Ichimatsu Yosegi for 2-sun/3-sun boxes
It was sunny and warm from the morning today, and I thought it would be a very nice day. However, the forecast said there would be thunderstorms in the afternoon. Just as expected, it started to rain after noon, and the weather repeated between sunshine and rain from time to time. As I am writing this blog now, the weather has become sunny again. Since the rain only lasted for a short time, the humidity does not feel very high.
Today, I completed the hexagonal puzzle box that I had been working on and was able to deliver it successfully. In the morning, the customer came to my workshop to pick it up. I have known this customer since the time I first started my workshop, and each time they come to pick up an order, we also discuss future projects and upcoming work. It had been a while since I last made a hexagonal box, and once again I felt that the adjustment work is very difficult. Even after making them for many decades, each time I still find new points that can be improved. This time as well, I came up with several new ideas and made notes about them.
Although I had that schedule in the morning, I mainly worked on attaching the Aruki sliding panels for the 5-sun drawer puzzle box that I made yesterday. The weather was still nice and very dry in the morning, so the conditions were just right for this work. I spent the whole morning on it and was able to finish it successfully. I often feel that the adjustment of the Aruki panels for the 5-sun drawer-style puzzle box is a little difficult. This is because the movement can easily change between the condition at this stage and the condition after the side panels are attached later. I am not completely sure why this happens, but I think it is probably related to the special structure of the frame section. This time as well, I attached the panels while taking that into consideration.
Even though the 5-sun box had reached this stage of completion, I actually had still not glued the traditional Yosegi sheet to board yet 😅 Even though the next process already requires this panel... So in the afternoon, I worked on this task. Since the panel is attached to plywood, it can be used without waiting very long after gluing, so there was no problem. The reason I waited a little this time was because I also wanted to attach the Ichimatsu Yosegi sheets for the top and bottom panels used for the 3-sun and 2-sun boxes at the same time. The photo shows those Ichimatsu Yosegi sheets. Until recently, I had been using Ichimatsu Yosegi made for the 3-sun cubes, but that became sold out, so I newly made these this time. These are sized specifically for the 2-sun and 3-sun boxes. Among the three wood colors, the red and brown woods are slightly harder materials, so slicing them was a little difficult, but I was able to attach them successfully. As for the 2-sun boxes, I plan to make them as special orders this time, but I may not produce them often as stock items in the future. The red wood is called Rengas, and it is a type of wood that often has small insect holes. It is difficult to avoid them completely, and this time there are also a few small holes. However, when the wood is made into thin sheets and attached like this, instead of being used as solid wood, the holes become much less noticeable.
Today, I completed the hexagonal puzzle box that I had been working on and was able to deliver it successfully. In the morning, the customer came to my workshop to pick it up. I have known this customer since the time I first started my workshop, and each time they come to pick up an order, we also discuss future projects and upcoming work. It had been a while since I last made a hexagonal box, and once again I felt that the adjustment work is very difficult. Even after making them for many decades, each time I still find new points that can be improved. This time as well, I came up with several new ideas and made notes about them.
Although I had that schedule in the morning, I mainly worked on attaching the Aruki sliding panels for the 5-sun drawer puzzle box that I made yesterday. The weather was still nice and very dry in the morning, so the conditions were just right for this work. I spent the whole morning on it and was able to finish it successfully. I often feel that the adjustment of the Aruki panels for the 5-sun drawer-style puzzle box is a little difficult. This is because the movement can easily change between the condition at this stage and the condition after the side panels are attached later. I am not completely sure why this happens, but I think it is probably related to the special structure of the frame section. This time as well, I attached the panels while taking that into consideration.
Even though the 5-sun box had reached this stage of completion, I actually had still not glued the traditional Yosegi sheet to board yet 😅 Even though the next process already requires this panel... So in the afternoon, I worked on this task. Since the panel is attached to plywood, it can be used without waiting very long after gluing, so there was no problem. The reason I waited a little this time was because I also wanted to attach the Ichimatsu Yosegi sheets for the top and bottom panels used for the 3-sun and 2-sun boxes at the same time. The photo shows those Ichimatsu Yosegi sheets. Until recently, I had been using Ichimatsu Yosegi made for the 3-sun cubes, but that became sold out, so I newly made these this time. These are sized specifically for the 2-sun and 3-sun boxes. Among the three wood colors, the red and brown woods are slightly harder materials, so slicing them was a little difficult, but I was able to attach them successfully. As for the 2-sun boxes, I plan to make them as special orders this time, but I may not produce them often as stock items in the future. The red wood is called Rengas, and it is a type of wood that often has small insect holes. It is difficult to avoid them completely, and this time there are also a few small holes. However, when the wood is made into thin sheets and attached like this, instead of being used as solid wood, the holes become much less noticeable.