David Rake - Puzzle Box Series

Throughout this semester I am creating Puzzle Boxes. Puzzle Boxes are boxes that can be opened via a mechanical sequence. These boxes either blatantly appear as a lock box or are more inconspicuous.

Drawers:

Concept: My first box if seen from the front appears as almost a chest of drawers except they're vertical. It has five vertically moving bars and one horizontally moving bar at the bottom. I started drawing and creating it last spring but didn't get far before realizing how confusing it is to reverse engineer a puzzle that doesn't exist.

Method: I did some brief sketches with the intended solution which was later ripped apart and recreated. The original solution was eight steps and was changed to a seven step one because I realized a flaw that made it solvable in three steps originally. After deciding the way the puzzle moves and is solved I created curves in rhino simulating my drawings. Then I started to test build it in 3d space to make sure all the pieces fit together and solve it before it was physically made. All Rhino files for all three boxed rely heavily on curves and grid snaps.

I built did a test build of this box with MDF pieces. I discovered some major flaws I looked over when originally designing it. In order for the box to work as originally intended I would have to make some major changes to the box. I decided to move on to my next box idea as I gained much knowledge about how to create these and I was frustrated with the physical appearance of this design.

Materials: I originally planned for it to be laser cut, but I tried out the idea of 3d printing it and that was too costly so I have fallen back on laser cutting. I am using MDF for my first build but if it goes well I may look into other materials like more aesthetically pleasing woods.

Cubic Box:

Concept:  My second box idea quickly came to me while working on the first box and I almost finished the second box before the first because of my excitement about it. It is more of an inconspicuous box and is not clear on how to even start tackling the box.

Method:  I did some brief sketches and ran through multiple iterations on how to do the internal locking mechanisms. It wasn't until I had a dream about it that I really figured out the best way for this first version. I started with a square shape and added and subtracted from that shaped to create all the parts. I use space much smarter than in the first box so this one is much more compact. This box is 6 in. x 6 in. 6 in. and contains a total of 59 parts.

I built this box with MDF. It took 8 hours to assemble the parts. Overall I was very happy with it and I learned how to improve the structural integrity of the mechanical parts. The box however didn't lock properly and to it's fullest potential. I improved my rhino design and cut out a new version.

The 2nd box came together in 5 hours after the parts were cut. It feels much more sturdy and all the locks up until the final step work smoothly. The last lock which I was worried about but hoped I had fixed was still causing issues. I thought about reworking the entire box to change how the locks function. Thanks to my roommates I discovered that the final lock can work and just needs some additional changes and reinforcements to work. This box is easily the box I am the most proud of regardless of the fact I do not have a fully functional version.

Materials: All the test builds are made of MDF. This box especially would look magnificent with some nicer woods, as it looks more inconspicuous than the other two.

Engraved Lock Box:

Concept: This box was much influenced by my Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) campaign. I planned to create a box that they would solve through the campaign as they played. Due to group and personal reasons, they will never reach the point the box would have entered the story. I planned to do two and was left with one that could be solved by the outer pictures and another I keep blank to better showcase internals.

Method: This box was the most heavily sketched with more pages than shown of ideas for puzzles and combinations, especially related to the D&D campaign. I laid out the box with interlocking joints with extra space for aesthetics I planned for much later. The locking system inside contains inner walls that prevent the entire top piece from being removed. The combination is made from three separate dials. Once all three dials are correct the bar below them can be pushed into them to unlock the box. the dials and locking mechanism can clearly be seen once the box is open. Each dial has 8 options engraved on them. Arranging text at an angle precisely was a fun thing to overcome. My demonstrative box has 2-4 Roman Numerals on dial option. None of the Roman Numerals repeat to avoid being able to solve the box based on exploits.

Possibly as a result of the extensive drawing before hand the very first iteration of this box worked like a dream. However the second box that was cut from the same sheet of MDF at the same time did not want to fit together as nicely. This box also contains the largest area for actually containing things out of the three boxes. If I were to create more I'd add markers on the top layer on which way the dials are supposed to face to avoid confusion.

The Demonstrative puzzle features four pictures (JFK, Boot Print, Eagle, Flag) related to the moon landing from NASA. I took these four images and used Adobe Illustrator's Image Trace. I then used the Expand tool and took the curves into Rhino, Exploded, and Joined the curves. I trimmed the curves and deleted some entirely to make it more clear and less busy.

Materials: The test for the box was using MDF. I added Copper Pipe on the edges to add an aesthetic appeal outside of just the box materials and am pleased with how it adds to the box.

If anyone would like to cut out a blank box you can get the template I made here

End Notes: From this semester I learned much about creating mechanically moving parts with the Laser Cutter. The first two boxes were very frustrating when they did not work as intended. When I assembled the third box it was amazing because of all my planning it came together and worked exactly how I had hoped.

Practically all three of the boxes would be made of a nicer wood than MDF, but making see-through acrylic boxes would be delightful. I cannot express how happy I am with these boxes and how much I've learned through them.