Yosegi for Mame puzzle boxes
It was sunny again this morning, but from tonight the weather is expected to worsen due to a strong cold air mass. It seems that it will be very cold for about the next week, so I need to be careful. Today, I finally started the finishing work on the inner box of the nested set. I was able to finish it smoothly in the morning, and once the undercoat is applied, it will be a big relief.
For this nested puzzle box, it did take a bit more time than usual, so it will likely be one of the higher-priced boxes in my work. Even so, it was a very enjoyable process, and if possible, I would like to make it again in the future. As I mentioned in a recent Instagram post, while I was thinking about this nested box, I remembered that I once sold a simple inner box placed inside a 5-sun puzzle box with a drawer. That inner box had no real mechanism and opened in just one step, but it was a good size for storing cards and small items. Because the 5-sun box with a drawer has space reserved for the drawer at the bottom, the upper storage area is relatively shallow. For that reason, the inner box was also made with a shallow design. When I recently checked my materials, I found that I still have some ichimatsu solid yosegi in stock that was used for that inner box. This made me feel like trying to make it again. After I finish making the next batch of Mame puzzle boxes, I am thinking of working on this project (Inner box only) next. That means I will naturally need to make more 5-sun puzzle boxes with drawers, as the stock for those is getting low. I was thinking about making either the 5-sun 27-step boxes or the ones with drawers next month, but it looks like it will be the drawer version this time.
Yes, before that, it is time to work on the Mame puzzle boxes 😅 This time, I will be making 18-step mechanism type. Today, I started with the very first step, which is gluing the yosegi sheets. This time, the order is for Hakone Market, so I am using the yosegi sheets that were provided. In fact, there is no yosegi sheet made specifically for Mame puzzle boxes. Because the boxes are very small, they can be made as long as the sheet is a certain minimum size. As you can see in the photo, I cut the necessary parts from a larger yosegi sheet to make them. However, I cannot make thin wooden boards of this large size in my workshop. So instead, I glue three narrow boards side by side to create one sheet. The width of this single board is enough to produce two rows of side panels, as well as the top and bottom panels, for the Mame puzzle boxes.
For this nested puzzle box, it did take a bit more time than usual, so it will likely be one of the higher-priced boxes in my work. Even so, it was a very enjoyable process, and if possible, I would like to make it again in the future. As I mentioned in a recent Instagram post, while I was thinking about this nested box, I remembered that I once sold a simple inner box placed inside a 5-sun puzzle box with a drawer. That inner box had no real mechanism and opened in just one step, but it was a good size for storing cards and small items. Because the 5-sun box with a drawer has space reserved for the drawer at the bottom, the upper storage area is relatively shallow. For that reason, the inner box was also made with a shallow design. When I recently checked my materials, I found that I still have some ichimatsu solid yosegi in stock that was used for that inner box. This made me feel like trying to make it again. After I finish making the next batch of Mame puzzle boxes, I am thinking of working on this project (Inner box only) next. That means I will naturally need to make more 5-sun puzzle boxes with drawers, as the stock for those is getting low. I was thinking about making either the 5-sun 27-step boxes or the ones with drawers next month, but it looks like it will be the drawer version this time.
Yes, before that, it is time to work on the Mame puzzle boxes 😅 This time, I will be making 18-step mechanism type. Today, I started with the very first step, which is gluing the yosegi sheets. This time, the order is for Hakone Market, so I am using the yosegi sheets that were provided. In fact, there is no yosegi sheet made specifically for Mame puzzle boxes. Because the boxes are very small, they can be made as long as the sheet is a certain minimum size. As you can see in the photo, I cut the necessary parts from a larger yosegi sheet to make them. However, I cannot make thin wooden boards of this large size in my workshop. So instead, I glue three narrow boards side by side to create one sheet. The width of this single board is enough to produce two rows of side panels, as well as the top and bottom panels, for the Mame puzzle boxes.