15-Oct-2024
I am currently working on a 4-sun Japanese puzzle box, and most of the design for this project involves natural wood. Today, I am crafting panels that combine several types of natural wood. These panels are being made for the top and bottom surfaces of the box.
In addition to this, I’ve decided to make a small batch (around 20 pieces) of 4.2-sun boxes after a long time. Since the number is small, it shouldn’t take too much time, so I plan to complete them before moving on to the next project, for which I’ve already received orders. The reason is that I have some solid wood side panels for the 4.2-sun boxes that have been left to dry and are now fully ready. I also decided to use solid wood for the top and bottom panels of the 4.2-sun boxes, just like the current 4-sun boxes I’m making. Therefore, I’m preparing the materials for both the top and bottom panels today.The mechanism for the 4.2-sun box will have 27 steps.
The two blocks placed at the front of the photo are the materials for the 4.2-sun panels. The design features several thin lines arranged in a somewhat irregular pattern. It will probably be difficult to recreate the exact same pattern in the future, so this design will likely be unique to this batch. The materials placed at the front left and in the back are for the 4-sun panels. As seen in a photo from a few days ago, this design is the same as what I’ve made previously. Since I’ll be making a few extras, they might be available for sale on this site or elsewhere.
As you may see in the photo, the red wood I’m using this time is called Rengas. This wood has become extremely rare, as it is now almost no longer imported into Japan. I purchased it about 20 years ago and have been using it gradually. Rengas can vary greatly in color and hardness depending on the part of the tree, but the portion I’m using this time is in excellent condition, with a beautiful reddish-orange hue. It is also a type of wood that often has insect holes, but fortunately, there are none in the section I’m using this time. Once finished, it should have a very beautiful color.
Today, I also attached the Aruki panels(moving panels) to the 4-sun box (photo). The 12-step and 14-step mechanisms are made up of one top aruki panel and two side aruki panels. With this, the structural part of the 4-sun box is complete. However, since the lid panels aren’t ready yet😅, I will store this structural part in a case for now. The lid panels are made from solid wood, so they need to be aired out to dry for a while. Therefore, I’ll likely move on to building the structural parts for the 4.2-sun boxes next.
