As forecast, today started with a very cold morning. The lowest temperature was not extremely low, but the temperature did not rise much during the day. I came to the workshop while light snow was drifting in the air. It is expected to get even colder from here, and the news is repeatedly warning people to be careful about heavy snowfall.
This morning, I received a question asking, “Are you planning to restock the 18-step Mame (1-sun) puzzle box?” Oh, what perfect timing! I am just about to start making them. I replied, “They should be finished around the end of the month, so please wait a little longer.”😊 By the way, I am also making a small amount for my own stock, this time.
Today, I quickly moved on to making the frame parts for the Mame puzzle boxes. There are several types of Mame puzzle boxes, and the specifications for the 14-step and 18-step versions are different. The outer size is almost the same, with the 18-step version being only about 1 mm taller. The main difference is in the internal structure. For the 18-step mechanism, the groove for the Aruki moving panel is 2 mm wide, because the Aruki panel itself is thicker. In most other Mame puzzle boxes, a 1.6 mm groove is used. The Aruki panel for the 18-step box is 5.3 mm thick, which is about 1 mm thicker than in other puzzle boxes. This may sound like a very small difference, but for a Mame puzzle box, 1 mm is quite significant. Each step in the internal “staircase” mechanism is only about 1.2 mm, so this extra thickness allows one more steps to be added. However, it is true that a thicker Aruki panel makes the movement smoother. I think this is because there is a bit more distance between the outer yosegi panel and the groove for the Aruki panel. I feel the same way when making puzzle boxes of other sizes as well.
Because of this, the inner storage space (though it will probably not be used to store anything 🤣) becomes slightly smaller. When assembling the box, I need to put my fingers into this space, so the work becomes a little more difficult. After this, I plan to assemble these parts and complete the frame of the box today.
