Inspiration

I plan to create my own sort of puzzle box and use a laser cutter to create a custom design on the outer shell of the box to give it its aesthetic. I have owned a puzzle box in the past and have recently been very intrigued by a series of little puzzles that one of my coworkers has at their desk.

The puzzles my coworker has are inconspicuous metal pieces usually that are manufactured just right so that they form a different shape, or come apart after performing the right operations.

See a full list of puzzles here

I was gifted a small wooden puzzle box when I was in middle school by the Guatemalan exchange student living with my family for a few months. It featured a locking mechanism which is something I’m curious to see how hard it is to avoid using, and just use sliding wood pieces to conceal an opening instead. Im excited for this project!

Top 5 Constraints

Time – I believe that the project that I want to make may take a lot of time to figure out how to even build initially so that it effectively is a puzzle box (Basically, the opening is properly concealed). Once I’ve figured this out, I’ll have to figure out how to apply the aesthetic I want to use, but given my plan I am hoping to achieve this along the way. However, I still am planning on running into issues that will make the process take longer.

Money – I am hoping again that I do not have to make very many iterations of this project, but if I do, I will have to continue to buy materials over and over. Aside from this issue, money should not be a significant problem

Resources – This ties in closely with money, but I’m hoping to buy enough resources at the beginning of the project for two boxes or more so that I have room for trial and error. However, If I do run out of some materials, I would hope that it is with enough time to go out and buy what I need.

Transportation – I currently do not have a car, so transporting the materials i buy to and from locations may be hard. I have a bike with a cargo rack, but do not think i could carry anything very large or heavy.

Attention to Detail – I tend to focus too much on details when conceptualizing a project and then when the time comes to build it, I spend too much time on those little details one by one rather than focusing on the big picture.

Prototype

 

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