Processing the kannuki
Yesterday, I had to go out unexpectedly in the afternoon, so I couldn’t finish the final work on the 5-sun 36-steps puzzle box as planned. I started that work this morning instead.
This box features a traditional yosegi design and has rounded corners. The corners are shaped using a curved woodworking blade. After roughly shaping them with a rounding machine, I finish each corner by hand, using a sponge-like sanding tool to smooth out any uneven or protruding parts.
The most important thing to watch out for when rounding the corners is the position of the Kannuki (sliding key). The panel with the Kannuki also has its corners rounded, which means the Kannuki itself gets partially shaped in the process. If it moves during the cutting, it can get shaved down more than intended.
That’s why it’s essential to keep the Kannuki in its correct position while shaping. Even the slightest shift isn’t acceptable, so I carefully hold it in place and adjust it to the proper position each time I cut—even if it hasn’t actually moved. This box, in particular, has Kannuki on both the left and right sides, and each one moves independently, so the effort required is doubled. However, this step is extremely important to ensure the box is finished cleanly in its original state—before the mechanism is activated and the Kannuki begins to move.
After that, I worked on attaching the "inside" bottom panel to the frame of the square Knock Box that I assembled yesterday. Once the bottom panel is attached, the box becomes even stronger.
Unlike traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, this box uses a mechanism that responds to light impact to trigger movement, so I believe the structural strength of the box itself is especially important.
If the weather improves tomorrow, I hope to begin working on the Aruki panel.
This box features a traditional yosegi design and has rounded corners. The corners are shaped using a curved woodworking blade. After roughly shaping them with a rounding machine, I finish each corner by hand, using a sponge-like sanding tool to smooth out any uneven or protruding parts.
The most important thing to watch out for when rounding the corners is the position of the Kannuki (sliding key). The panel with the Kannuki also has its corners rounded, which means the Kannuki itself gets partially shaped in the process. If it moves during the cutting, it can get shaved down more than intended.
That’s why it’s essential to keep the Kannuki in its correct position while shaping. Even the slightest shift isn’t acceptable, so I carefully hold it in place and adjust it to the proper position each time I cut—even if it hasn’t actually moved. This box, in particular, has Kannuki on both the left and right sides, and each one moves independently, so the effort required is doubled. However, this step is extremely important to ensure the box is finished cleanly in its original state—before the mechanism is activated and the Kannuki begins to move.
After that, I worked on attaching the "inside" bottom panel to the frame of the square Knock Box that I assembled yesterday. Once the bottom panel is attached, the box becomes even stronger.
Unlike traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, this box uses a mechanism that responds to light impact to trigger movement, so I believe the structural strength of the box itself is especially important.
If the weather improves tomorrow, I hope to begin working on the Aruki panel.
