Introduce Yourself...

[bluesign2k]

Hey Shaun! Great to see you here Yeh, why haven't you visited sooner??

I'm glad you enjoyed the Box with a Tree. I love it, but even so I was surprised how popular it seemed to be at the puzzle party! "A Chance Meeting" and "Snake Cube" are two that I've been looking at for a while too. I'd be interested to see a review of bot Snake Cube and Little Tree Box as I don't know a whole lot about them.

I saw a solution for Box with a Ribbon the other day and remember thinking that although the box looked fairly impressive, the solution was nowhere near as interesting as I'd have expected. Also be aware that many of the versions around these days are Bits and Pieces versions... and I'm yet to be impressed with the quality of any of their products that I've handled so far

[Paradox]

Welcome Shaun! Great to see you here!

I really loved Box With A Tree as well. I'm really looking forward to writing a review on it for my blog as soon as I manage to snap a picture of it for myself.

Also; Puzzle collecting isn't a downward spiral, it's an upward staircase!

[AFKAN]

Ahhhh Chris' box with a tree

Even after I'd opened it, I was still fascinated by the mechanism

I'd have instantly bought one had I not just spent a small fortune on my Secret Base

[Paradox]

Does anyone actually happen to know how the Box With A Tree mechanism actually works? I'm really curious but I've not found anyone willing to let me pry their puzzle apart yet. Not sure why...

[Pio2001]

Hello,
I am glad to have found this place. At last a public forum dedicated to mechanical puzzles !
My name is Guillaume Largounez. I use to post in John Rausch's forum, and from time to time in the blog dedicated to the french puzzle meetings, together with jean-Baptiste : http://jeu-et-casse-tete.blogspot.com/

I always liked puzzles, especially wooden ones. I really got into burrs with Philippe Dubois' level 6.4 cross, then Jean-Paul Pierlot's Super Croix, both sold under the brand Arjeu, when I was 12 years old.

Unfortunately, after the end of Arjeu, very few puzzles were to be found in french shops. It is only in the 2000' that my interest into puzzles was reniewed thanks to the commercial success of Hanayama.
Then I found online puzzles shops, and started again a collection of nice puzzles about one year ago.

I've got a set of Livecubes, that allow me to try designs published on Ishino's website, and I am lucky to know a good woodworker fond of high level burrs, who sometimes make some during his free time

More about my preferences in the dedicated topic.
Cheers !

[Paradox]

Welcome to the forum Guillaume, it's great to have you here!

I think I may have read some posts of yours a while back about high level burr analysis.

[TheJuggler]

I'm glad you enjoyed the Box with a Tree. I love it, but even so I was surprised how popular it seemed to be at the puzzle party! "A Chance Meeting" and "Snake Cube" are two that I've been looking at for a while too. I'd be interested to see a review of bot Snake Cube and Little Tree Box as I don't know a whole lot about them.

So Snake Cube has a review on my blog ... http://puzzling-parts.thejuggler.net/?p=33

As far as the mechanism for Box with a tree, having spent quite a bit of time pouring over it I have a pretty good idea how it works, but to say anything in the open forum would be un-sportsman like.

[jack]

Hi all

Certainly not all of you are new to me. I've met you in other forums, had mail exchanges and so. Don't know why I didn't join this forum earlier.

I started my puzzle addiction in 1978. I designed my first puzzle -The Cube- in 1980. I always combined the designing and the making of puzzles -of wood of course. I'm too old for the printing business... Or do I just love the challenge of the mind and of the hand, the feeling of a drawing coming to life in always soft and warm wood? Yes, I´m really addicted!

Puzzles are my hobby, the 18 piece burr is my passion. Its solid appearance associated with its inherent complexity and unrevealed possibilities, far beyond today's computer power, is a fascinating challenge. Earlier today I added my latest design to the wiki, the Century. It requires 100 moves to free the first piece. Nice number, quite satisfactory level, but satisfactory also is Bottom Line, one of my other designs, from an other perspective. With only two different pieces, both notchable, you can reach a unique level 6. How about that!
Maybe I shouldn´t ask you, but be satisfied with my own joy. After all, who judges?

Hoping for nice interactions,
Jack

[Paradox]

Welcome Jack!

I'm loving all of your designs that you're adding to the Wiki. How on earth do you come up with all those ideas?!

[bluesign2k]

Hey Jack!

Great to have you here! As Oli said, I'm loving all those burrs you've added.

As you and Guillaume seem to be the people to talk to about burrs... can you suggest an 18 piece burr that someone could figure out and re-assemble in a reasonable time (say, a month or so) without having to resort to the instructions or burrtools? While taking a burr of any type apart is fun, I really enjoy the challenge of assembling them again...

Chris