| Puzzle Boxes | ||
| Puzzle Box Links | ||
 I'd have to say that the Alcatraz Puzzle is a great representative of this category. It started life as a magic trick but it makes a great puzzle (so few magic tricks really do). U.S. Patent 4625968 - McDermott 1986 |
 The Cage Rage looks similar but is much bigger and has a completely different mechanism. You are unlikely to solve it without help - it comes with video taped solution instructions. U.S. Patent 5944311 - Hartzell 1999 |
 My Dad made me a Pyramid of his own design, containing sand in its mechanism! |
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 SEARious burr from Mr. Puzzle Australia |
 From Davan's, a Lili (really nice wood, but impossibly difficult!) |
 This is "Bi-Polar" from Orb Factory |
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 This brass Treasure Box is a Rocky Chiaro design from B&P. It has a very tricky mechanism, demanding multiple steps to open and close. |
 This brass cannon from B&P is an affordable version of a design that appeared in Hoffmann's Puzzles Old and New. |
 Danzig's Dilemma is similar to the Sandfield Joint. |
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 My friend Dr. Ralph Marlett has his own metal lathe and he made me this trick-opening cylinder I call "Elegance" because of its inscription. |
 The Citadel Not really hidden-mechanism, but certainly a plethora of confusing doohickies to manipulate in an effort to free the red ball. |
 The Yin-Yang Ball Open it. Not difficult. Could be filed under Boxes, or Magnetic. |
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 The Prison Block from BandP |
 This is Great Escape from Mag-Nif. It's plastic but the same as the Prison Block. |
 This is a Dowel-and-Peg puzzle from Tom Lensch |
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The Globe Ball from Hanayama. Designed by Vesa Timonen. This puzzle first appeared in 2008 at IPP 27 held in Prague, where it was called the "Tangerine" and won a First Prize in the Design Competition. (A gift from Brett - thanks!) |
 Three Bar Cube - B & P |
 Stuck Bolt - B & P |
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 Fish Torpedo |
 Mysterious Ball |
 Gelenk Separate the two pieces. by Claus Fohlmeister |
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 I have seen this called a "Zwaalustaart." It is very similar to the Sandfield Joint. |
 This is Hexaspiration, presented by Edward Hordern at IPP13. Remove the rod from the hexagonal cylinder. |
 Coin Safe A nice brass rendition of a puzzle described in Hoffmann - sold as a magic trick. |
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 Block and Key - Rossetti - IPP22 |
 Cigar - Gillen - IPP23 |
 Lost Luggage Bits and Pieces 2005 |
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 Scroll Puzzle - Doug Engel |
 Pyr-Eye-Mid |
 Egg (NYPP 2007) |
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Thomas Beutner's Tangled Dovetail - IPP26 |
Brian Young's Gold Coast Parking Meter - IPP27 |
An Isis Puzzle by Sonicwarp. Titanium and Silver Edition (from the old Sharper Image stock). Cheater? Shortcut |
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Trick Knife Only opens with a trick. |
 Deja Vu - Puzzlemaster |
Straight Forward - designed and made by Brian Young, Mr. Puzzle Australia. Get the ball from Start to Finish, past three barriers. Made from Queensland Blackbean wood. |
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The AlCyl, designed by Hirokazu Iwasawa (Iwahiro) and made by Seiko Kogyo Co. Purchased from Iwahiro at IPP 29 in SF. |
The Karst Phenomenon Designed by Karst Nauta and presented at the IPP28 2008 Exchange in Prague. Made by Brian Young @ Mr Puzzle Australia, from Queensland Silver Ash. Size: 60mm3. Separate the two halves of the cube. Mr. Puzzle provides this hint: "Karst is a type of terrain characterised by sinkholes, caves and the like. Karst processes tend to be secretive and imperceptible because most development occurs underground over long periods of time." |
The Ring Box, designed by Gary Foshee. Purchased at IPP 29 in SF. |
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The Aluminum Cylinder Box by Will Strijbos, courtesy of John Devost (John's photo of closed box). |
I purchased these two aluminum dovetail secret-opening puzzles from William Strijbos at IPP 31 in Berlin. Each has a greenish inlaid piece - one is convex and the other concave - to be removed (then replaced). I am told there are internal pieces that can fall out when the puzzle is opened, so be careful! |
Here is William's Cross, designed by Wil Strijbos. Two aluminum pieces with a clever hidden locking mechanism. Courtesy of John Devost. |
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Eric Fuller created a reproduction and two new versions of the vintage wooden trick dovetail Das Wunder Puzzle. I bought a copy of his mechanism #1. It's made from Carolina Ash, Black Walnut, and Sapelle. Similar to The Little Giant Puzzle, shown in Slocum & Botermans' 1986 Puzzles Old and New on page 147, and said to be on sale in 1896. |
Houdini's Torture Cell designed by Brian Young, purchased from Brian at Mr. Puzzle Australia. |
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Washer Cylinder, number 12, from William Strijbos A secret-opening container. Shown in comparison with Wil's Aluminum Cylinder Box, and Iwahiro's AlCyl. Reviewed by Oli and Kevin. |
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 DaVinci's Secret |
 The Equation |
 The Legend of the King |
 The Enigmatic Temple |
 The Pillars of Atlantis |
 Carta Blanca |
Takitapart U.S. Patent 2181116 - Boyle 1939 |
Pick-a-Peg U.S. Patent 2469364 - Boyle 1949 |
Tri-N-Do-It U.S. Patent 2207778 - Boyle 1940 |
The three classic wooden vintage secret-opening puzzles
Takitapart, Pick-A-Peg, and
Tri-'N'-Do-It, all invented by John D. Boyle,
were issued in this boxed set, called the Masterpiece Puzzles. |
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Penny Safe |
Marble Safe The Penny Safe and the Marble Safe are two instances of the same puzzle which has also appeared as a trick-opening match safe (vesta). |
At IPP 29 in SF, I bought a new version of the Penny Safe with a different opening trick, designed by Mike Snyder. |
This is an 1893 White City Puzzle Bank:
It is not so much a hidden-mechanism, as it is a "missing mechanism" puzzle -
one is supposed to present it without the wing-nut, which slips onto the central spindle and allows it to be unscrewed. Without the wing-nut, you're screwed. |
The "No. 1 White City Puzzle Savings Bank A Barrel of Money" was issued by Nicol & Co. of Chicago, and is a souvenir of the
1893 Columbian Exposition.
The bottom of mine seems to have been painted red.
This is in fact not the only time I have seen one of these vintage White City Barrel No. 1 puzzles with
traces of red paint on it (for example, on the handtruck). Does anyone know if these were actually red when originally issued?
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 The Duallock I got in Japan is one of my favorites and is in my opinion the prime exemplar of this group. |
 The Philos cross is identical to the Duallock (but of lower quality) |
 The Wood Coin Prison started life as a magic trick. It's made in India and it is pretty low quality. It doesn't even hold a quarter! |
 The Yot is a successful magic trick-turned puzzle. |
 I also have a Yot II - same basic mechanism and appearance as the original Yot, but with an additional constraint that necessitates a thicker body. The latter shot above shows a comparison. |
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 Binary Arts' Chewdini is a mass-market example |
 Match Box |
 Money Miser |
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Mental Case - Mag-Nif Very nice. |
 The Vault |
 The Top Box |
The Transogram Cube |
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 800995 - Dow 1905 |
 709888 - Emery 1902 Also 600280 - Emery 1898 |
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 This trick vesta employs the Ne Plus Ultra mechanism described in Hoffmann. It is engraved with the phrase "How the Devil do you open it?" and the figure of a devil. |
 Perry's. Another Ne Plus Ultra. |
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 This one opens on the end. This also has an engraving reading "How the Devil do you open it?" |
 This large vesta (or cigarette case) from Germany has a trick-opening drawer. |
A trick vesta that will prick an unwary finger. |
Another trick vesta that will prick the finger of the unwary. Different opening than the previous. |
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 The Lighter (Feuerzeug) A very clever take on an old principle. |
 Schraubenwuerful |
 Schluessel |
 The Propeller |
 007 Shaker |
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 Gesicht According to Jonas Bengtsson, according to Wil Strijbos, the objective of Gesicht is to move the ball from one eye to the other and back again. |
 Geburt |
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 Eis |
 Auspuff (I don't have this.) |
 Mastercard (I don't have this.) |
 Wasserhahn |
 Stecker (I don't have this.) |
 Gartenschlauch (I don't have this.) |
 Cylinder (I don't have this.) |
 R2D2 (Appears in my Dexterity section.) |
 Alles Roger (Appears in my Dexterity section.) |
On 3/13/10, I attended an enjoyable puzzle get-together hosted by
George Hart at his house.
Thanks, George!
We had a fun evening and a safe trip out and back, despite the horrendous weather,
which brought down an incredible number of trees along many roadways.
I took along several puzzles from my collection for folks to try, including the Eis by the mysterious R.D. -
George's friend Glen Whitney, who is executive director of the
Museum of Mathematics, solved it!
George put it back together, whereupon it defeated all comers for the remainder of the evening.
I did, however, manage to reproduce the feat at home - but it wasn't easy even after having seen it done!
At right is a picture of the insides.
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This Wil Strijbos design is an example of what I consider to be the first of three "classic" trick bolt mechanisms. I got mine from Puzzletts in Seattle. Here is a link to an article on homemetalshopclub.com on how to make one (scroll to the bottom). |
 Eureka Nut and Bolt This is the second "classic" mechanism - less mechanical, more trick. This piece is hefty and well-made. |
 This German-made bolt is of the third "classic" design - a different (and fairly obvious) trick. |
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I don't know who made this bolt, but it is a faithful implementation of the design described on page 113 in Anthony S. Filipiak's 1942 book 100 Puzzles - How to Make and Solve Them. See U.S. Patent 1111337 - Watkins 1914 |
 This bolt, on the other hand, called the Gotcha Bolt and recently available on eBay, is a very poor implementation of an obvious trick. |
A pair of trick bolts, from Lee Valley. These are very nicely made examples of two of the classic mechanisms. |
 This Wil Strijbos design was my first. I figured out how to get it apart but I can never manage it without a tool. |
 This is another Wil Strijbos design. I "cheated" by using an external object. Then I found that the required tool is in the puzzle - but again, it is very hard to get at the tool without a tool. |
 This is the vintage Nut and Bolt Puzzle No. 9655 by B. Shackman. It uses the first classic trick. |
 My friend Ralph Marlett made this bolt for me. It employs the first classic mechanism. |
 I include this nail-thru-coin, designed by W. Strijbos, issued B&P, since it exploits a thread. (Did I just give away too much?) |
 This is the "Holey Bolt" from B&P - it is really more of a tanglement (and I show it on that page, too) but it does involve a nut and bolt - in this case, though, try to get the nut on! |
 The CAST Extra Nut Puzzle is a refinement of classic mechanism 2. |
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Another design by Wil Strijbos - a label says "g30613" |
 This is NANAB (Not Another Nut And Bolt) by Frank Chambers. presented at IPP17. |
 A bolt on a hanger. |
 The smaller of these is the Perplexagon. I also have a larger version. A thread is cut in the middle of a steel rod, but not to either end. How did the nut get on? Can you get the nut off? |
They are from left to right:
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All of them are based on completely original and unusual mechanisms.
The B and P Brass Bolt was the first one I got and it is a terrific value.
I can't wait until Rocky thinks up another one!
I found a wooden "book" box and cut some foam to fit the interior.
The foam allows you to pull out cubic chunks to create tailor-made spaces for storing objects.
I put my bolt collection (most of it) into the book.
It's not a trick bolt... It's a Hardly by Rocky Chiaro A fairly simple and beautifully crafted brass puzzle model of an early Harley Knucklehead motor. |
 This is a DanLock I got from Dan Feldman. In puzzle circles it's widely acknowledged to be the "Rolls Royce" of trick locks. |
 The Lunatic Lock from B&P - nicely made in aluminum. A maze of internal sliding pins. |
 4-step Chinese Puzzle Lock from Puzzleboxesusa (defunct?) |
 B&P called this "Lockout" but the box says Kishor Trick Lock. It's made in India. |
 Here is a hefty multi-step puzzle lock, from India. Purchased from Lee Valley and Veritas Tools. |
 Another Indian puzzle lock. Very simple trick - a theme amongst this type. |
 Trick Lock (or Cigar Cutter) aka the Bashful Lock "I will open behind your back" See U.S. Patent 1136735 - Taylor 1915 |
 The Sherlock |
 Lockout by Irwin More of a game than a puzzle - One person devises a "code" and a second tries to solve it |
Neat Lock - Hajek IPP23 |
Mikslok - Chambers IPP20 |
Eleganter Australia Antique Lock Puzzle Made in China - package says Neko Mook No. 708 PET |
 This is an "Utterly Unique Puzzling Padlock" purchased from Frik-n-Frak's Curio Shack. |
Heart Lock - B&P |
Sparten Lock |
Chaman Lock |
 plastic lock - McDonald's premium |
 two puzzle locks by Marcel Gillen |
 a Chinese combination lock |
 A trick lock engraved "MIOf[]" |
 a small "springy" lock |
 Diamond lock from India |
 Key-shaped Lock from India |
 Chronos Trick Locks #1 and #2 Purchased from Torito. #1 is the same mechanism as the Lunatic Lock. #2 is different. |
 Trick Locks #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (left to right) from Puzzlemaster |
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Here is a series of trick locks made
in Germany by Rainer Popp.
Each is a Popplock - T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 (the version with aluminum rivets).
I have purchased T2 and T6 from Grand Illusions, T4 and T5 from Friedhelm von Knorre at IPP31 in Berlin, and T3 privately. 
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Constantin Wooden Lock Schiebeschloss (Sliding Lock) |
A lock requiring three keys to open. Similar to but smaller than the large trick lock I bought a while back from Lee Valley. |
A vintage trick lock - one must first find a way to open a panel to reveal the hidden keyhole, then one must figure out the proper way to use the key. An interesting mechanism, distinct from the trick locks I already have. |
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B&P's "Key and Ring" aka Rocky Chiaro's "Roc-Key" |
 The Bathroom Key - B&P |
 small silver linked keys |
 small black keys |
This large puzzle key is a souvenir of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Exposition, celebrating the Louisiana Purchase.
There is a dial on the end which must engage an internal slotted disk.
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 Hoffmann Key and Ring from Village Games, Camden Lock |
 Boston Key Party - Rocky Chiaro |
 E.Kur Key |
IPP14 held in 1994 in Seattle, Washington Ever since I got this Sandfield Joint puzzle years ago (from Puzzletts in Seattle, I think), I've wanted another Sandfield puzzle. In my opinion this is a classic, combining a trick dovetail joint with an internal hidden trick. |
IPP15 in 1995 in Tokyo Robert created the Dovetail and a Half 
and Norman created the Corollary Dovetail.
I have neither. |
IPP16, 1996, Luxembourg Robert submitted the Dovetail Donut.  Norman submitted the Spider's Secret Box, which was licensed by Bits & Pieces. (It is not a dovetail puzzle.) I have the Bits and Pieces version. |
IPP17 in 1997 in San Francisco CA Robert created the Bolted Dovetail.  Norman created the Dove Tangle. |
IPP18, 1998, Tokyo Robert's Fat and Thin Triple Dovetail Norman created Pharaoh's Secret which I finally found at IPP29. 
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IPP19, 1999, Heathrow, England Norman's L-Bow Dovetail (shown opened) Robert submitted the Cutaway (Double) Dovetail (also L shaped) which I don't have. 
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IPP20, 2000, Los Angeles CA Robert's Dovetail Burr 
(not to be confused with Frans de Vreugd's Dovetail Burr)
I have neither. 
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IPP21, 2001, Tokyo - No new puzzles from either.
IPP22, 2002, Antwerp Belgium Robert's Dovetail Pepper Shaker, and Norman's Dovetail Salt Shaker. They only work as a set - tools from one are needed to disassemble the other. My second Sandfield puzzle(s), obtained from Norman. |
IPP23, 2003, Chicago Norman's Dovetail Cherry Surprise Cake Robert submitted the Dovetail Jewel Box, which I found at IPP29. 
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The 2003 puzzles were the last to be crafted for the Sandfields by Perry McDaniel. However, Perry is still making fine wood puzzles. This is Perry's Marbled Walnut Sheet Cake box from 2006, purchased at IPP26 in Boston. |
This is one of Robert Sandfield's IPP30 Locked Draw Puzzle Boxes, made by Kathleen Malcolmson.
Here it is shown open, since that is the state it remains in until one solves it!
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Here are two puzzle boxes I received from Robert Sandfield.
They were both designed by Perry McDaniel and both made by Kathleen Malcolmson. The name of the first, the Unlocked Drawer, is apt - there is no lock - yet there is no obvious way to open the drawer! It is made from from Lacewood, Prima Vera, and Mahogany. This was Robert's exchange puzzle at IPP 27 in Australia. The second is the Banded Dovetail Puzzle. It is made from from Alder, Prima Vera, and Mahogany. 
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Six interchangeable cocobolo and maple sides ride in grooves in a precisely fashioned ebony frame.
A clever system of orthogonal dovetails mates the cocobolo exterior panels to their maple interior portions
and allows each side to move in specific ways.
Each side shows a "rune" symbol providing a clue to its allowed motions.
The sides obstruct each other depending on their positions.
By moving each side in its four possible directions, you're navigating a maze.
Your objective is to move one side so it exits the maze
(can you guess which rune labels this side?), thus unlocking the box and permitting
a side to be completely removed.
All sides can then be removed, and re-arranged to provide a new (and potentially more difficult) challenge.
After Kagen released the Rune Box, he developed this simplified version in the form of a caged burr,
called the Maze Burr.
Kagen's Maze Burr
won Puzzle of the Year (Puzzler's Award and Grand Prize) in the
2006 IPP Design Competition.
This version was made by Tom Lensch, from East Indian Rosewood (the frame),
Makore (the pin plates), and Maple (the maze plates).
This is
Kagen Schaefer's
multiple-award-winning Dodecahedron Box.
It is a hand-made gem, with wonderful
heft, finish, and action.
The pentagonal sides rotate.
Some of the sides are not fully symmetric, and therefore obstruct adjacent sides in some positions and
allow adjacent sides to move in other positions.
Your objective is to find a sequence of moves to achieve a correct positioning of sides permitting
the box to be unlocked and one of the sides to swing open.
The pattern on the box provides a clue.
This is
Immaginario Lunare by
Franco Rocco.
I purchased mine from
James Dalgety.
A pear-wood hollow sphere somewhat over six inches in outside diameter and
divided into 8 sections is held together by an intricate system of grooves and pins.
The sections must be manipulated in sequence to open the puzzle and disassemble it.
The puzzle is accompanied by a folio of instructions and diagrams on loose pages.
Mystical symbols engraved on some of the octants may be of help...
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The solution to the Cam Box requires an unusual motion. It was designed and made by Eric, of Mahogany and Beeswing Quilted Walnut. |
This is a copy of Eric's Cam Box, offered by Bits and Pieces - they call it the Shut Case Secret Box. |
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The "Irmo" Box designed and crafted by Eric. Made from Padauk, Quilted Maple, Aluminum, Brass, Steel, and Acrylic. Pic on the right is the box bottom. The laser-cut inscription is a clue. I can tell you that this design is: elegant, ingenious, devious, and clever. |
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The fanciest box in my collection is this Stickman Box No. 5, multiple 18 of 45, designed by Robert Yarger and purchased at Cubic Dissection. What begins in the workshop as 15 pounds of maple, walnut, cherry, bloodwood, and oak, ends up as over 75 intricately shaped pieces that weigh in toto a mere 4 pounds and hold together without glue or fasteners! Overall, the box measures 10.5" x 6 3/8" x 5.25". The box can be opened in 32 moves, and then disassembled to its constituent pieces, if one is brave and/or foolhardy enough! |
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I also acquired a Stickman Box No. 3. It's a very mechanical-looking box, with several wooden gears on the top. An inner sliding drawer has a maze routed into it - manipulating the gears moves a pair of internal pegs that navigate the maze tracks. The sliding drawer contains three compartments that you must eventually find a way to open. |
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This is the tiny Stickman "Snowflake" box No. 9. |
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At IPP26 I bought a Stickman #11 Fulcrum Box. |
Kelly "Snake" Snache and Robert "Stickman" Yarger are two talented puzzlebox craftsmen who have teamed up to create this Tea Box Puzzle, housed in an actual wooden Tea Box. A tea bag tag seems to be hanging out one side. Hmmm... |
This is Granny's Tea Box - The Pendulum, a secret-opening box, made by Kelly Snache from a vintage wooden tea box. Very clever mechanism! I like it. See a review at Jeff Chiou's blog. |
KCube puzzle boxes, designed and made by
Kim Klobucher:
The left-hand model requires 50 moves to open; the right-hand model only 16. Here is a YouTube video of a box being opened.
I received a set of Makishi Puzzle Boxes - 18, 30, and 50-move examples:
A few fellow puzzlers have posted favorable reviews, including
Jeff Chiou,
Brian Pletcher,
and
Oliver Sovary-Soos.
I, too, am very pleased! |
Hermit Crab Box by Shiro Tajima I have the dark walnut version. |
 Here is a Walk of the Ladybug by Tatuo Miyamoto of the Karakuri Creation Group. This is a beautiful box with a whimsical mechanism. I had trouble with the drawer at one point, probably due to humidity, but with the cooler, dryer fall weather the mechanism once again works properly. |
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Byway Secret No. 4 - Iwahara - Rob Jones IPP30 |
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Karakuri Small Boxes (Kobako) Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Each has a different trick. |
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A set of four Karakuri Cube Boxes.
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2005 Gifts (4 of 8) |
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 Cube Box by Akio Kamei |
 Free Dial by Shiro Tajima |
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 Secret Star by Hiroyuki Oka |
 Contrary Card Case by Tatuo Miyamoto |
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| If you don't care about ruining the fun of opening them yourself, click the button to show them opened (and refresh the page to close them again): | |||
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2006 Gifts (4 of 8) |
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 Covered Chimney by Hiroshi Iwahara |
 Soba Box by Hideto Satou |
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 Trick Box with a Top by Yoshiyuki Ninomiya |
 Spring Box by Akio Kamei |
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2007 Gifts (4 of 9) |
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 Secret Base by Hiroshi Iwahara |
 Hinge by Tatsuo Miyamoto |
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 Covered Type Secret Box by Yoshiyuki Ninomiya |
 String Box II by Akio Kamei |
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2008 Gifts (4 of 9) |
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 Cube Box II by Akio Kamei |
 Confetto Box by Hiroshi Iwahara |
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 Latch by Tatsuo Miyamoto |
 Dona Dona by Shiro Tajima |
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2009 Gifts (4 of 11) |
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Moneybox (swing type) by Hideto Satou |
Irregular Twin Box by Akio Kamei |
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Packing Box (mini) III by Yoshiyuki Ninomiya |
Four Direction Drawer by Hiroshi Iwahara This box won First Prize at the IPP30 Design Competition. |
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2010 Gifts (4 of 11) |
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Parcel Box - Kamei |
Tipsy - Miyamoto |
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String Box 2010 - Tsuburai |
House With Trees - Iwahara |
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The Karakuri Club Christmas 2011 Gifts (5 of 10) |
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Secret Base 2 - Iwahara |
Rotary Box - Kamei |
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Twin - Kawashima |
Dragon Wing - Tajima |
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String Box 2011 - Tsuburai |
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 I have an original edition Kamei Coin Bank. |
 Karakuri Club 2003 Christmas present, Star Puzzle Box, made by Akio Kamei. |
 This is the Karakuri Club 2004 Christmas present, Twin Box 3, made by Akio Kamei. |
 3D Box (K20) - IPP16 1996 |
Kamei's small Egg |
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My all-time favorite has to be the Pentagon Box. This has a very satisfying mechanism. |
 Octagon Box |
Hamburger |
Crown |
 Candy Box |
 Train Engine |
Ribbon Box |
 Treasure Chest |
 Gift Box |
 Little Drawer Box |
 Book |
 Secret Gift Box |
 Secret Key Box |
 Telescoping Box |
 Heart Box |
| I have some inexpensive traditional Japanese trick boxes, purchased at a shop in Hakone. You can read an article by Jerry Slocum discussing Japanese Puzzle Boxes and showing a diagram of the typical solution pattern. | ||
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This miniature (mame) box works well. |
 Here is a trick cigarette case. |
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These two Japanese secret-opening boxes were made by Hiroyuki Oka and purchased from The Unique Box Shop. |
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 This is a 5 sun, 9-step box called "Notch Stripes." |
 This is a 3 sun, 12-step box. The different woods are: White - Mizuki wood from Japan, Yellow - Inomi wood from Japan, Green - Hoo wood from Japan, Beige - Beech wood from Germany, Brown - Walnut wood from North America, Red - Hekakoro Rengasu wood from Southeast Asia |
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 Gravity Pin Box |
Button Box |
 Spin Box |
 Rockit Box (2nd) |
 Seesaw Box (2nd) |
 Terra Box (2nd) |
 Knock Box |
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I have two examples of the Dice Box (or Barrel) described in Hoffmann - nice vintage boxwood turned pieces. The one on the right came from France and included 3 tiny dice. |
 Here is another antique "treen" piece, the Ebony Puzzle Ball described in Hoffmann. The circular engravings are supposed to disguise the opening. |
This is the Apple Puzzle from woodturner John Berkeley. The Apple won an Honorable Mention in the IPP21 Design Competition. John also offers reproductions of many of the classic turned puzzles in Hoffmann. |
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The simplest trick-opening box has to be the two-piece Black Box. I got mine a long time ago, but supposedly Mag-Nif or Oriental Trading Company offers them. |
 This "Treasure Box" is another classic design in plastic. It is similar to the Black Box in that everything depends on your grip. U.S. Patent 5611536 - Foreshew 1997 |
 2-drawer Trick Box |
 The Snap Box from B&P |
 The Corian Slider Box from B&P - designed by Frank Chambers |
 The Constantin Knob Box from B&P |
 The Secret Sliding Box from B&P |
 My friend Jay gave me a beautiful Burl Box. It is more art than puzzle. |
 I bought a hummingbird box when I was in Costa Rica. They're hand-made, but mass-produced for the tourists. Not very puzzling. |
  This is the Black Box designed by W.L. van der Poel. Peter Knoppers has some info on his site. It is discussed in CFF, issue 25, part 3, December 1990, pp 4-7. |
Secret Rectangle Box B & P |
 Boardman Box B & P |
 Keeper Box B & P |
 Alice's Puzzlement From Pentangle. |
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 Snap Latch box - Bits and Pieces |
 Eclipse box - Bits and Pieces |
The Celtic Knot Box by Constantin Purchased from Bits and Pieces. |
 The Sonneveld Box - made by Tom Lensch Purchased from Tom at IPP28 in Prague. Beautifully made - it looks edible! I had wanted one since seeing Trevor Wood's version. |
 The rather controversially named "Bin Laden" box (laden means drawers in Dutch) - the name is meant as a hint to the solution. By Rik van Grol, IPP26. |
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Oval Trick Box Purchased from Bits and Pieces. |
Secret Enigma Box from Bits and Pieces. |
The Ringed Heart Purchased from Puzzlemaster, designed by Doug Engel. |
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Mt. Fuji, from Mr. Puzzle Australia - IPP30. |
Ambidextrous Hexduos - designed by Matt Dawson - made by Robert Yarger - presented at IPP30 |
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The Bee Box - Designed by Constantin See an explanation at Grand Illusions. |
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Capricious ("Capriciaus") Cube - Tamura - IPP30 A small cube inside is free to slide and locks the cube. |
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The Haselgrove Box requires you to tilt it this way and that, in an effort to reposition internal sliding blocks and allow the pieces to be unlocked and removed. Then you must re-assemble it. I have a version from Cleverwood, and a very nice version from Eric Fuller made from Wenge and Purpleheart. |
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Eric also made this never-before-produced design called Meijer's Box, from Maple and Spalted Yellowheart. According to Eric, Berend Meijer "became fascinated with the Hazelgrove box and decided to make his own design along the same lines. His unique creation uses a sliding piece that moves into a hole in the front of the box to lock the pieces in. The concept is the same as the Hazelgrove box, but the operation is completely different and quite tricky." |
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Several of them are disassembly challenges, others are assembly, interlocking, and routefinding puzzles.
(The non-disassembly puzzles are shown elsewhere on this site, too.)
