Panel with No Extra Clearance
Today, Japan returned to its usual weekday routine after the long weekend. It was sunny again, though not quite as sunny as yesterday. Thankfully, it was not too hot! 🤣 The past few days have been quite warm, which felt a little uncomfortable after getting used to the cooler weather recently. Still, they were lovely autumn days for going out and enjoying the season. Today, I continued working on the 5-sun puzzle boxes with drawers that I started making the other day.
The frames are already finished, so today I worked on making the Aruki sliding panels and the top and bottom panels. I was able to attach them all by the evening. The main part shown in the photo is one of the three Aruki panels on this box. This panel moves on the eighth step. It has a slightly different feature from the other Aruki panels. It slides in the same way, but there is no room for error when fitting it to the box. Even a small difference in the fit can make it too tight or too loose. In Japanese, we call this “asobi,” a word that usually means “play.” Here, it means a little extra room in the fit to allow for small differences in size.
When I make Aruki panels, I usually leave a little extra room in the fit. Without this, a panel might catch against another part and have trouble moving in some boxes. Although I use machines to make puzzle boxes, I guide the wood by hand when cutting and assemble the parts by hand. So there are small differences from one box to another. I do not see these differences as faults. They are a natural part of making things by hand, and perhaps even part of their charm. However, when making an Aruki panel like this one, I need to be a little more careful. When I make 36 boxes, as I am doing this time, a panel may fit the first box perfectly, feel a little tight in the next, and be slightly loose in the one after that. The Aruki panel in the photo moves on the eighth step. Until then, the top and bottom panels hold it in place, so it cannot move up or down. But if the Aruki panel is slightly too narrow, it can move up and down and rattle. So I need to fit it closely to each box, without leaving a gap. None of the other puzzle boxes I currently make have this exact type of Aruki panel. Even in boxes with a similar panel, the sliding key also helps hold it in place. However, I did use this type of panel in the limited 11-steps puzzle boxes I made this year. For this reason, I do not finish adjusting the width of this Aruki panel in one go. After making the other Aruki panels, I check how this and other panels fits each box. Then I adjust its width a second time to get the fit just right.
The frames are already finished, so today I worked on making the Aruki sliding panels and the top and bottom panels. I was able to attach them all by the evening. The main part shown in the photo is one of the three Aruki panels on this box. This panel moves on the eighth step. It has a slightly different feature from the other Aruki panels. It slides in the same way, but there is no room for error when fitting it to the box. Even a small difference in the fit can make it too tight or too loose. In Japanese, we call this “asobi,” a word that usually means “play.” Here, it means a little extra room in the fit to allow for small differences in size.
When I make Aruki panels, I usually leave a little extra room in the fit. Without this, a panel might catch against another part and have trouble moving in some boxes. Although I use machines to make puzzle boxes, I guide the wood by hand when cutting and assemble the parts by hand. So there are small differences from one box to another. I do not see these differences as faults. They are a natural part of making things by hand, and perhaps even part of their charm. However, when making an Aruki panel like this one, I need to be a little more careful. When I make 36 boxes, as I am doing this time, a panel may fit the first box perfectly, feel a little tight in the next, and be slightly loose in the one after that. The Aruki panel in the photo moves on the eighth step. Until then, the top and bottom panels hold it in place, so it cannot move up or down. But if the Aruki panel is slightly too narrow, it can move up and down and rattle. So I need to fit it closely to each box, without leaving a gap. None of the other puzzle boxes I currently make have this exact type of Aruki panel. Even in boxes with a similar panel, the sliding key also helps hold it in place. However, I did use this type of panel in the limited 11-steps puzzle boxes I made this year. For this reason, I do not finish adjusting the width of this Aruki panel in one go. After making the other Aruki panels, I check how this and other panels fits each box. Then I adjust its width a second time to get the fit just right.