Special Work for the Sliding Keys
Today, the rain finally stopped, and the weather gradually began to improve. By the afternoon, the sun came out, and it became a little hot. And finally, I was able to restart work on the 4-Compartment Boxes. I had planned to do this work today even if the weather only improved a little. This is because it looks like rainy weather will return the day after tomorrow, so I wanted to attach the side panels, or sliding keys, today and tomorrow. However, contrary to my expectations, the weather turned out to be quite good. Well, since we are still in the rainy season, the humidity may still be a little higher than usual.
This attaching work was quite challenging, partly because it had been a long time since I last did it. This process is completely different from the same process on a standard Japanese puzzle box. The shape looks somewhat similar, but the actual work is different. The sliding key panels themselves had already been made quite a while ago.Today, I attached small wooden pieces inside the box, called bocchi, and then shaved their surfaces. These small wooden pieces are also a little different from usual. For a box of this size, they are rather large. The width is the same as the pieces used for a 4-sun box, 7 mm. However, the length is 24 mm, which is a little large. Since a 4-sun box uses 17 mm pieces, these are quite a bit larger. The way they are attached is also a little unusual. It is difficult to explain in writing here, but they are not attached toward one side as usual. Instead, they are attached in the center, so it was quite difficult to get the right level of tightness. I spent more time than usual adjusting them carefully before attaching them.
After attaching them, I shave the surface of the box flat. However, this was also different from usual. Both the top and bottom panels and the small wooden pieces can move in either direction, so I had to do the work while holding them in place. To solve this problem, I made a special jig. With this jig, I was able to hold the inside of the box properly and shave the surface while adjusting the positions of the panels and the bocchi. Even so, the amount to shave depends almost entirely on feel, so as usual, I worked quickly while being careful not to shave too much. Thinking about it this way, a standard Japanese puzzle box has a much easier structure to make š¤ After that, I attached the sliding key panel on one side. At the same time, I also adjusted the tightness of the top and bottom panels. Tomorrow, once I attach the panel on the other side, I will no longer be able to remove the top and bottom panels for adjustment.
This attaching work was quite challenging, partly because it had been a long time since I last did it. This process is completely different from the same process on a standard Japanese puzzle box. The shape looks somewhat similar, but the actual work is different. The sliding key panels themselves had already been made quite a while ago.Today, I attached small wooden pieces inside the box, called bocchi, and then shaved their surfaces. These small wooden pieces are also a little different from usual. For a box of this size, they are rather large. The width is the same as the pieces used for a 4-sun box, 7 mm. However, the length is 24 mm, which is a little large. Since a 4-sun box uses 17 mm pieces, these are quite a bit larger. The way they are attached is also a little unusual. It is difficult to explain in writing here, but they are not attached toward one side as usual. Instead, they are attached in the center, so it was quite difficult to get the right level of tightness. I spent more time than usual adjusting them carefully before attaching them.
After attaching them, I shave the surface of the box flat. However, this was also different from usual. Both the top and bottom panels and the small wooden pieces can move in either direction, so I had to do the work while holding them in place. To solve this problem, I made a special jig. With this jig, I was able to hold the inside of the box properly and shave the surface while adjusting the positions of the panels and the bocchi. Even so, the amount to shave depends almost entirely on feel, so as usual, I worked quickly while being careful not to shave too much. Thinking about it this way, a standard Japanese puzzle box has a much easier structure to make š¤ After that, I attached the sliding key panel on one side. At the same time, I also adjusted the tightness of the top and bottom panels. Tomorrow, once I attach the panel on the other side, I will no longer be able to remove the top and bottom panels for adjustment.