The slide key and the wooden piece
A new week has begun, but today was a little cold. At this rate, I thought we might still have days like this until around April, so I bought one more container of kerosene for the heater today. I just hope it won’t be left over.
Today, I worked on the 3-sun 12-steps puzzle boxes from the morning. I attached the small wooden pieces inside (photo) and then shaved the surface flat. After that, I made the sliding key panels and attached them to one side of the box.
This time I am making two different designs of the box, but the side panels use the same ichimatsu yosegi pattern. Because of that, I do all of the work together. The small wooden piece (called bocchi) inside the box in the photo will be connected to the middle part of the sliding key panel, the part that actually slides. This small wooden piece is not glued, so it moves freely. But because it can move freely, there is also a risk that the mechanism may move by itself. For that reason, when making puzzle boxes, several measures must be taken to prevent this. There are different ways to do this, and each craftsman has their own method. Inside the structural wooden panel there is a small slot where this wooden piece sits. A common method is to adjust the movement using the friction between this slot and the thickness of the small wooden piece. In other words, the piece is fitted slightly tightly so that it will not slide by itself due to its own weight. However, there is something that must be considered when using that method. Because there is almost no space between the wooden piece and the slot, if the sliding key is attached even slightly at an angle, the movement can become stiff. Of course, it is best not to attach it at an angle, but since everything is attached by hand, a slight tilt can naturally happen. For that reason, it is necessary to have a way to “release” that friction when the sliding key moves slightly at an angle. Because of this, I no longer use the tight friction method for the entire movement. Instead, I attach the piece so that the first step moves slightly tightly, and after that it moves a little more loosely. The first step is the most important. If the sliding key moves by itself at that stage, it could reveal how the mechanism works.
For that reason, the thickness of the small wooden piece is important, and even more important is the hardness of the material itself. I currently use agathis wood, the same material as the box structure, but not just any piece of agathis. I carefully select parts of the wood that are a little denser. This area is especially delicate, so the work takes time each time I do it. I believe there is still room for improvement, but for now I use the method that I think works best.
Today, I worked on the 3-sun 12-steps puzzle boxes from the morning. I attached the small wooden pieces inside (photo) and then shaved the surface flat. After that, I made the sliding key panels and attached them to one side of the box.
This time I am making two different designs of the box, but the side panels use the same ichimatsu yosegi pattern. Because of that, I do all of the work together. The small wooden piece (called bocchi) inside the box in the photo will be connected to the middle part of the sliding key panel, the part that actually slides. This small wooden piece is not glued, so it moves freely. But because it can move freely, there is also a risk that the mechanism may move by itself. For that reason, when making puzzle boxes, several measures must be taken to prevent this. There are different ways to do this, and each craftsman has their own method. Inside the structural wooden panel there is a small slot where this wooden piece sits. A common method is to adjust the movement using the friction between this slot and the thickness of the small wooden piece. In other words, the piece is fitted slightly tightly so that it will not slide by itself due to its own weight. However, there is something that must be considered when using that method. Because there is almost no space between the wooden piece and the slot, if the sliding key is attached even slightly at an angle, the movement can become stiff. Of course, it is best not to attach it at an angle, but since everything is attached by hand, a slight tilt can naturally happen. For that reason, it is necessary to have a way to “release” that friction when the sliding key moves slightly at an angle. Because of this, I no longer use the tight friction method for the entire movement. Instead, I attach the piece so that the first step moves slightly tightly, and after that it moves a little more loosely. The first step is the most important. If the sliding key moves by itself at that stage, it could reveal how the mechanism works.
For that reason, the thickness of the small wooden piece is important, and even more important is the hardness of the material itself. I currently use agathis wood, the same material as the box structure, but not just any piece of agathis. I carefully select parts of the wood that are a little denser. This area is especially delicate, so the work takes time each time I do it. I believe there is still room for improvement, but for now I use the method that I think works best.