A Jigsaw But Not A Jigsaw

Jigsaw Box by No Problem Puzzles

Kumiki Crane

It has been a busy week at PuzzleMad HQ. Despite the catastrophic loss of the orthopaedic cement supply to the National health service, I had a very full week of operating and then lots of meetings to attend. This was then followed yesterday by an MPP (I am sure that Allard will write this up soon) and today by a fun episode of DIY. Someone has decreed that the compact fluorescent tubes used in my under cabinet lights in the kitchen are no longer available in all the sizes I need (one had blown last weekend). Mrs S decided that it was necessary for me to replace the light fittings completely so that she didn't chop any fingers off whilst cooking. Today, I have failed to electrocute myself, which is a bonus, but spent a good 3 hours with LED fittings, wires and junction boxes. Mrs S is now happy (phew) but it does mean that I have actually not managed to solve anything complex this week (apart from a bunch of Karakuri puzzles that I managed to get my mitts on at the MPP). My unsolved puzzle backlog is epic!

I did come home from Birmingham yesterday with a couple of freebies. The Jigsaw Box designed by Theo Geerinck and the late Symen Hovinga and a Crane puzzle rather reminiscent of the origami flapping birds that I used to make as a kid (I can still remember how to fold it).

Whilst relaxing in front of the TV with Mrs S last night, I took the crane apart and scrambled the pieces. 

Quite lot of small parts to fall down the sofa

Once I had left it for a while I attempted the reassembly. I didn't think it would be terribly tough but Mazikeen was very intrigued by the small green pieces. She would not get off my lap and would not stop pawing at them. At one point she grabbed a wing and ran off with it 😱. I really don't want to have a partially assembled puzzle and even more didn't want a trip to the vet for removal of puzzle piece from cat intestine. So ensued a hilarious romp around our conservatory as I chased the puddy tat behind the sofa and out the other side before retrieving the errant piece. The reassembly took me another 20 minutes due to constantly dropping pieces whilst preventing the minx from running off again. The assembly, once completed was a nice rewarding challenge and requires a little thought to ensure that the key piece actually locks in place. Thanks Allard.

Next up, the Jigsaw box. 3D printed with 4 identical walls to the box and a lid and bottom. the walls can slide onto each other sequentially but this leaves the top and bottom of the box blocked. It seems impossible to place them. Time for a think© and it quickly becomes apparent that this little challenge is not a Jigsaw. It's a coordinate motion puzzle. I was kind of hoping that I might have more luck with this than the last coordinate motion puzzle that I picked up at an MPP!

This six piece puzzle from Stewart Coffin remains in pieces!

Luckily, the jigsaw box is only a little bit fiddly and doesn't require 4 hands and the ability to reverse gravitational fields. After a few minutes, avoiding the cat and jiggling pieces about to the right position and then pushing them all into place simultaneously, I had my Jigsaw box:

Strangely satisfying!

Hopefully this week will give me a bit more puzzling time.