It was sunny from the morning today, making it a pleasant day. Since the humidity has dropped, I decided to work on the Aruki moving panels for the hexagonal boxes whose frames were completed the other day. These hexagonal Aruki panels don’t have sliding keys, but since each box requires five panels and some of them interlock with one another, the process always takes a bit of time. Also, because of the nature of the hexagonal shape, each box has slight individual differences, so I carefully adjust each one as I work.
As the first step, four out of the five panels are made to the same dimensions. The remaining one is the lid panel, which has a different shape. Among the four identical panels, one will later need to be made slightly shorter than the other three, and a groove must be added to that shorter panel so that the projection on the lid panel can lock it in place. So, in the final stage, there are three types of panels in total: one lid panel, one grooved panel, and three regular panels—making five panels altogether.
As I mentioned before, I make each box according to the standard dimensions, but sometimes there are individual pieces that don’t fit perfectly within those measurements. In such cases, I carefully shave and adjust the parts to fit just right. As I’ve also written before, the key principle is to make everything with the tightest possible tolerances. If I made the parts loosely so they’d fit any box, some would end up being too loose. Since this box’s structure relies only on sliding panels—unlike boxes that use sliding keys for locking—any small gap between panels (especially the lid) would cause them to rattle before the mechanism even starts to move. That’s why each part must fit precisely. However, because of the box’s structure, it can be a bit hard to operate if it’s too tight, so a slightly loose fit is actually the goal. Finding that perfect balance each time is always a challenge for me! 😅 I’ll do the actual assembly after tomorrow.
Today, I finished painting the 3-sun cube puzzle boxes with the 18-step mechanism. Next, I’ll inspect it and then pack these. This time, I made the natural wood type (Limited type No.202511), but I’m also thinking of creating another design using different kinds of natural wood. I’ve made a slightly larger 4-sun cube box with a drawer before, and I’d like to plan to make another one of this 3-sun size with a drawer again. However, this time, I’m considering adding an extra twist to the drawer mechanism, rather than making it the usual 10-step type where the drawer simply slides out. I already have several production plans scheduled for the rest of this year, but if possible, I’d like to work on this project alongside them.
Have a nice weekend!😊
