Corner Block by Stewart Coffin - Design #59

 I thought a trip down memory lane was in order with a puzzle that launched me into puzzlemaking more than twenty years ago!

The following was taken directly from the writing of Stewart Coffin:

"This is the old Pin-Hole #20 with eight corner blocks added judiciously, turning it from a pastime to a real but not difficult puzzle. It is assembled in the order shown, with the locking pin going in last. Made here in mahogany and rosewood, with birch pins

59-A - Improved Corner Block 

The term 'Improved' comes up frequently in these names of my designs. I could probably spend forever trying to improve some of them without ever being completely satisfied. It would be hard to guess how much time I used to spend daydreaming and tinkering, always searching for new ideas, instead of actually producing. My workshop was a converted greenhouse, with much south-facing glass and passive solar heating.  It was especially conducive to daydreaming in the winter, with the warm sun streaming in and classical music from NPR resonating around the large room.  The same photo serves for both this design and the previous one.  Improved Cornerblock has two solutions, as did all my other experimental versions, whereas only one would have been preferred."

Jim Storer has a very nice webpage showing a version of this puzzle made by Wayne Daniel's 'Interlocking Puzzles', where I originally purchased a copy!

Here's a couple of pics of the version that I made, it wasn't the first puzzle I ever made but more about that in a future blog.

I even copied Wayne's use of Bloodwood with aluminum dowels!