Juno’s Dual Meanders Box

Juno has really outdone himself with this magnificent puzzle, it’s beautifully crafted from PNG Rosewood, Jarrah, American Black Walnut, Koto, Golden Sassafras, Iroko, and metal parts.

After reducing my puzzle acquisitions over the course of last year due to my ‘retirement’ I simply couldn’t pass on this beauty.  

Here’s Juno’s description from Pluredro:

“This puzzle is an expanded version of the Meanders Box. In the Meanders Box, the top plate slid along with the four side pieces. In the Dual Meanders Box, not only does the top plate slide, but the bottom plate also slides. This allows for a puzzle with a large number of moves without the need to increase the steps of the side pieces.

Dual Meanders Box presents four challenges based on the arrangement of the top and bottom plates. To open the hidden lid and access the cavity, the challenges range in the order of increasing difficulty: 325, 367, 410, and 506 moves. Similar to the Meanders Box, the grooves carved like mazes have limited branching. However, unlike the Meanders Box, where attention was focused solely on the groove in the top plate, the Dual Meanders Box requires the top and bottom plates to be in the correct spatial relationship for the puzzle to reach the goal. Consequently, the puzzle's difficulty has increased significantly.

Due to its exceptionally high level of difficulty, it's uncertain how many people will be able to enjoy this puzzle. However, those who manage to overcome the challenge and obtain the hidden treasure within the cavity will likely feel like they've become the king or queen of puzzles.

Many types of timber are used in this puzzle. The main parts supporting the moving components of the puzzle are designed with a cantilever structure. Therefore, great attention has been given to ensuring strength, precision, and dimensional stability. Even in parts not visible from the outside when assembled, Golden Sassafras and Iroko's original plywood are used. The volume and weight of the puzzle are more than twice that of the Meanders Box, creating a substantial feel when held. PNG Rosewood and American Black Walnut have a significant variation in wood color. For those who purchase the puzzle, we will send a randomly selected product from the pre-packaged ones. Please note that we cannot accommodate specific requests regarding the wood color.

This puzzle will be assembled and sold with the maximum number of moves, 506. As it takes a considerable amount of time to assemble, we made it possible to remove the pins (screws) that go back and forth between the maze-like grooves through holes drilled in the top and bottom plates. By using a 2mm Allen key to remove these screws, assembly and disassembly can be achieved with fewer moves, but it still requires more than 100 moves. Note that repeatedly attaching and detaching the screws may loosen the threads, so removing the screws should be considered a last resort when handling the puzzle.”