Puzzle Box
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Published on December 31, 2009
This thing was Featured on January 2, 2010
Description
This is a puzzle box that you can cut on a laser cutter and assemble with no additional parts.
The panels on the cube faces move, and if you move them in the correct sequence, you will open the box!
This is an adaption of Bruce Viney's "Cubey 2" for the laser cutter. His original plans (requiring traditional woodworking tools) are here: homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/plans.html
The panels on the cube faces move, and if you move them in the correct sequence, you will open the box!
This is an adaption of Bruce Viney's "Cubey 2" for the laser cutter. His original plans (requiring traditional woodworking tools) are here: homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/plans.html
Instructions
The svg files have been created in inkscape; you may wish to use the eps files instead.
Print eighthinch.svg on eighth inch wood -- these parts make up the inner mechanism and the external panels.
Print quarterinch.svg on quarter inch wood -- these parts make up the outside of the cube and the sliders that slot into each face and connect the outer panels to the inner mechanism.
The images that show the puzzle unfolded and partially assembled are a useful reference for orientation of each of the sides and positioning of the inner pieces with respect to the outer cube faces.
See homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/Cubey%202%20T-Plans.pdf for detailed instructions on how to assemble the parts.
Some tips:
The images showing the partial assembly may be helpful.
Sand the faces down before assembling the box. This gets rid of the stickiness that's left over from the laser cutting and makes the wood look nicer.
Test the box before gluing it together.
Don't press the faces of the cube together too tightly when gluing the box together. Glue the sides together with the panels moved over the finger joints to ensure that the box will be openable.
Print eighthinch.svg on eighth inch wood -- these parts make up the inner mechanism and the external panels.
Print quarterinch.svg on quarter inch wood -- these parts make up the outside of the cube and the sliders that slot into each face and connect the outer panels to the inner mechanism.
The images that show the puzzle unfolded and partially assembled are a useful reference for orientation of each of the sides and positioning of the inner pieces with respect to the outer cube faces.
See homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/Cubey%202%20T-Plans.pdf for detailed instructions on how to assemble the parts.
Some tips:
The images showing the partial assembly may be helpful.
Sand the faces down before assembling the box. This gets rid of the stickiness that's left over from the laser cutting and makes the wood look nicer.
Test the box before gluing it together.
Don't press the faces of the cube together too tightly when gluing the box together. Glue the sides together with the panels moved over the finger joints to ensure that the box will be openable.
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Manuel
on
November 18, 2011
said:
Any chance to get this in some kind of parametric format (openscad?), so that I could adapt it to metric wood widths ?
Jonas
on
January 9, 2010
said:
Do you have this in a DXF or DWG format?? I am having extream problems trying to converte this and the CNC at my high school will not work with svg or eps.
lucy
on
January 6, 2010
said:
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Lucy
License
I made a variant of this for 3 and 6mm plywood by simply scaling by 1/(2.54/8/.3)=0.94488. Some parts are simply two identical 3mm pieces glued together, this could go on the 6mm wood instead. Found a mistake in the design though, one of the panels of the lid is wrong. I manually corrected that after cutting. Also, the tolerances are very tight, mine needed quite a bit of sanding. I recommend making it slightly bigger so the wood is less thick compared to the notches, then the sliding should work better.