Making the Aruki for the 3-sun cube
It was sunny from the morning today, and the humidity had dropped, so I was able to make good progress on several tasks. Since I had plans to go out in the evening, I worked on making the Aruki moving panels for the 3-sun cube box during the morning. This time, I’m making a 14-step mechanism.
The 3-sun cube has an internal structure similar to normal 4-sun boxes. However, because of its cube shape, the box has a greater height, so I use 9 mm wooden blocks (called bocchi, small internal wood pieces) to make the mechanism slightly higher vertically than that of the 4-sun box. This 9 mm size is the same as what I use in the 5-sun boxes.
The outer sliding key panels are also wider, so the sliding keys themselves, as well as the inner wooden pieces glued to them, are made wider too. This helps maintain balance among the three divided outer panels. If I used the narrower sliding keys like those in the 4-sun box, the balance would look a bit off because of the cube’s higher proportions.
Because the box is taller, the Aruki panels also need to be higher. Longer panels have a wider contact area when they move, which means more friction, so extra care is needed. When exposed to humidity or dryness, the movement can easily become stiff.
However, since the contact area is large, if the panels are adjusted and attached properly, the movement can actually become very stable. The key point is to attach them slightly loosely. Even when they are a bit loose, they won’t wobble excessively and will move smoothly. If they are fitted too tightly, the movement may become extremely stiff when the box is affected by changes in the surrounding air.
After that, I attached the sliding key panels for the 5-sun box I’ve been working on since last week. I had already finished making the panels yesterday evening. Since this 5-sun box has a drawer, one side is made from a single solid panel, so I attached the opposite sliding key panel at the same time, gluing both sides simultaneously.
Yesterday, I added four types of square 18-steps boxes to this site. Among them, the solid wood type is this month’s limited-edition box. This will be the last time I make panels using this particular natural wood combination, and next time I plan to create boxes with a different pattern.
The 3-sun cube has an internal structure similar to normal 4-sun boxes. However, because of its cube shape, the box has a greater height, so I use 9 mm wooden blocks (called bocchi, small internal wood pieces) to make the mechanism slightly higher vertically than that of the 4-sun box. This 9 mm size is the same as what I use in the 5-sun boxes.
The outer sliding key panels are also wider, so the sliding keys themselves, as well as the inner wooden pieces glued to them, are made wider too. This helps maintain balance among the three divided outer panels. If I used the narrower sliding keys like those in the 4-sun box, the balance would look a bit off because of the cube’s higher proportions.
Because the box is taller, the Aruki panels also need to be higher. Longer panels have a wider contact area when they move, which means more friction, so extra care is needed. When exposed to humidity or dryness, the movement can easily become stiff.
However, since the contact area is large, if the panels are adjusted and attached properly, the movement can actually become very stable. The key point is to attach them slightly loosely. Even when they are a bit loose, they won’t wobble excessively and will move smoothly. If they are fitted too tightly, the movement may become extremely stiff when the box is affected by changes in the surrounding air.
After that, I attached the sliding key panels for the 5-sun box I’ve been working on since last week. I had already finished making the panels yesterday evening. Since this 5-sun box has a drawer, one side is made from a single solid panel, so I attached the opposite sliding key panel at the same time, gluing both sides simultaneously.
Yesterday, I added four types of square 18-steps boxes to this site. Among them, the solid wood type is this month’s limited-edition box. This will be the last time I make panels using this particular natural wood combination, and next time I plan to create boxes with a different pattern.