The Feel of the 36-Step Mechanism
The rain that continued for the past several days has stopped for now, and today seems to be our only day of sunshine. It looks like the rain will return tonight, so this really is a rainy time of year. Because of the sunny weather, many people seemed busy catching up on different tasks, and it was the same for me in the workshop. The 3-sun puzzle boxes are now finished, and I am currently making the 5-sun 36-step puzzle boxes. However, I need to finish the Square puzzle boxes first, so I started working on them today. In the end, I decided to make 30 boxes in this batch. Apart from a few made-to-order boxes, they will all be added to my own stock. I also plan to include some with slightly unusual designs.
This year, I accepted several orders for puzzle boxes with natural wood top and bottom panels, but I do not plan to accept any more orders for this type in the future. However, I may still make a few limited editions when I have suitable materials available. When I made the boxes that were completed earlier this year, some panel materials were left over. I plan to use them for this batch of Square puzzle boxes. I can make only two or three boxes in each design, but this will be a good way to make use of the remaining boards. I will post a photo of them on social media today. For the side panels, I will use Walnut only on a few made-to-order boxes. The other boxes will have a two-color checkered pattern, similar to the design I used with Walnut top and bottom panels last month. It is a simple and understated design, but I think some people will like that style. For the remaining boxes, I plan to use new random wood grain patterns made especially for this Square size. In addition to the natural woods I usually use, I recently found some interesting wood, so I will include it in these designs.
After finishing the preparation of the side panels for the Square puzzle boxes, I returned to the unfinished 5-sun 36-step boxes in the afternoon and attached the Aruki sliding panels. Since the sun was out and the humidity had dropped, I did not want to miss this chance. The photo shows this stage of the work. As I mentioned recently, each panel for this 36-step mechanism has two cuts for the sliding keys, one on the left and one on the right. As you may be able to see in the photo, this leaves only short sections for the Aruki panel’s legs—the parts that fit into the grooves in the body. Because these sections are short, there is less resistance when the panel moves. The smaller contact area could be considered weaker, but it does not mean that the panel will easily come out of the body. Instead, the reduced resistance makes the movement lighter. When making these panels, I first shape the legs and then make the two cuts for the sliding keys. After these cuts are made, the movement becomes much lighter than it was at first. I need to take this change into account when making and adjusting the Aruki panels. However, a puzzle box with a high number of steps, such as this 36-step version, needs light movement. For that reason, this panel shape is actually very suitable for the mechanism.
This year, I accepted several orders for puzzle boxes with natural wood top and bottom panels, but I do not plan to accept any more orders for this type in the future. However, I may still make a few limited editions when I have suitable materials available. When I made the boxes that were completed earlier this year, some panel materials were left over. I plan to use them for this batch of Square puzzle boxes. I can make only two or three boxes in each design, but this will be a good way to make use of the remaining boards. I will post a photo of them on social media today. For the side panels, I will use Walnut only on a few made-to-order boxes. The other boxes will have a two-color checkered pattern, similar to the design I used with Walnut top and bottom panels last month. It is a simple and understated design, but I think some people will like that style. For the remaining boxes, I plan to use new random wood grain patterns made especially for this Square size. In addition to the natural woods I usually use, I recently found some interesting wood, so I will include it in these designs.
After finishing the preparation of the side panels for the Square puzzle boxes, I returned to the unfinished 5-sun 36-step boxes in the afternoon and attached the Aruki sliding panels. Since the sun was out and the humidity had dropped, I did not want to miss this chance. The photo shows this stage of the work. As I mentioned recently, each panel for this 36-step mechanism has two cuts for the sliding keys, one on the left and one on the right. As you may be able to see in the photo, this leaves only short sections for the Aruki panel’s legs—the parts that fit into the grooves in the body. Because these sections are short, there is less resistance when the panel moves. The smaller contact area could be considered weaker, but it does not mean that the panel will easily come out of the body. Instead, the reduced resistance makes the movement lighter. When making these panels, I first shape the legs and then make the two cuts for the sliding keys. After these cuts are made, the movement becomes much lighter than it was at first. I need to take this change into account when making and adjusting the Aruki panels. However, a puzzle box with a high number of steps, such as this 36-step version, needs light movement. For that reason, this panel shape is actually very suitable for the mechanism.