Trial and Error with Aruki
Because of the rain last night, it is very humid today. In our area, it is expected to start raining again this evening. Because of the typhoon, some areas are getting a lot of rain, and the news is warning people to be careful. The typhoon rain will mix with the long rainy weather of early autumn, so we may get even more rain. August and September are the main typhoon season in Japan, but large typhoons can still come through around October.
Today, I made the Aruki sliding panels to fit the 3-sun box frame panels that I made yesterday. I was a little worried about the weather, but the rain had not started yet and the humidity inside the workshop was not too high, so I decided to go ahead with the work. The photo shows these Aruki panels. For my 3-sun puzzle boxes, I use the same thickness of wood for the Aruki panels as I use for my smaller 2-sun and 2.5-sun boxes. Because there is limited space inside a 3-sun box, I have changed the thickness of these panels several times in the past. For now, I have settled on the current size. I do feel that the panels are slightly thin, but considering the space and dimensions inside the box, I am continuing to make them this way for now. There are also some limits because of the wood I use. I do not make these parts from a thick piece of wood like a log. I use wood that has already been cut to a certain thickness and kiln-dried, so I need to make the parts to suit the size of the wood available to me.
For example, if the wood is about 4 cm thick, in a simple calculation, I can cut it into four pieces and make four boards about 1 cm thick. (In reality, they will be a little thinner because some wood is lost during cutting and planing.) For a slightly larger puzzle box, I can cut the same wood into three pieces and make each board about 1.3 cm thick. If I do not plan the cuts this way, some of the wood will be wasted when I cut the boards, and I will have to either keep the leftover pieces or throw them away. In reality, even if I keep them, it is often difficult to find a good use for them. After considering all of these things, for this 3-sun puzzle box I decided on 4.5 mm for the top Aruki panel and 5 mm for the side Aruki panels. The weakest part of this box is the 5 mm side Aruki panel. When I make it, I need to cut a section for the sliding key, and this makes that part of the panel weaker. So, it would be better if I could make the panel a little thicker. However, because of the limits I mentioned above, if I go thicker than 5 mm, the next practical choice would be around 6 mm or 6.5 mm. I feel that this would be a little too thick for a 3-sun puzzle box. Of course, I could make it this way, but when the box is opened, the Aruki panels would look very thick compared with the space inside the box. I do not think it would look very nice. After trying different sizes and thinking about these things, I have, for now, settled on the current dimensions. If I make any changes again in the future, I will write about them here.
Have a good weekend!
Today, I made the Aruki sliding panels to fit the 3-sun box frame panels that I made yesterday. I was a little worried about the weather, but the rain had not started yet and the humidity inside the workshop was not too high, so I decided to go ahead with the work. The photo shows these Aruki panels. For my 3-sun puzzle boxes, I use the same thickness of wood for the Aruki panels as I use for my smaller 2-sun and 2.5-sun boxes. Because there is limited space inside a 3-sun box, I have changed the thickness of these panels several times in the past. For now, I have settled on the current size. I do feel that the panels are slightly thin, but considering the space and dimensions inside the box, I am continuing to make them this way for now. There are also some limits because of the wood I use. I do not make these parts from a thick piece of wood like a log. I use wood that has already been cut to a certain thickness and kiln-dried, so I need to make the parts to suit the size of the wood available to me.
For example, if the wood is about 4 cm thick, in a simple calculation, I can cut it into four pieces and make four boards about 1 cm thick. (In reality, they will be a little thinner because some wood is lost during cutting and planing.) For a slightly larger puzzle box, I can cut the same wood into three pieces and make each board about 1.3 cm thick. If I do not plan the cuts this way, some of the wood will be wasted when I cut the boards, and I will have to either keep the leftover pieces or throw them away. In reality, even if I keep them, it is often difficult to find a good use for them. After considering all of these things, for this 3-sun puzzle box I decided on 4.5 mm for the top Aruki panel and 5 mm for the side Aruki panels. The weakest part of this box is the 5 mm side Aruki panel. When I make it, I need to cut a section for the sliding key, and this makes that part of the panel weaker. So, it would be better if I could make the panel a little thicker. However, because of the limits I mentioned above, if I go thicker than 5 mm, the next practical choice would be around 6 mm or 6.5 mm. I feel that this would be a little too thick for a 3-sun puzzle box. Of course, I could make it this way, but when the box is opened, the Aruki panels would look very thick compared with the space inside the box. I do not think it would look very nice. After trying different sizes and thinking about these things, I have, for now, settled on the current dimensions. If I make any changes again in the future, I will write about them here.
Have a good weekend!