La Cariatide by Miguel Berrocal

I received this puzzle sculpture from a long time puzzler and it will be a Birthday present for my lovely wife Barb.  I decided to make a presentation box for it as well.

This puzzle sculpture was released in 1968 which just so happens to coincide with my wife’s birth year so it really seemed fitting.  

It features 26 different pieces that need to be assembled in the correct order.

Once you remove ten or so pieces there is a very cool piece that is revealed, I certainly wasn’t expecting that, although from what I know of Berrocal pieces that is something they’re known for.

This piece is numbered at 4313.

Here’s a biography of Miguel from Wikipedia:

“Miguel Ortiz Berrocal (Villanueva de Algaidas, Málaga, 28 September 1933 – Antequera, Málaga, 31 May 2006) was a Spanish figurative and abstract sculptor. He is best known for his puzzle sculptures, which can be disassembled into many abstract pieces. These works are also known for the miniature artworks and jewelry incorporated into or concealed within them, and the fact that some of the sculptures can be reassembled or reconfigured into different arrangements. Berrocal's sculptures span a wide range of physical sizes from monumental outdoor public works, to intricate puzzle sculptures small enough to be worn as pendants, bracelets, or other body ornamentation.

From 1967 to 2004, Berrocal worked in Verona, Italy, and in nearby Negrar, where he worked closely with sculptural foundries to produce his art. His work was exhibited widely throughout Europe and also in North and South America and Japan. In 2004 he returned to his birthplace in Spain, remaining artistically active until his sudden death in 2006. The Fundación Escultor Berrocal (Berrocal Sculpture Foundation) continues to preserve and promote his artwork and legacy, from its headquarters in his hometown of Villanueva de Algaigas in Spain.”

Twin 5 (KW-43) by Hideaki Kawashima at KCG

A fellow puzzler was offering up this beauty and with it being another Hideaki build I simply couldn’t pass it up.  The fact that the inspiration was drawn from Akio Kamei’s previous work also certainly made it an easy decision.

The sheer precision required to craft this is astonishing to say the least, it’s an amazing display of craftsmanship!

Crafted from Maple, Wenge, Magnolia, Keyaki, Padauk.

I strongly recommend a membership at KCG, it’s definitely worth it as no one builds puzzle boxes quite like this!

Here’s Hideaki’s brief description:

“This work was designed for an exhibition with the theme, “Karakuri Experiments”.

The motif of this work is not experimental equipment, but my own experiments and challenges.

The structure of this work was originally inspired by the "Top Box" presented by Mr. Kamei in 1983.

It is not the puzzle itself, but a part of the structure that I improved on in my own way to create a new mechanism. Of course, the way to open the box is different. 

The structure is made using traditional woodworking techniques, which required a great deal of dimensional precision to make it work reliably as a trick.

This is a member of my TWIN series, but it requires very few steps, so even beginners can enjoy it.”

Kuchenstuck - Tyler Hudson by Pelikan

Tyler knocked this unique board burr ‘out of the park’!  Its cool looking shape of a ‘piece of cake’ caught my eye at its release at Pelikan.  As Kevin mentions below, the fun quickly escalates into a full on serious solve that caught me by surprise, its very reminiscent of a Stephan Baumegger burr (which is high praise in case you’re not familiar).  Unfortunately this puzzle sold out very quickly at launch so hopefully more will be made again, or appear on the secondary market at resellers such as ‘Puzzlemaster’..

Kevin Sadler wrote about it:

“Yes, it’s a piece of cake complete with layers of sponge and a glacé cherry on top! Beautifully made from Wenge, Maple, Padauk and Cherry woods, this design from Tyler Hudson is anything but a piece of cake to solve. The puzzle is actually a trio of maze plates that interact with each other and with the outer box producing a maze that effectively changes as you navigate it. Initially there are a few options for the pathway before you will find the one that proceeds further into the solution. Once you have set out on this path the options open out. I found mapping impossible because everything changed with every move. The exploration is fun and gradually you get a feel and then a glimpse for how the plates are interacting with each other and even can see the gaps in the pates where presumably they will come apart from each other. There are quite a few dead ends and loops in the solution and I got lost many times. Despite this, it seems to always be quite easy to find your way back to the beginning again. I was beginning to lose hope because I could not find any new openings and put it down for a while. I picked it up again the next day and suddenly found something new and a whole new section of the puzzle pathway opened out. The sequence is a huge 28.2 for disassembly and will leave you with a whole new sense of achievement when you finally manage it. This one definitely required the use of Burrtools for the reassembly.”

Waltz - Osanori Yamamoto by Pelikan

I added this cool 2 piece apparent cube design by Osanori to my recent order from Pelikan. It’s wonderfully crafted using Wenge for the restricted opening Box and Zebrawood/ Maple pieces.

Curiously enough like Kevin I was sure this wouldn’t be such a difficult task so grabbed a copy expecting to breeze through the solve but then decided to pull off a move that I instantly regretted and feared that I had bricked my copy!  Thankfully I was able to reverse that move and start over and soon found a ‘shortcut’ to the solve that satisfies the goal in a couple of moves, of course that’s not the objective that Osanori had in mind so the search goes on…lol

Kevin Sadler wrote about it:

“Another fabulous design by Osanori Yamamoto, stunningly visualised in Wenge, Maple and Zebrano. This one is almost as if Osanori-san has seen the wonderful 3 piece challenge by Alexander Magyarics and said to himself: “I can beat that”! It is another packing puzzle with a limited entrance and a requirement to block the entry once solved….but this time, just to make it even more interesting, there are only 2 pieces to be packed in the 3x3x4 cavity and filled the 2×2 entrance. Not only are there only 2 pieces but it quickly becomes apparent that one of them HAS to be the entry blocker. I was rather over-confident with this one and thought it would be relatively easy. Oh no! it wasn’t easy for me! I spent a day failing completely and did wonder whether I was going about it wrong – I looked at the name and thought about the cardinal feature of the Waltz and then decided to explore rotational moves. I was successful and managed to assemble the puzzle with the entry filled but something didn’t feel right. This was especially true when I found that I couldn’t take it apart! Aargh! In a bit of a panic, with a fair bit of dexterity and swearing, I was able to unravel what I had done and decided to try again the more conventional way. But this time I was determined to think© about the name as well but not be so stupid. The cardinal feature of a Waltz is rotation with minimal rise and fall. The 18 moves to achieve the assembly are a masterpiece. The gauntlet has been thrown down and is there anyone who can design something more simple with more beautiful moves than this? Over to you Alexander-san!”

Rhino - Theo Geerinck & Symen Hovinga by Pelikan

I had originally blogged about this very cool design that was 3D printed, however now Pelikan has decided to make copies available so thought I’d pull that blog and re-upload it.

This puzzle was inspired by Jack Krijnen’s wonderful ‘Bison’ puzzle and Pelikan has made this beauty in a similar size crafting it from American Walnut using very small stock.

Its charm lies in its outwardly shape of course but there are some tricky & confusing bits that will fool you for a bit if you disassemble it and leave it for a bit before reassembly.

Here’s the description from Theo’s puzzle shop: (Sadly Symen has since passed away RIP)

“Inspired by a broad range of Kumiki animals, we tried our hand on one of Africa’s big five: the rhinoceros. We created ten pieces and a baby rhino, and the goal is to assemble an adult one. To solve our Rhino takes around fifteen moves including rotations, an awsome beast.”

Kevin Sadler wrote about it:

“I had gotten used to the Pelikan own designs for their continuing series of animal shaped puzzles and was expecting another one. This time I was delighted to see a wonderful design by Theo with his good friend Simon to accompany the earlier creation of the Bison from Jack Krijnen. They obviously had been either working together or competing to create puzzles on the theme. The Rhino has been beautifully crafted using American Walnut and Maple and is scarily realistic with a white horn and even pupils in the eyes. The sequence for disassembly is not terribly difficult since the puzzle is mostly a series of plates on a spine but they don’t just slide off and there are a couple of gotcha moments during the disassembly and a nice Aha! moment as well. Once it is apart, the reassembly is not hugely tough but having left it for a while, I had forgotten the orientation of a few of the plates and struggled to get them back in line on the spine. It’s a lovely idea and will look amazing on display with the Bison (don’t tell Mrs S!).”

Rik’s Kiddy Wrapping - Kevin Holmes/Rik van Grol by Mat Nedeljko

Mat decided to fit this cool puzzle in his schedule in time for Christmas this year.

It’s not an overly difficult design but a fun one and I highly recommend you pick one up from Nedeljko Woodworks.

There are still some available as I wrote this..

Here’s a description from Mat at Nedeljko Woodworks:

“Just in time for Christmas. Rik’s Kiddy Wrapping is a six piece sequentially interlocking puzzle that has a unique solution. Can be shipped assembled or unassembled if you are looking for an additional challenge. Approx 2.25” (59 mm) per side fits nicely in your hand. 

Originally released as an Exchange puzzle from Rik van Grol for the International Puzzle Collectors Party 22 held in Antwerp, Belgium in August 2002.

Concept: Kevin Holmes

Design: Kevin Holmes (slightly adapted by Rik van Grol)”

Presentation Box is made from:

Yellowheart Sleeve with Wenge Slipfeathers

Top & Bottom are Padauk with Spalted Beech Slipfeathers

CM-43 - Stephane Chomine by Maurice Vigouroux

I happened to notice one of Maurice’s listings in Paradise for ‘CM-44’ and immediately purchased it, however that particular puzzle was unavailable and I was kindly offered this one instead so as anyone can imagine I was stoked!

This happened to be a personal copy that Maurice made previously so I was very pleased that he was willing to part with it.

This design by Stephane features 6 burr pieces (Padauk) and 6 sliders (Purpleheart) in a frame (Sipo) with a level move count of 23.1.2.1.2.4.2.1.2.2.1.2.  This one had me stumped as there are some very odd early moves early on (very reminiscent of a lock picking technique) that I just couldn’t wrap my head around!

Be sure to drop by Puzzle Paradise to see what Maurice has to offer, (his username is ‘Tangram’) as he appears to be parting with some of his personal puzzle builds.

Box is Yellowheart Sleeve with Wenge Slipfeathers - Top & Bottom are Purpleheart & Bird’s Eye Maple  with Holly Slipfeathers.

L Cube (KW-47-2) by Hideaki Kawashima at KCG

Hideaki frequently posts pics/descriptions of his puzzle box building techniques and I would frequently see them pop up on facebook, so I was thankful of a fellow puzzler that I was able to pick up a copy and finally see one of his wonderful pieces up close.

What really caught my eye was his use of Slipfeathers that I typically use in my boxes, of course my building skills have diminished considerably since I started in woodworking some 50+ years ago in my Dad’s workshop.

I previously had puzzle boxes from The Karakuri Creation Group but this is my first from Hideaki.  

I strongly recommend a membership at KCG, it’s definitely worth it as no one builds puzzle boxes quite like them!

It’s beautifully crafted from Walnut, Wadge, Oak, Magnolia, Cherry.

Here’s a brief description from Hideaki:

“This work is the remade version of L CUBE (KW-47).

The design of the frame and the wood were changed from KW-47.

The mechanism procedure was improved but the puzzle is the same.

The surface of the work is carved with a pattern inspired by Celtic knots.

The Celtic culture did not have a written language, and the meaning of the Celtic knots are unknown because it was passed down orally.

Now, what do the shapes engraved on this work represent? We invite you to solve it.”

Octopus by Pelikan

I was finally able to find some time with my ‘Octopus’ and its charm is quickly surpassed by what I like to think of as a ‘fun’ puzzle.  I often tackle high level burrs that require deep concentration that sometimes takes that fun aspect away.

Your goal of course is to manipulate the tentacles (burr pieces) in coordination with the body (burr piece) to ultimately remove everything.

I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy as they’re still available at Pelikan.

My copy is #14 of 43

Kevin Sadler wrote about it:

“It seems that no new Pelikan release is complete without one of their own designs, beautifully visualised as some kind of animal. We have had Turtle, Snail, Ladybug and Crab so far, all of which reside on display in my living room. The arrival of the Octopus in the Puzzlemad asylum/loony-bin was greeted by me with a whoop of delight and by Mrs S with a groan of “Oh no, not more!!”. She did admit that it was very beautiful. This was the one I began with because it’s just irresistible. It’s pretty big at 13.3 x 13.3 x 9.8 cm and made of Limba, American Walnut and Wenge. The beady eyes just look at you. Like the crab, it is not just a simple slot together Kumiki puzzle. It is a burr with pieces that interlock in all directions. It all fits beautifully together and the first sliding move is easy to find but after that it gets more awkward. I was able to remove the first two pieces quite quickly and realised that I had not really paid attention to the orientation they came out – the shape of them meant that they rolled off the cat who sleepily acted as my tabletop. Having realised I was going to be stuck soon, I just proceeded with the disassembly. Usually after half the pieces of a burr have been removed it suddenly gets easier but not with this one. I really struggled for another 20 minutes to find the way to remove the final pieces. The main challenge with this will be the reassembly after scrambling the pieces. I almost gave up and went to Burrtools but luckily before I lost the last remnant of my mind, I finally found the correct assembly. This puzzle is an essential purchase if you collect Kumiki puzzles or if you have the rest in the series. For the rest of you it’s worth getting because it’s adorable and clever.”

• Presentation Box Sleeve is Bird’s Eye Maple.  Top & Bottom Frame are Yellowheart/Iroko/Mahogany.  Slipfeathers are Peruvian Walnut