packed them with instruction sheets. Recently, I was running low on the gift boxes for the 4-sun size, so I had new ones made for the first time in a while (maybe since last year). Thinking about it, I may not have made many 4-sun boxes recently, but when I checked my production records, I realized that I actually make some type every month. I usually order around 200 boxes at a time, so I will probably order more after making another 200 pieces. As long as the outer size is the same, I can use the same box for different puzzle types. This time it is an 18-steps puzzle box, but I use the same box for other types as well, such as 27-step or 14-step designs.
Today, I also spent some time cleaning up waste in the workshop. Since my workshop is small, it can quickly fill up with scraps and leftover materials if I don’t keep it tidy. I do not reuse defective parts or leftover pieces from previous work. It may seem wasteful, but it is actually very difficult to reuse parts for puzzle boxes. If I were making exactly the same design all the time, it might be possible, but for example, the 4-sun 81-steps puzzle box I made this time will probably not be made again for several months. If I kept all the extra Aruki panels each time, the workshop would soon be full of them. So for each production, I make a small number of extra parts, but I try not to make too many. Usually, only two or three extra pieces.
As you can see in the photo, the wood is stored in large boards (about 3 to 4 meters / 10 to 13 feet long), and they are in a rough state. So before using them, I always cut and shape them to match each part. These offcuts are what build up like this. I also need to dispose of these regularly, about once every three weeks to a month. I hand them over to a specialized company, and they are reused afterward. They may be turned into fuel or into engineered wood materials like the ones I use. If the amount is small, I sometimes dispose of them through the local waste service. Occasionally, there are people who want these wood chips, as they use them in cases for keeping insects. During my usual work, a dust collector sucks up these wood chips and stores them in a large bag. I empty this bag regularly. I did this today as well, and it was very dusty work 🤣 I wear a mask and a hat to avoid breathing in the dust, so I am fully protected while doing this. Now everything is clean again, and I can focus on making the boxes for a while 👍
