Triple Tango - Jerry Loo by CubicDissection

 I was surprised when I first spotted this puzzle as it’s not a type of puzzle that Eric is known for.  He certainly did a really nice job on this one and with at least 89 moves to complete you’ll be at for some time.

You can see more at Jerry Loo’s Blog.

Here's Eric's description from Cubicdissection:

“I don't normally make flat puzzles, but this one by Jerry intrigued me. The goal is to switch the darker end pieces from one side to the other. Simple, right? How about no, Scott. If you do it perfectly it's 89 moves to exchange them. Good luck!

Construction of this puzzle is quite nice, with mitered corners and a groovy acrylic top that shows the starting position of the pieces. Fit is, well, flat. Plenty of room to move the pieces inside, this puzzle should have no problems in high humidity environment”

Maple, Mahogany, Walnut, Acrylic

Swing Lock Metal by Splinter J. Spierenburgh

This a very nicely crafted puzzle lock with a good amount of heft to it.  I really like the removable front plate so that the innards can be seen operating, very cool!

Here’s a review from Louis Coolen:

“The metal swing lock is right here right now, and it is very impressive! It is good looking in shiny metal, the same weight as a Revomaze, and rattling like a confusing puzzle. Not to mention the two (or four?) keyholes with additional confusing features! When handled exactly the right way in the right sequence, it opens in a remarkably smooth and satisfying motion. After that, even closing it can be a puzzle if you don't know exactly how the internal mechanism works. Having seen and tested this trick lock since the very first prototype, I am happy to say it only got better each time Splinter came up with a new version in a different material. Yesterday's final improvement to the metal version made it work perfectly!

To top it all off, the internal (surprisingly simple) mechanism can be seen in action behind a transparent window once the lid is removed, which is just damn cool!”

Gabriel’s Blog

Allard’s Blog

Broken Burr by George Bell

George sent me a copy of this very cool puzzle.  Disassembling this one is not so hard but getting it back together is another thing.  I didn’t realize that there were multiple assemblies until I read through the description by George below.  Be sure to drop by his Etsy Shop and grab one for yourself!

“The puzzles in the first photo are "broken" (have no symmetry). Give this puzzle to someone and ask them to "fix it", i.e. take it apart and reassemble it correctly. The correct assembly has a pleasing symmetry (not shown in the photos as it would spoil the puzzle).

This is not a difficult puzzle, I like to print it in three contrasting colors for a nice visual effect. I hope that it will appeal to children and non-puzzle experts to explore this geometry, it is closely related to the classic Diagonal Burr.

The second and (slightly) more difficult part of the puzzle is to find all possible assemblies. This puzzle has the largest number of coordinate motion assemblies that I know of (four). It feels like a Stewart Coffin puzzle but it is my own design.

“The three pieces do not come apart, the different colors have been glued together. There is no need to take the pieces apart (unlike Rosebud). If you have a specific color request from the photos you can add this in a note, but I can't promise I will have it.”

George Bell

Juno’s Penta Cuboid + T-groove Box at Pluredro

This is another awesome puzzle I acquired in a trade, I’ve always been a big fan of pentomino type puzzles and in fact made many myself years ago.

In usual fashion Juno bumped this one up a notch in complexity and if that wasn’t enough he added a very cool interlocking box to enclose it!

Be sure to drop by Juno’s website to see all that’s available, here’s the description from Pluredro

“Juno modified the pentomino pieces to form a cube. As puzzle lovers know, twelve pentomino pieces can form a 3 x 4 x 5 cuboid but those pieces cannot form a cube. Juno changed the ratio of the element of the pieces from a cube to a cuboid, its length of the sides has a ratio of 3 x 4 : 4 x 5 : 5 x 3, now all the twelve pieces can form a cube.

The actual length of the elements is 12 x 15 x 20 mm and it is not a cube anymore but all the twelve pieces still consist of five elements. Then, he named the puzzle Penta Cuboid. The size of the assembled cube is 60 x 60 x 60mm.

There are 3940 solutions to make a 3 x 4 x 5 cuboid using a normal set of solid pentomino. In contrast, Penta Cuboid has a unique solution since Juno carefully chose a malicious combination of the pieces. It will take at least an hour to solve the puzzle even if you are lucky and very talented.

Juno wanted to have a box for Penta Cuboid since the pieces are very slippery and the assembled cube can easily be crumbled. He thought that if he had to use a significant amount of material, it was good to make a box as another puzzle challenge.

T-groove Box is based on his old design that consists of six identical board pieces. To make puzzle more challenging, he changed the shape of the groove from the original X-shape to a T-shape, and then gave variation to the depth of the grooves and width of the board pieces. T-groove Box has a unique solution, not very difficult but still a bit tricky and confusing to solve because all the pieces look quite similar.

Material: Utile and Victorian Ash”

Juno’s Visible Framed Burr at Pluredro

I was very fortunate to have acquired this puzzle in a trade, and what a beautifully crafted puzzle by Juno, his attention to details is really what sets him apart from all other craftsman!

The movement of the pieces of this cool burr are smooth, of course it doesn’t take long before you get lost in the process.  

Be sure to drop by Juno’s website to see all that’s available, here’s the description from Pluredro

“This is another variation of Framed Burr.

Unlike ordinary Framed Burrs, the checkouts of each piece can be seen from the outside when the puzzle is completely assembled. Thanks to the feature of the shape of the frame, the puzzle requires some very tricky 24 moves to take the first piece apart.

Juno had the original idea of Visible Framed Burr in 2012 and he has been occasionally thinking of how to make the puzzle to have a unique solution. If you input the shape of pieces of the picture below into the puzzle solving program like BurrTools, it will find 34 solutions and most of them could be solved by two or three moves. Using several colors for the pieces is one of the solutions but Juno took a different option to make the puzzle have a unique solution. The modification to the pieces gives you a big hint to find out the orientation of the pieces but even if you know the orientation, the puzzle is diabolically difficult.

Reinforcement Jarrah pieces were inserted to the ends of the top and bottom panels and it prevents cupping deformation of the panels. The joints of the posts to the panel are recessed to keep the accuracy of the dimension of the frame.

Material: PNG Rosewood, American Walnut, Utile and Jarrah”

ENTER IF YOU CAN – THE ART OF PUZZLE BOXES – LOCKED EDITION By Peter Hajek

I received my copy of Peter’s wonderful book about PuzzleBoxes, of course you can see more about it below but I opted to wait until this version which features a cool lock created by Shane Hales!

Shane is a Master Locksmith who hails from England and knows a thing or two about locking mechanisms.

This locking mechanism is  very cool, and takes a bit of sleuthing to reveal its secrets, very well done indeed!

I should add that shipping from Pelikan was top notch as well, it was very carefully packed and arrived in perfect condition, be sure to drop by and pick up a copy!

Peter Hajek wrote about it:

“The richly illustrated hardback book covers the history of boxes with secret opening; their flourishing at the turn of the 19th and 20th Century in England, Japan and Switzerland; the work of the three pioneers of puzzle box art – Wood, Chambers and Kamei; and the greatest achievements of modern masters currently active in Japan, America, Europe and Australia. There are also sections on puzzle box secrets, puzzle locks, and the current 'puzzle scene'.”

Note: 

‘This is an edition of the book by Peter Hajek, described on its own page, locked with a trick lock by Shane Hales.’

Kevin Sadler wrote about it:

This beautiful book by Professor Hajek is a Tour de force production with beautiful pictures and should be thought of as THE DEFINITIVE history and analysis of all the puzzle world has to offer on the subject of puzzle boxes. It covers puzzles both old and new, European, American and traditional Japanese as well as the wonderful creations by the Karakuri Group. There are even puzzles discussed which I can justify owning as not traditionally thought of as boxes. This is not something for your bookshelf – it is something to keep on your coffee table to refer to regularly. Later this month a version will be released with a locking mechanism designed and made by Shane Hales. This will be limited in number and I hope that I can get a copy when they come out.”

Connecting Cubes - Lucie Pauwels by Mat Nedeljko

 

This puzzle is a fun one, seems easy enough at the outset but once you start moving the pieces around you quickly realize that it’s gonna’ take some time to get it together!

Mat’s cuts are very accurate and smooth, so much so that upon closer examination of the pieces I couldn’t see any saw blade marks, very impressive craftsmanship indeed!

There are a couple of copies of this puzzle at Mat’s website Nedeljko WoodWorks

Here’s Mat’s Description:

“Designed by Lucie Pauwels, the objective of this puzzle is to put together a 2x2x2 cube. What could be simpler? The eight pieces of this puzzle all look very similar, but a close inspection will reveal subtle differences which make each piece unique and result in a puzzle that is difficult and highly entertaining. It is easy to get seven of the eight pieces to come together, but there is only one solution where all 8 pieces fall into place. Nicely crafted from solid Pennsylvania Black Cherry and finished in lacquer and wax.”

Plumply 12 by Juno at Pluredro

 

Juno really has stepped up his skills with his cool laminations, these puzzles are simply gorgeous!  I’ve always liked the scale of all of Juno’s puzzles and this one is really nice to handle.

There are still a few available right now so be sure to grab yourself a copy at Pluredro

“This nice-looking puzzle has a level 8 unique solution, meaning it requires 8 moves to remove the first piece from the assembled shape. The concept of the puzzle is similar to our former products, Stretcy 12 and Staggered 12, consisting of 2 x 2 and 3 x 1 profile pieces.

Juno wanted to make the puzzle solvable without computer aid, so he chose pieces which have the least possible assemblies. The same as the number of solutions, the puzzle has unique assemblies thanks to big rounded corners of the 3 x 1 profile pieces. (It also has only two assemblies without rounding corners.) The puzzle also can be handled and assembled by only two hands not requiring much dexterity work. Although it might sound easier, it is still a challenging puzzle, so if you have trouble assembling the puzzle, please check the images below and these images give you enormous hints.

Bubinga heartwood is used for the 2×2 profile pieces and the 3×1 profile pieces have an outer layer of Satin Sycamore and an inner layer of Bubinga sapwood. The length of the pieces reaches 115 mm and the cubic volume and weight of the puzzle are two to three times larger than our ordinary six-piece burr puzzles. The puzzle will stand out on the shelf when displayed.”

GarE Maxton Puzzles

I thought I might write about one of Maxton’s cool puzzles called the ‘Micro Conundrum’ or rather quote Brian from his blog:

“I was quite excited to get to try a GarE Maxton puzzle: Micro-Conundrum. GarE crafts some amazing puzzle sculptures out of metal, and this is one of his more affordable puzzles due to its small size. However, even his affordable puzzles still cost several hundred dollars! This one was on loan from John Devost to Brett from the puzzle library. Thanks John!

What I really like about this, and his other puzzles, is his use of contrasting metals. It really gives the puzzle a nice appearance. Even though it is quite small, it is a hefty puzzle. He offers several options for the finish on the edges: this one had beveled edges on each piece, which I thought gave it a nice appearance.

This one is actually slightly tricky to take apart: it has an unusual trick that holds it together which I thought was pretty clever. Once you get the first piece out, though, it is pretty trivial to disassemble it completely. In fact, I shut my eyes through the rest of the disassembly so reassembly would be a bit harder.

Two of the pieces are fairly large, which made it easy to determine their orientation relative to one another, so reassembling this one wasn't too tricky. Still, it is a beautiful work of art and a nice little puzzle.

I would love to see some of his larger works, particularly The Labyrinth: a metal puzzle box! It weighs 30 pounds and is about five inches square. Needless to say, it (presumably) costs a fortune: you need to call him to get a price.”

Snake Pit #1 - by Yavuz Demirhan

 

This is a very nicely designed puzzle beautifully crafted by Yavuz in Wenge and Shedua, you can grab yourself a copy from Hendrik Haak’s Puzzle shop.

Here’s an excerpt from ‘The Metagrobologist’:

https://www.themetagrobologist.co.uk/snake-pit-puzzle/

“The puzzle in question is called ‘Snake Pit No.1’ and is designed and manufactured by Yavuz Demirhan. It is a Packing Puzzle under the Assembly (ASS) Non-Interlocking classification* of James Dalgety & Edward Hordern (http://puzzlemuseum.com).

Yavuz is consistently designing and making new, challenging puzzle designs (he now has over 558 on the terrific (Puzzlewillbeplayed.com), and all of his puzzles from CuboZone have unique and interesting mechanics and beautifully handcrafted. Recently, Yavuz shared news of a new limited edition puzzle collection of ten packing puzzles and these sold out quickly as per usual. ‘Snake Pit‘ is just one of the ten puzzles he made available in the collection and it is a simple-looking puzzle consisting of just 8 pieces (quad pairs that are congruent) plus the box, that has an acrylic cover. The objective of this puzzle is to simply try and pack the 8 pieces into space within the box. The difficulty arises from placing the pieces within the acrylic cover that appears on both sides of the box within the void inside.

But, let me back up. Snake Pit is a wonderful new Mechanical Wooden Puzzle. Damn it, I can’t stop playing. I’m a committed, full-on Snake Pit/Yavuz Demirhan packing puzzle addict.

To begin, a good technique is to first examine the pieces and spend time playing with the pieces both outside and in the box to understand just how they interact with each other, and what movements are possible. This often involves eliminating any all of the possibilities that don’t use rotation and making the shape outside the box before fitting them inside. In Snake Pit No.1, the pieces are 8 pieces all fit snug inside and we spent around 2 days working on this puzzle, trying to figure out how we could re-arrange and slide the pieces into the box before the Aha! moment hit us.

Yay!

The puzzle offers one solution (disassembly is level 1.1.2.2.4.3.3.2)”

Here’s a short description from Puzzlemaster we’re this puzzle can be purchased and are made by Yavuz:

“This aptly named box is a packing problem puzzle in which you must fit 8 wooden blocks into the box. The shape of the pieces could be compared to cobras standing up on their tails. There is a restricted top to the box that has a hole which restricts the movement of the pieces. This version has more pieces and a slightly larger (square) box than its counterpart , Snake Pit #2.”

Involute - Stewart Coffin Design #214 by Mat Nedeljko

Mat really did outstanding work on this puzzle.  Crafted from Maple, Wenge and mahogany.

This revised version of Stewart’s ’Convolution’ series uses a key piece that must be removed before disassembly can commence.

Stewart wrote:

 “I recorded about a half-dozen experimental modifications of Involution #198 including this one. It uses eight pieces rather than seven. One step of assembly involves coordinate motion of a most baffling kind – both rotational and linear simultaneously. The use of colorful woods symmetrically arranged aids in the assembly of this otherwise 

difficult puzzle.”

Chuck Cube - Philippe Dubois by Bart Buie

Bart beautifully crafted this iconic Dubois puzzle in Oak.

When I first got this puzzle from Bart I didn’t make the connection to the classic ‘Chuck’ puzzle which is one of the oldest puzzles and can be found just about anywhere.

Unlike the Chuck puzzle this design uses the traditional Chuck pieces fused together making for a very satisfying puzzle cube.  Two kinds of pieces (6 total) that assemble into two halves that then slide together.

Edge Hog - Pit Khiam Goh by Tom Lensch

This is another beautifully crafted puzzle by Tom.  Canarywood was used for the pieces with Walnut for the restricted opening box.

I first imagined a simple method to insert the pieces but Pit’s designs are never that easy so as of this writing the solution still has eluded my grasp!

Update:  I managed to solve this puzzle, it’s a fiendishly difficult solve!

I typically write these blogs piggybacking off of some better known puzzle blogger but I’m drawing a blank online, if someone has a link to a blog about this puzzle please drop it in the comments.

Penta in a Box - Hajime Katsumoto by Tom Lensch

Once again Tom’s craftsmanship is astounding, this time with a hinged lid box that you need to pack all the pieces in!

Kevin blogged about it, here’s an excerpt:

“This one is named as it is because all the pieces are pentominoes and of course there are 5 of the shapes to fit in the box. When it arrived four of the pieces were inside and the L shaped one was outside the box.

“It looks really quite simple - yet again there is a 3x3x3 shaped cavity to fit the pieces into and the lid just closes down over the top of them. This would, at first sight, seem to be quite easy.

They are very devious these designers! It is for this reason that the puzzle won a Jury Honourable mention award in the competition!”

Four-Piece Serially Interlocking Cube - Stewart Coffin by Tom Lensch

This design is my favourite Coffin Cube design.  I have made so many of these puzzles starting early in 2000.  I was always tinkering with scale, wood type, shape, Color scheme, etc..

More recently Tom Lensch was asked to make some with a ‘Banded’ pattern that I had made years ago, so of course I just had to get a copy.

Tom beautifully crafted his version from East Indian Rosewood and Maple!  Bottom pic is my earlier version.

I also just made a ‘Checkered’ version along with a two-piece stand:

Here’s what Stewart wrote:

“Now more than sixty years after fashioning the Mikusiński Cube from wood scraps, dissections of 

 the  3x3x3 cube continue to fascinate me, but especially those that interlock. Better still, with all dissimilar non-symmetrical pieces. Is such a five-piece version possible? I doubt it, after having searched for years. I have designed several that come close, but most use a piece or two that is symmetrical, such as a single block key. A four-piece version that satisfies all of these requirements can also be entertaining. Here is one.”

Inelegant Soma - Haym Hirsh by Wood Wonders

This is the second puzzle that I have from this series and I really enjoyed it, not overly difficult but still confusing to assemble nonetheless.

Here's Brian Menold’s Description at   Wood Wonders:

“From the "Man of a thousand Soma variations" comes this latest clever design. Similar looking to the previously released "Inelegant cube and Inelegant Box" this uses slightly modified Soma pieces to offer the challenge. Three version are offered. One is a signed, dated and numbered copy using some very expensive Pink Ivory wood (only 8 were made). Along with two other very attractive versions, these all come with the stand for display and solving. Ships assembled”.

Mosaic - Stewart Coffin (Unnumbered Design) by John Devost (2021)

Stewart Coffin designed this puzzle back in 1979 and it’s an 8-piece interlocking 4x4 cube.  It wasn’t until I recently made a physical copy that I realized what Stewart meant by ‘almost serially interlocking’ and frankly I think I should leave that tidbit of information for future craftsman to discover themselves.  

As we know this design would eventually morph into his now legendary ‘Convolution’ Design #30 that would be revised into his ‘Involution’  design #198 and revised yet again into his ‘Involute’ design #214.

The ‘Convolution’ puzzle had the distinction of having a piece that had a very clever ‘Turning’ movement that Bill Cutler would eventually do a complete analysis on showing how it’s only mathematically possible with the edges slightly chamfered.

Oddly enough I never made any of this design back when I was puzzlemaking, but always kept it in my thoughts as years ago I was contacted to make this particular puzzle as an IPP exchange.  The dreaded thought of making over a hundred puzzles of the same design was simply overwhelming.  The most of any one puzzle design I ever made was 25, I always found that to be my limit otherwise it seemed to much like a job and took all the fun out of it!

I managed to get some BAZ Building Blocks and thought that I’d give them a go and make this copy.  I used a variety of woods in keeping with the puzzle’s namesake.

I also revisited a Stand design I made some years ago it’s simply two pieces that interlock together to form a cross shape and displays the puzzle quite nicely.

It too was made with various length BAZ stock to give it ‘Mosaic’ look.

Here’s what Stewart wrote about it:

“Mosaic is an 8-piece dissection of a 4x4x4 cube, designed in 1979.  I must have made one but have no record. The one known solution is shown here, but perhaps there are others.  It is almost serially interlocking.  An improved version became Convolution (#30).”