Black Bow-Tie puzzle by Aleksandr Leontev

This puzzle is such a nice design and has a very smooth appearance due to how it’s made.  It is cast plastic as opposed to the now common printing method!  This puzzle sold out very quickly on the Puzzle Discord!

Here’s Aleksandr Description:

“I worked on my new project. In fact it was not a new project but something new for me. As result of that time I can say that I have implemented plastic casting approach for making complicated puzzles. And now new small run of Black bow-tie puzzle is available. Glad to introduce for you.

A 9-ary puzzle based on Kugellager 8 by Jean Claude Constantin. 13122 moves.”

Polly-Hedral - Stewart Coffin #206 by Mat Nedeljko

I first spotted Mat’s post on Facebook about the subsequent release of this puzzle, I messaged him almost immediately to acquire my copy!

I strongly advise you to grab any of Mat’s work at his website Nedeljko WoodWorks

Here’s Mat’s Description:

“Polly-Hedral is a seldom seen design #206 by Stewart Coffin which first debuted as IPP exchange in 2006.

Closely related to his design Chicago #191, this version is improved by the use of six colorfuful and contrasting woods which must be brought together during assembly.

Reproduced here in Maple, Wenge, Purpleheart, Canarywood, Chakte viga, Padauk and Walnut, this is an impressive piece that will look fabulous in any collection.  This puzzle requires a difficult co-ordinate motion to assemble, but has a unique and satisfying disassembly sequence.”

2019 - Klass Jan Damstra by Wood Wonders

This puzzle is beautifully made by Brian!

The pieces seem to move quite freely leading you to believe that mass confusion is right around the bend!

Here's what Brian said:  Please visit Wood Wonders to stay informed of his wonderful puzzles!

“This is a design I wanted to make because I love puzzles with interesting frames. This pinwheel sort of frame contain four pieces that are two matching pairs. Dissasemble and reassemble the pieces. These pieces move about within the frame quite freely despite the rather close tolerance of the frame to the pieces. I was afraid there may be some unintended solutions but I was not able to find any. Not terribly difficult but a pretty good challenge that seems easier than it really is!”

Woods are Peroba Rosa and Bolivian Rosewood 

Moves - 11.8.6.4

TriumviraTIC - Andrew Crowell by Wood Wonders

This was a fun puzzle to assemble while it initially looks easy, it takes a bit of time to figure out piece placement and then finally executing its many moves!

Here's what Brian said:  Please visit Wood Wonders to stay informed of his wonderful puzzles!

“Another of Andrew's clever three piece TICs is this fun challenge. I liked this one because it didn't have the large frame piece with smaller pieces to insert. The three pieces all rotate nicely around each other throughout the process of solving with about 18 moves.”

Woods are Yellowheart, Orangeheart and Redheart

Split Cube ll - Andrew Crowell by Wood Wonders

This puzzle intimidates me, especially after reading Brian’s comments!  I’ve yet to find the first move of disassembly..

Check out Zen Puzzler’s Blog to read more about this crazy puzzle!

Here's what Brian said:  Please visit Wood Wonders to stay informed of his wonderful puzzles!

“When my friend Ken Irvine said that he had not solved this puzzle after a good bit of time, I knew I was in trouble. I already had a batch of these on my bench after Andrew recommended that it. Well, after assembling and disassembling them (several times each) I must say, Ken was right. I knew the solution and even made a tool to aid in the solving and it was a bear! Even putting them back to gather was tricky. It's important to note that there are no rotations to solving this puzzle. For a real challenge try doing it without the tool provided. I couldn't do it! I have also included extra balls and ball bearings as I'm sure you will lose one or two when they suddenly pop out and role across your floor, never to be seen again. Made from Redheart, Yellowheart, Curly Maple and Curapay. These puzzles also have a snug fit and are not recommended for high humidity locations.”

Moves - 8.2.9.3.2.1 - no rotations

Riptide - Andrew Crowell by Wood Wonders

These types of puzzles are some of the most confusing to assemble and this one is definitely difficult!

Brian has done incredible work on this one and added pegged joints to insure pieces remain intact!

Here's what Brian said:  Please visit Wood Wonders to stay informed of his wonderful puzzles!

“The RIPs are here! My second offering from Andrew Crowell's RIP designs is RIPtide. I chose this one because of the rather unique rotations that it has. Although there are several, one will have you scratching your head and give you a nice "AHA"  and not at the completion of the puzzle. But now I have given too much away, or have I? I don't think you will be disappointed with these puzzles. Reinforcing with birch dowels adds a bit of time to the production. Two versions are available and they are finished with oil and wax.”

Woods are Satinwood, Padauk, Black Walnut

Slideways Burr - Ray Stanton/Akio Yamamoto by CubicDissection

This puzzle is rather tricky to assemble but doable, it’s a good puzzle to entertain your non-puzzling friends!  I’ve had many different coordinate motion type puzzles and this one is probably the simplest version but still a lot of fun!

Here's Eric's description from Cubicdissection:

“Slideways by Ray Stanton and Akio Yamamoto is one of our favorite Interlocking Burrs. Three simple, identical pieces combine to form the symmetrical shape. The solution is trickier than it seems, and some struggle even after even seeing it performed in front of them. There is a tricky concept in play that must be understood; once discovered, the pieces' smooth movement is addicting. Slideways is not the most challenging puzzle, but it just may become your favorite.

Each puzzle is signed and dated.”

Tristan Cube - Bill Sheckels at Black Dog Puzzleworks

This puzzle caught my eye as it’s only three pieces to make a cube, how hard could it be?  Well it’s most definitely is  not trivial, it’s also serially interlocking.  My copy is the checkered version which lends itself to its solution but it looks so cool!

Bill’s craftsmanship is always top notch so you really can’t go wrong with any of his puzzles, drop by his Etsy Shop Black Dog Puzzleworks to see what’s available!

Here’s Bill’s Description:

“This is a very interesting and fun 3 piece puzzle. The pieces are complex configurations that must be assembled in the correct order to interlock and complete the cube.”

Woods are Maple and Mahogany 

EllipTIC - Andrew Crowell

This puzzle is crafted by Andrew before he turned his attention to printing his puzzle designs.  This is one of three that I recently acquired.

Be sure to visit Andrew Crowell’s Etsy shop arcWood Puzzles to see his 3D prints that are available!

Here’s Andrew’s original description: from his Etsy listing: 

“EllipTIC is a Turning Interlocking Cube Puzzle with 4 required rotations. It can be shipped assembled or disassembled. I recommend disassembled, as solving the already assembled puzzle will only take a few minutes, while figuring out the assembly might take 30 minutes to a few hours..

It is made from Purpleheart and Oak.”

TicToc - Andrew Crowell

This puzzle is crafted by Andrew before he turned his attention to printing his puzzle designs.  This is one of three that I recently acquired.

Be sure to visit Andrew Crowell’s Etsy shop arcWood Puzzles to see his 3D prints that are available!

Here’s Andrew’s original description: from his Etsy listing: 

“TicToc is fun puzzle design which requires 12 moves to free the first piece, and includes one rotation in the full 18 step solution. My puzzle building program designed this puzzle.

Note, the puzzle can come apart into two halves around 9 steps into the solution. It still takes 12 steps to free the first piece though.

This puzzle is my first of a series in which I'm looking for rotational puzzles which also require a number of steps to free the first piece. I have come across a number of rotational puzzles in which the first or even first few pieces come right out of the puzzle... The program I wrote has already designed several other puzzles (that I haven't yet built) which require both multiple moves to free the first piece and multiple rotations...”

Woods are Leopardwood, Zebrawood, Wenge and Maple

DecTIC - Andrew Crowell

This puzzle is crafted by Andrew before he turned his attention to printing his puzzle designs.  This is one of three that I recently acquired and is a very early TIC design.

Be sure to visit Andrew Crowell’s Etsy shop arcWood Puzzles to see his 3D prints that are available!

Here’s Andrew’s original description: from his Etsy listing: 

“This is the DecTIC puzzle. It requires a few rotations and 9/10 moves to remove the first piece depending on how you count one of the rotations. I would rate the assembly of this puzzle as fairly difficult and the disassembly of this puzzle as fairly easy but enjoyable. I suggest you assemble the pieces and then try to assemble the puzzle instead of assembling the puzzle with the pieces already in place, leaving you with a disassembly puzzle... If that makes sense :-D

This is a Turning Interlocking Cube puzzle I designed with the aid of a computer program I wrote.”

Woods are Padauk, Canarywood and Wenge

PedanTIC - Andrew Crowell by Wood Wonders - IPPDC Entrant

I recently got this puzzle from a fellow canuck on the puzzle discord and it’s an absolutely gorgeous puzzle crafted by Brian!  This was Andrew’s entry in the 2019 IPP Design Competition and most definitely packs a punch!

Zen Puzzler has a really nice Blog review!

Here's what Brian said:  Please visit Wood Wonders to stay informed of his wonderful puzzles!

“This little gem is definitely a challenge. This is probably similar in difficulty to GalacTIC (previously offered) in terms of moves and rotations. At one point you are making 26 moves to add the next piece! Extra joinery was needed for this one too. Lap joints and brass pins keep everything in order. There are a few different versions but they all use the same woods, no choices are available. Each piece is made from a single species, they are just used differently throughout the batch. A variety of exotic woods are the woods in these.”

Woods are Olivewood, Bocote, Benge, African Avodire, Canarywood,  Movingui with Brass Pins

Small Box Two - "Aha Box" - Allan Boardman by CubicDissection

This puzzle is such a classic PuzzleBox mechanism from Allan, of course put his usual attention to detail making it a must have for any collector!

Here's Eric's description from Cubicdissection:

“This design was Alan Boardman's IPP exchange puzzle in 2004. He describes it as "Designed to lure your non-puzzler friends into "our" world." It gives very few clues upon handling...it seems to be solid, with no way to open it. A solution does exist, and it's quite tricky to discover. Sturdy and pocket sized, a great puzzle to share with friends and non-puzzlers. This little box also has a surprisingly useful amount of space inside!

Construction of this puzzle is very precise, with a solid fit and feel. The Zebrawood contrasts beautifully with the maple...this little guy is just begging to be picked up and played with!

Each copy is signed and dated; 200 copies made for initial release”

Small Box One - "Window Box" by Eric Fuller

Make no mistake no one makes small puzzleboxes quite like Eric!

His precision and attention to detail are exquisite, for any would be craftsman out there aspiring to become accomplished PuzzleBox makers, you need to try and mimic Eric’s work!

Here's Eric's description from Cubicdissection:

“Small Box One - ‘Window Box’ is a devious drawer tucked into a box with lots going on for its size. The large hole in the box serves as a window into the mechanism...careful observation and experimenting is necessary to reveal its secrets. I'm very happy with how this box turned out, the mechanism works flawlessly and repeatably once you know the scoop.

The construction of this puzzle is sturdy and detailed. The mechanism depends upon extremely close tolerances which I'm happy to say we hit dead on.

Each copy is signed and dated; 195 copies made for initial release”

Woods are Padauk and Grenadillo 

DDD Burr Set - Darryl Adams - Bryan Turner - Eric Fuller by CubicDissection

This is a very nice set, whenever someone asks about where to start with Burr puzzles I always think they should start with six-piece burrs.  This set definitely fits the bill, with its vast amount of combinations.

Eric really outdone himself with the box portion, I initially thought it was a PuzzleBox as the sliding panel appeared completely hidden!

Here's Eric's description from Cubicdissection:

“This collaboration is one I've been looking forward to for a while. Darryl designed this excellent 12 piece set, with pieces precision machined in either brass or aluminum by Bryan and contained inside a precision-crafted box by Eric Fuller.  

Darryl describes the burr set below: 

"In the 1970s, Bill Cutler published a complete summary of the solid 6-piece burrs that could be formed from "notchable" pieces. He presented a set of 42 pieces that would make all 314 solid, notchable puzzles. I wanted a smaller set. One that was easy to make (notchable) and also allows enough interesting puzzles to guide a user through puzzles of increasing difficulty. I call this set "DDD" for "Darryl's Dense Dozen" (or to my kids, "Dad's Dense Dozen). The set is "dense" in that it makes a lot of puzzles:

There are 24 solid puzzles

There are 530 total puzzles (the additional 506 have empty hidden holes)

There are 42 puzzles with only one solution.

 

PDF directions for DDD Burr Set can be found here. The Burrtools file for the complete set can be found here. PuzzleMad has written a very fine blog review of this puzzle.

151 Total copies available for sale, each signed and dated. 75 copies in Brass/ Leopardwood, 76 copies in Aluminum/ Padauk. This puzzle is shipped disassembled”

Espresso & Caffe Latte by Bruno

I got both of these puzzles directly from Bruno, they are nicely printed and not all that easy to solve!

These remind me of ‘Toyo’’s line of puzzles such as ‘Pack the Plums’.

Give Bruno’s Blog a follow to stay informed of his puzzle offerings.

https://brunopuzzlemaker.blogspot.com

Here’s Bruno’s Description:

“They are both packing & unpacking puzzles, taking advantage of round shapes, which give some nice possibilities of rotation moves. 

The goal is to pack all pieces in the cup (8 pieces for Espresso and 7 pieces plus a sugar cube for Caffe Latte), enjoy your drink and unpack ! The disassembling experience is nice as well.

They are of moderate difficulty, Espresso being easier (3/6) and Caffe Latte a bit more challenging (4/6).”