The 4-Step Type After a Long Time
Yesterday, the heat seems to have gone beyond mōsho, or extreme heat, and reached what is called kokusho, meaning severe or brutal heat. This may be because temperatures exceeded 40°C in some areas. The character mō in mōsho means intense, while koku in kokusho means severe or harsh. So it is one level beyond extreme heat. Today was another day like that ☀️
It was already hot from the morning, but still better than in the afternoon, so I continued the finishing work on the 3-sun 12-step puzzle boxes that I had started yesterday. Since there are many boxes this time, I divided one stage of the work over two days. Today, I finished the side panels and sanded the top panels. I finish the side panels using a woodworking machine called a sander, which uses sandpaper. It makes the surfaces very smooth. At this stage, I also lightly sand the top and bottom panels. This removes any dust from the production process and any small burrs left on the side panels. It is a very important step because once the boxes are painted, these particles would be trapped under the finish. After that, I chamfered all the edges of the boxes and moved on to the undercoating process.
Yesterday, I started making the next batch of Mame 4-step puzzle boxes. I prepared the materials and planed them to the required thickness. Today, I made and assembled the frames. I am making about 90 boxes this time, but unfortunately they are made to order, so none will be available in my own stock. The 4-step type is different from other Mame puzzle boxes and is more like a standard puzzle box. It uses the same kind of 4-step mechanism found in larger 3-sun and 4-sun boxes, but in a much smaller size. As shown in the photo, the bottom panel of this box is fixed, so there are three grooves for the Aruki side panels. The outer dimensions are the same as my other Mame puzzle boxes, and the Aruki panels are also the same thickness, 4.3 mm. I felt as though I had made this type fairly recently, but it seems that it has already been a year since I last made the 4-step version. Time passes quickly 😅
It was already hot from the morning, but still better than in the afternoon, so I continued the finishing work on the 3-sun 12-step puzzle boxes that I had started yesterday. Since there are many boxes this time, I divided one stage of the work over two days. Today, I finished the side panels and sanded the top panels. I finish the side panels using a woodworking machine called a sander, which uses sandpaper. It makes the surfaces very smooth. At this stage, I also lightly sand the top and bottom panels. This removes any dust from the production process and any small burrs left on the side panels. It is a very important step because once the boxes are painted, these particles would be trapped under the finish. After that, I chamfered all the edges of the boxes and moved on to the undercoating process.
Yesterday, I started making the next batch of Mame 4-step puzzle boxes. I prepared the materials and planed them to the required thickness. Today, I made and assembled the frames. I am making about 90 boxes this time, but unfortunately they are made to order, so none will be available in my own stock. The 4-step type is different from other Mame puzzle boxes and is more like a standard puzzle box. It uses the same kind of 4-step mechanism found in larger 3-sun and 4-sun boxes, but in a much smaller size. As shown in the photo, the bottom panel of this box is fixed, so there are three grooves for the Aruki side panels. The outer dimensions are the same as my other Mame puzzle boxes, and the Aruki panels are also the same thickness, 4.3 mm. I felt as though I had made this type fairly recently, but it seems that it has already been a year since I last made the 4-step version. Time passes quickly 😅