Finishing process
Today, the weather is very nice and dry — perfect conditions for making puzzle boxes.
This morning, I worked on the finishing process for the 14-step Mame puzzle boxes. First, I used a woodworking machine to round all the corners of the boxes. Each box has 12 corners to process, and these corners can be divided into two main types based on the direction of the wood grain: 4 corners are cut perpendicular to the grain, and 8 are cut parallel to the grain. I started by rounding the 4 corners that are perpendicular to the grain (as shown in the photo). These areas are especially prone to chipping, so I need to work carefully. In the photo, it may be hard to see, but I leave a tiny bit of the rounded edge sticking out. Later, I sand each one by hand to make them flush with the side panels. If I try to use the machine to cut all the way down to the final level, it often goes too far and ends up cutting into the yosegi pattern of the side panels. To achieve a clean, beautiful finish, the final shaping must always be done by hand, with care and precision.
After shaping these first four corners, I move on to rounding the eight corners on the top and bottom of the box.
As you can probably imagine, since I’m making about 150 boxes this time, and each box has 12 corners to round, that adds up to 1,800 corners to process 😂 Rounding each one by hand takes a lot of time. Even though I use a woodworking machine, the type I use is fully manual — the blade spins automatically, but I have to hold and guide each piece by hand. So yes, that’s 1,800 passes by hand, which is a very time-consuming task. Still, there’s no real shortcut — each one has to be done carefully. To reduce the number of steps a little, I process the first four corners by lining up about six small boxes and rounding them at the same time. However, each box has slight differences in size, so sometimes when I do this group processing, one or two boxes end up being over-trimmed. That’s why I round the remaining eight corners one box at a time. It’s definitely a tiring and detailed process!
After that, I finished the corners with sandpaper, and in the afternoon, I applied the base coat.
I also made some progress on the next project — the 3-sun 12-step puzzle boxes. Today, I worked on making and assembling the frame parts. This time, I’m making about 50 boxes, so it’s not a particularly large batch.
However, since there are around six different designs, it does take a bit more effort to manage all the variations.Starting from last batch, I’ve slightly changed the dimensions of the box’s internal structure. Overall, it has been made sturdier. The internal space became a little smaller, but even a change of just 1–2 millimeters makes a big difference. I also made more of the small internal parts, as my stock was running low. These small parts are different for each mechanism, so I usually make extra and keep them in stock for future use.
From today until Friday, it’s a regular weekday period in Japan — not a national holiday — but since it’s during Golden Week, it seems many people are still off work. The roads are less crowded during the usual morning and evening commuting hours 😄 I’ll likely continue working tomorrow as well.
This morning, I worked on the finishing process for the 14-step Mame puzzle boxes. First, I used a woodworking machine to round all the corners of the boxes. Each box has 12 corners to process, and these corners can be divided into two main types based on the direction of the wood grain: 4 corners are cut perpendicular to the grain, and 8 are cut parallel to the grain. I started by rounding the 4 corners that are perpendicular to the grain (as shown in the photo). These areas are especially prone to chipping, so I need to work carefully. In the photo, it may be hard to see, but I leave a tiny bit of the rounded edge sticking out. Later, I sand each one by hand to make them flush with the side panels. If I try to use the machine to cut all the way down to the final level, it often goes too far and ends up cutting into the yosegi pattern of the side panels. To achieve a clean, beautiful finish, the final shaping must always be done by hand, with care and precision.
After shaping these first four corners, I move on to rounding the eight corners on the top and bottom of the box.
As you can probably imagine, since I’m making about 150 boxes this time, and each box has 12 corners to round, that adds up to 1,800 corners to process 😂 Rounding each one by hand takes a lot of time. Even though I use a woodworking machine, the type I use is fully manual — the blade spins automatically, but I have to hold and guide each piece by hand. So yes, that’s 1,800 passes by hand, which is a very time-consuming task. Still, there’s no real shortcut — each one has to be done carefully. To reduce the number of steps a little, I process the first four corners by lining up about six small boxes and rounding them at the same time. However, each box has slight differences in size, so sometimes when I do this group processing, one or two boxes end up being over-trimmed. That’s why I round the remaining eight corners one box at a time. It’s definitely a tiring and detailed process!
After that, I finished the corners with sandpaper, and in the afternoon, I applied the base coat.
I also made some progress on the next project — the 3-sun 12-step puzzle boxes. Today, I worked on making and assembling the frame parts. This time, I’m making about 50 boxes, so it’s not a particularly large batch.
However, since there are around six different designs, it does take a bit more effort to manage all the variations.Starting from last batch, I’ve slightly changed the dimensions of the box’s internal structure. Overall, it has been made sturdier. The internal space became a little smaller, but even a change of just 1–2 millimeters makes a big difference. I also made more of the small internal parts, as my stock was running low. These small parts are different for each mechanism, so I usually make extra and keep them in stock for future use.
From today until Friday, it’s a regular weekday period in Japan — not a national holiday — but since it’s during Golden Week, it seems many people are still off work. The roads are less crowded during the usual morning and evening commuting hours 😄 I’ll likely continue working tomorrow as well.
