Walnut side panels
Once again, Japan is experiencing record-breaking heat today. Just now, the room in my workshop where the woodworking machines are (where there’s no air conditioning) reached 38°C! 🤣 So this afternoon, I’m working in the air-conditioned room, doing tasks like attaching side panels.
Today’s work is mainly a continuation from yesterday — I'm working on the 2-sun cube and the 3-sun 18-steps puzzle box. The 2-sun cube is now in the finishing stage and waiting for the base coating.
The photo shows the process of attaching the side panels (Kannuki slide key panels) for the 3-sun 18-steps box, which I’ll be doing over today and tomorrow. Since these Kannuki panels are divided into three parts, I attach one side per day.
The 3-sun size is still small enough to handle, but since the panels are made of walnut, which tends to warp or shrink more easily, I carefully choose the right timing for the work. I wanted to do it during the coolest part of the day, but it was already hot in the morning, and I couldn’t finish everything before noon — so I ended up working into the afternoon. I had to be extra cautious to avoid letting the box get too warm.
If it were a 4-sun box, I might have postponed the work today, because larger panels are more likely to warp. That said, for this 18-step box, the surface area where the Kannuki panel is attached is slightly larger compared to something like a 12-step box, so it’s a bit more stable and less prone to warping — which gives me some peace of mind.
Of course, to prevent any warping, the walnut boards must be properly dried beforehand. And in that sense, this current weather is more than enough for drying wood! 😂 I stacked the boards in a cross-lattice shape and left them to dry out in the sun for several days.
Looking ahead, I plan to use this same walnut wood for two more types of boxes — the 2-sun 7-steps and the 4-sun 14-steps boxes. The walnut boards for these have already been prepared and well dried.
For the type with the checkered (ichimatsu) design of 3-sun 18-step box, I’ll have a few extra pieces in stock, so I plan to list them for sale on this site soon.
Today’s work is mainly a continuation from yesterday — I'm working on the 2-sun cube and the 3-sun 18-steps puzzle box. The 2-sun cube is now in the finishing stage and waiting for the base coating.
The photo shows the process of attaching the side panels (Kannuki slide key panels) for the 3-sun 18-steps box, which I’ll be doing over today and tomorrow. Since these Kannuki panels are divided into three parts, I attach one side per day.
The 3-sun size is still small enough to handle, but since the panels are made of walnut, which tends to warp or shrink more easily, I carefully choose the right timing for the work. I wanted to do it during the coolest part of the day, but it was already hot in the morning, and I couldn’t finish everything before noon — so I ended up working into the afternoon. I had to be extra cautious to avoid letting the box get too warm.
If it were a 4-sun box, I might have postponed the work today, because larger panels are more likely to warp. That said, for this 18-step box, the surface area where the Kannuki panel is attached is slightly larger compared to something like a 12-step box, so it’s a bit more stable and less prone to warping — which gives me some peace of mind.
Of course, to prevent any warping, the walnut boards must be properly dried beforehand. And in that sense, this current weather is more than enough for drying wood! 😂 I stacked the boards in a cross-lattice shape and left them to dry out in the sun for several days.
Looking ahead, I plan to use this same walnut wood for two more types of boxes — the 2-sun 7-steps and the 4-sun 14-steps boxes. The walnut boards for these have already been prepared and well dried.
For the type with the checkered (ichimatsu) design of 3-sun 18-step box, I’ll have a few extra pieces in stock, so I plan to list them for sale on this site soon.
