Grooving blade
It has been very hot these past two days, with temperatures reaching around 30°C. While this kind of weather might be ideal for gluing panels, the heat is quite tough to handle 😂
Today, I continued working on two types of boxes—the smallest 12-steps and the 3-sun 12-steps puzzle boxes. For the 3-sun box, all assembly work has now been completed. I plan to decide when to move on to the finishing process based on the weather. Since there is a chance of rain tonight, the humidity may rise tomorrow, which could actually make it a good day for finishing. I’ll decide tomorrow depending on the conditions.
As for the smallest 12-steps box, the side panels have been attached, and next comes the work on the Kannuki panels (slide key panels). These are small and thin, so the production method is a bit different from that of other puzzle boxes.
Since today was mostly gluing work, I used some time in the morning to start a new batch of Mame 18-steps puzzle boxes. Lately, I’ve been making these types. This time, I’m making about 40 boxes, including the version with the “One-point solid hexagonal yosegi” design.
The photo shows the process of making the side panels. The grooves for the Aruki panels (moving panels) are specially shaped—they stop partway through the panel, which is a bit unusual. I had special custom blades made by a tool manufacturer just for this purpose, because regular off-the-shelf blades weren’t suitable for such small boxes.
These custom blades are very small and used only for cutting the grooves for the Aruki panels of the mame puzzle boxes. I have two types of blades: a 1.6 mm type for 14-steps boxes, and a 2 mm type for the 18-steps version. These allow the Aruki panels to stop partway while still moving smoothly within the mechanism.
Today, I continued working on two types of boxes—the smallest 12-steps and the 3-sun 12-steps puzzle boxes. For the 3-sun box, all assembly work has now been completed. I plan to decide when to move on to the finishing process based on the weather. Since there is a chance of rain tonight, the humidity may rise tomorrow, which could actually make it a good day for finishing. I’ll decide tomorrow depending on the conditions.
As for the smallest 12-steps box, the side panels have been attached, and next comes the work on the Kannuki panels (slide key panels). These are small and thin, so the production method is a bit different from that of other puzzle boxes.
Since today was mostly gluing work, I used some time in the morning to start a new batch of Mame 18-steps puzzle boxes. Lately, I’ve been making these types. This time, I’m making about 40 boxes, including the version with the “One-point solid hexagonal yosegi” design.
The photo shows the process of making the side panels. The grooves for the Aruki panels (moving panels) are specially shaped—they stop partway through the panel, which is a bit unusual. I had special custom blades made by a tool manufacturer just for this purpose, because regular off-the-shelf blades weren’t suitable for such small boxes.
These custom blades are very small and used only for cutting the grooves for the Aruki panels of the mame puzzle boxes. I have two types of blades: a 1.6 mm type for 14-steps boxes, and a 2 mm type for the 18-steps version. These allow the Aruki panels to stop partway while still moving smoothly within the mechanism.
