Four puzzles to auction

This is our ninth puzzle auction and this time, we put two kinds, four test version puzzles up for auction on eBay.

Juno always prepares test timber stocks or extra pieces when he produces puzzle products. These test pieces are used for prototypes, settings for jigs and the CNC router, adjustments for numbers of parts and so on. In some cases, we lose these pieces during production, and in other cases, the pieces survive until the end of production and they can be used and called as a prototype or a test version. We are going to produce a product version of these two kinds of 12 piece burr puzzles very soon. Before we do so, we decided to put the test version up for auction and donate half of the sales amount to an animal shelter.

Stretchy 12
Sapwood of Bubinga is used for the 3 x 1 profile pieces unlike our original plywood for the product version. There are lots of grub holes on the surface of the timber, but we believe some people like such a character of the timber.

Staggered 12
Instead of Burmese Teak for the product version, cheaper Camphor Laurel timber is used for the 3 x 1 profile pieces.

There are two each of two kinds of puzzles on auction. To find out about more details of the puzzles, please check on the auction pages. We are looking forward to you joining our auction!

Yukari

Doable 12

Doable 12 is our fourth orthogonal 12-piece burr puzzle product and it seems to be the easiest one among them. Although it's still a very difficult puzzle, Juno says that it's doable to solve without computer aids.

So, what are the feature of the puzzle? As you see the perimeter of the puzzle pieces, it has diagonal and curved lines. Juno has modified the shape of the pieces and restricted the puzzle to have not only a unique solution but also a unique assembly. You can trace which piece goes where in the assembled shape of the puzzle observing the shape of the pieces. Then the remaining challenge is to find out how and in which order the pieces have to be assembled. The burr puzzle requires 14 moves to remove the first piece from the assembled shape. It's tough but doable. (I mean to some serious puzzle solvers.)

Our originally made plywood laminated American Black Walnut and European Beech is used for the puzzle to increase the durability of the puzzle. The pieces have a very nice texture and a smooth surface. The shape is cut by one of our CNC routers and all the sharp corners are rounded using a router table.

It is very time consuming to produce those plywoods, but Juno has already produced a different profile of plywood and he has been working on the next project. Two more kinds of 12-piece burr will be released in the near future and I hope that you enjoy these puzzles.

Yukari

The 8th Auction Results

I will announce the results of the 8th eBay puzzle auction that was ended two days ago. This time, we had put up two puzzles; 2nd grade of Chubby Crocodile and a new puzzle that is going to be sold soon, Doable 12.
The sales results are as follows:

Doable 12: AUD $86.00
Chubby Crocodile: AUD $104.30

For donating half of the sold sales we went to an animal shelter, "Animal Welfare League Queensland," yesterday. One of the staff remembered us and told that "you are puzzle guys!"

Juno, who is a serious cat lover, took lots of cat pictures as shown below.

I was a bit curious about guinea pigs. They are cute, aren't they? There are some guinea pigs in the shelter, but I prevented myself from looking at them because I would come to want them. You know, we have two cats at home, and they might attack guinea pigs, so I cannot keep them.

In Queensland, Australia, there are lots of people who keep guinea pigs. I guess that's because it's not allowed to keep rabbits in Queensland. Long long ago, the immigrants brought rabbits to Australia to enjoy hunting or as a food. However, the rabbit's population has increased more than people expected and it's getting to be a serious problem now. I sometimes see a rabbit jumping in a field while I'm driving.

Let's back to the subject of the auction. The donation, AUD $100.00 will be used for feeding and medical treatment in the shelter. We hope all the animals in the shelter are able to find a home where they can live with peace of mind.

Yukari