Frame of hexagon
Today was very cold again, and surprisingly, it started snowing in the evening. Because of this, all highways in this area were closed for safety, causing heavy traffic on regular roads. So, I decided to delay going home from my workshop today. Since the traffic is terrible, I plan to wait until it clears up before heading home. Until a few days ago, it was very warm, even a bit hot. But as expected, it seems we can’t reach spring so easily😂 In Japan, we have a saying, "San-kan shi-on", which means that after three cold days, there are four warm days, and this cycle gradually brings the change of seasons. From last week to this week, the weather has been exactly like that.
Despite the bad weather, the humidity was relatively low during the day. I considered attaching the Kannuki panel to the 3-sun cube puzzle box, which I had put on hold for a while, but I didn’t have enough time to do it. However, I managed to shave the side surfaces of the box to prepare for the attachment. After that, I placed it back into its storage case, ready for when I can work on it again.
So today, I worked on my next project—the production of a hexagonal puzzle box. Since I had already prepared the materials by yesterday, I focused on making the frame today. Creating a hexagonal frame takes more effort compared to a square one because a hexagon has more sides. As shown in the photo, I first cut the Yosegi board into a square shape and then trimmed the corners to form a hexagon. Unfortunately, the triangular pieces cut from the corners are discarded. I’ve thought of ways to use them, but since they are small and difficult to process, they are currently thrown away. They could be made into keychains, but doing so would result in very expensive keychains. This kind of material waste is one reason why hexagonal puzzle boxes are more expensive. Out of the six sides, I carved grooves for the Aruki (moving panels) mechanism on five of them. Unlike square boxes, where I can process multiple pieces at once, with hexagonal boxes, I have to carve each groove one by one. This is another factor that makes the process more time-consuming.
Next, I worked on making the axis panels. The boards shown in the photo, cut at a 60-degree angle, form the axis part of this box. Each axis panel is made by joining two pieces of wood together. I use two of these boards to assemble the frame. Tomorrow, I plan to work on the Aruki mechanism for this box. I hope the weather stabilizes and the humidity drops…😅
Despite the bad weather, the humidity was relatively low during the day. I considered attaching the Kannuki panel to the 3-sun cube puzzle box, which I had put on hold for a while, but I didn’t have enough time to do it. However, I managed to shave the side surfaces of the box to prepare for the attachment. After that, I placed it back into its storage case, ready for when I can work on it again.
So today, I worked on my next project—the production of a hexagonal puzzle box. Since I had already prepared the materials by yesterday, I focused on making the frame today. Creating a hexagonal frame takes more effort compared to a square one because a hexagon has more sides. As shown in the photo, I first cut the Yosegi board into a square shape and then trimmed the corners to form a hexagon. Unfortunately, the triangular pieces cut from the corners are discarded. I’ve thought of ways to use them, but since they are small and difficult to process, they are currently thrown away. They could be made into keychains, but doing so would result in very expensive keychains. This kind of material waste is one reason why hexagonal puzzle boxes are more expensive. Out of the six sides, I carved grooves for the Aruki (moving panels) mechanism on five of them. Unlike square boxes, where I can process multiple pieces at once, with hexagonal boxes, I have to carve each groove one by one. This is another factor that makes the process more time-consuming.
Next, I worked on making the axis panels. The boards shown in the photo, cut at a 60-degree angle, form the axis part of this box. Each axis panel is made by joining two pieces of wood together. I use two of these boards to assemble the frame. Tomorrow, I plan to work on the Aruki mechanism for this box. I hope the weather stabilizes and the humidity drops…😅
