Boxes and Booze 7/16/16 Boxes and Booze 7/16/16

First Box

At last we get to the first. The First Box, by Dutch puzzle designer William Strijbos, that is. Wil’s Streetwise puzzle company produces beautiful anodized aluminum mechanical puzzles. He travels the world looking for design ideas and inspiration.

Boxes and Booze 7/9/16 Boxes and Booze 7/9/16

Clutch Tile (Stickman No 4)

In Oklahoma, a humble wizard works his magic to produce highly acclaimed works of art in the form of complex mechanical wooden puzzle boxes. Most of Robert Yarger’s creations for his “Stickman Puzzlebox Company” are entirely of his own design and creation.

Boxes and Booze 7/2/16 Boxes and Booze 7/2/16

Ouch!

The design and concept of this puzzle, according to Kamei, originates with a common, frustrating occurrence in Japanese homes. Because shoes are not worn inside, it is apparently a shared cultural experience to stub ones little toe on the corners of furniture or low shelving.

Boxes and Booze 6/25/16 Boxes and Booze 6/25/16

Planet with a Ring

It’s time to do a little summer stargazing now. Launching off from last week’s post where we boarded Kasho’s rocket ship and blasted into space with the X-15 “rocktail”, we now find ourselves floating amidst the stars and planets of the cosmos.

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Rocket

It’s summertime. The days are getting longer and the nights are full of dreams. There’s something magical about looking up at the stars on a warm evening that stirs the imagination. Let’s take a trip into outer space together.

Boxes and Booze 6/11/16 Boxes and Booze 6/11/16

Three Cornered Deadlock

I like continuing themes, so it’s fitting that this year I have another perfectly balanced, “three-part” puzzle box to pair with the Negroni, and it’s also by Hideaki Kawashima again. Kawashima makes intricately designed puzzles which often have components that interplay with one another, so that one section becomes blocked while the other is opened.

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Open Side Bank

If you make a deposit in this bank vault, don’t plan on making a withdrawal any time soon. Its creator has installed a maximum security system. Tom Lensch is a retired civil engineer who worked for the Dayton Power and Light Company for much of his life. He is also a talented wood worker, puzzle crafter and puzzle designer.

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Worm Wood

Absinthe, that mysterious emerald elixir which calls to mind visions of bohemia complete with Parisian cafes, famous artists and enchanted evenings. I knew that eventually I would want to write about it, and Thomas Cummings has given me the chance.

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Two-Tricks

Opinions vary, but one commonly held belief around these parts is that the puzzle boxes appear to have multiplied. I really couldn't say about the validity of that supposition, but if such a thing were even remotely accurate, I would have to blame, of course, the rabbits.

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Cam Box

There are probably a finite number of possible ways to open a wooden box, but designers delight in exploring the options to see what’s possible. Part of the challenge in creating a new design is also in making the novelty invisible, so the box doesn’t necessarily look any different.

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Lotus Box

Sometimes a puzzle will keep you going around in circles. In this case, it’s quite literal as well. Kagen Sound is a well known wood worker, mathematician, artist and conservationist who resides in Denver, Colorado.

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Kamei Egg

Akio Kamei is no stranger to this blog. He is the current leader of the Karakuri Creation Group, a group of wood artisans keeping the art of Japanese puzzle box making alive and well in Hakone, Japan.

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The Navigator’s Box

Thomas Cummings has been making puzzle boxes for his family and friends in his Georgia workshop for years. Some recipients of his handiwork have apparently deserved particularly devious designs, and Thomas seems to relish the opportunity to inflict his puzzle passion on the willing.

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Hales Lock 1

Shane Hales has a lock on some brilliant puzzle designs.

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How? Box

How? does one describe the results of a seasoned puzzler teaming up with an expert craftsman to produce a new puzzle box? Exactly. The How? Box is a collaborative effort hatched in the deviously puzzling mind of Englishman Peter Hajek.

Boxes and Booze 4/9/16 Boxes and Booze 4/9/16

The Button Box

It’s time to break out the decoder ring again. The stealth spy operatives over at Cryptic Woodworks are at it again, incorporating hidden clues, codes and riddles into the very workings of the puzzle box.

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Oskar’s Treasure Chest

“Oskar’s Treasure Chest” looks and functions just like the more famous 3x3 twisty cube puzzle we all know and love, but with an added surprise bonus.

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The Box with a Tree

Another one of Iwahara’s famous creations is his “Box with a Tree” which won an “Honorable Mention” prize in the 2006 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition. This unassuming little box appears to be a rather plain wooden box, originally crafted in walnut, with a small silhouette of a tree in the lower corner.

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Spring Box

The Spring Box is a cube of walnut wood with large holes on all six sides through which you can see another cube of red rose wood. The internal cube floats in place, held by the opposing forces of six large springs.

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A Chance Meeting

This perfectly Patrick’s Day worthy puzzle box is one of Japanese master craftsman Tatsuo Miyamoto’s most famous works. His “A Chance Meeting” is truly elegant.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles