Bumped into one of my new neighbors at the mailbox last week, and when I mentioned that I work for MAKE, she mentioned that her teenage son builds puzzles. Mechanical puzzles. Complicated ones. Turns out, he doesn’t just build them–he designs original configurations and sells them online. He’s got a following.
These cool interlocking jigsaw-puzzle shaped cans from Thingiverse user Zydac may be the best example, at least in terms of looks, of objects designed for printing on a MakerBot, RepRap, or other small FDM-type printer.
My pal Angus Hines cut these interlocking wooden puzzle pieces from finish-grade oak plywood using his ShopBot, and installed them in a hallway of his Carrollton, Virginia home. The finish is Varathane High Traffic polyurethane. There are more pictures in this Flickr set. If you’re interested in the idea, feel free to contact Angus directly. I’m sure he’d be glad to cut you some puzzle flooring or other custom parquetry at his usual bargain prices. [Thanks, Angus!]
Michigan machinist GarE Maxton makes many different types of interlocking solid puzzles of this type, but this one, which is he calls Intimidator, is his masterpiece. Starting the disassembly process requires a special key. Once diassembled, about 20 of the pieces can be recombined to make a functioning single-shot pistol. Other parts of the puzzle separately and securely store “a customized set of tools, all necessary hardware, 45 caliber bullets, a standard sight, a laser sight, a cannister containing black powder pellets, a secure storage area for 209 shotgun primers, a spent primer removal tool and a ramrod for loading the bullets.”
This latest version of Mikal Hart’s original reverse geocache puzzle–a box that only opens in one location on the Earth’s surface–is by Markus. At just 3.75″ on its longest side, Markus’s box is by far the most compact and elegant version of the puzzle I have ever seen. [via Hack a Day]
These glueless interlocking table bases based on burr puzzles are from Bulgarian architect Petar Zaharinov. I discovered them while perusing last year’s entries to the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition.
Interesting dissection of a sphere from Thingiverse user VeryWetPaint. This “hemi-demi-sphere” is also cleverly designed to present the best-finished surface from the printer on the outside of the assembled sphere.
