Build a challenging geometric puzzle out of wood then see if you can assemble it. Thanks go to George W. Hart for the original article in MAKE, Volume 17. View the PDF of this project. and then subsribe to MAKE Magazine for other great projects you can do over the weekend.
This wooden puzzle from the Maker’s Market is a delight. The natural wood colors, the amazing detail, and the complex forms of mushrooms all contribute to a piece of challenging puzzle art. I think Xylocopa Design has created something that will capture the attention of mycology lovers and puzzle solvers everywhere.
Giant burr puzzles By George Hart for the Museum of Mathematics For the Math Midway exhibition, The Math Museum created a set of large geometric puzzles. The one seen here is a traditional six-piece burr puzzle in which the six notched pieces of wood interlock in a clever way. When assembled, there are two pieces […]
Although it can’t be a terribly accurate way to make polycube puzzle pieces, I must admit I am charmed by Qiao Chang’s origami soma cube blocks. [via Neatorama]
My buddy Jon makes these awesome little puzzle boxes from acorns. There are four shown in the video: one pair consisting of a smaller hinged acorn that nests, matryoshka-style, inside a larger one with a wire spring latch; a larger, locking nut that is opened by removing a small pin; and, finally, a large hinged version that is unlatched by knocking it against a surface from a certain angle.
What would you do if you want a jigsaw puzzle with your significant other’s mug on it? The standard method would be to have a custom puzzle printed up that features their photo, however Mark Setteducati and Ken Knowlton have come up with a better way: Jicazu.
The first presenter at last Thursday’s Dorkbot Austin was a gentleman named Mikal Hart, who described his “Reverse Geocaching Puzzle.” Designed and built as a wedding gift for an old friend moving to France, the box incorporates an Arduino with a custom shield. A prominent button on the lid, when pressed, returns a distance, in kilometers, on the LCD display (if a GPS signal can be acquired), and counts button-presses up to 50 atttempts. No directional information is provided, so the box must be moved about in order to triangulate the location it wants. Mikal also included a cunningly-disguised back door to allow it to be opened in the event of battery failures or bugs.
