Honeycomb Maze Box

Maze Runner

The future is an ever-shifting maze of possibilities until it becomes the present - Terry Brooks

Kagen Sound has always had a love of mazes since his childhood, when he would hand draw them for fun and friends to attempt. He has incorporated mazes into his puzzle boxes many times, starting with the predecessor of the maze box series, the Jewel Box, which he created around 2006. The Jewel Box had two dovetailed intersections, with a hidden maze etched underneath. Such a “blind” maze shouldn’t be too hard to solve or it loses the fun experience for most people. Kagen went on to incorporate the maze idea, using two blocks with two directional movement and a peg, in many boxes including the Waterfall series, Rune Boxes and Maze Burrs. Over time the idea of a rotating rather than linear maze took hold, as well as the idea of being able to fully see the maze as you work your way through.

The maze box series also evolved from a desire to use metal and wood together in an elegant and pleasing fashion. Kagen thought it would be nice to make circular mazes in metal, which allowed for smaller scale production than a wood maze. The metal part ended up serving many functions, in that it provides the entire puzzle experience on its own, and is also a beautifully polished medallion which can be fully removed at the end, as a treasure and reward. It is satisfying to find your way through the maze, open the box and hold the coin-like object in your hand.

Kagen created all the circular mazes using SketchUp, a 3D modeling software program. He then had plastic prototypes created on Shapeways, which made it possible to test things out properly as each maze was developed. He learned a lot about the world of metal work supply chain production and grinding finishes from the maze box series. Once the maze designs were complete, he ordered 250 of each to be printed in metal. This was a multistep collaborative process, with one company initially printing the rough metal maze discs, which were then sent to a second company for initial grinding, and then to a third company after he had created his own special jigs for “centerless grinding” in order to create stacks of perfectly circular, smooth metal discs.

The Honeycomb box was actually a backwards step in Kagen’s mind from the idea of a visible maze, in that it ironically became another blind maze in the end and started to feel cruel. The original idea was to be lost in a maze of many rooms, which took on a honeycomb pattern, but because the maze is so small it’s hard to see the entrances and exits. For this reason it became the most difficult in the series. The other boxes in the series contain discs that look like straightforward circular mazes. However, these needed stabilizing bars throughout the rings by necessity, which naturally led to many unexpected surprises and secrets within the mazes. The initial Walnut maze then led to many many variations and ideas that Kagen dreamed up and evolved into the final set. Most were not possible to include in such a large production run, but a few found their way into a special box, the “Infernal Puzzle Box”, which featured different mazes on all six sides of a cube and was produced for the Wizards of the Coast company to launch a new Dungeons and Dragons story line. One devious example was a maze in which the metal walls were slightly thicker, and concealed a hidden maze inside the maze itself!

He made one thousand boxes in the series, over a period of six to twelve months, in four different woods selected from his favorites like Walnut and Maple. Cherry is actually a wood he does not use often, but liked for this project. The Honeycomb box wood, Pau Amarello, although difficult to work with was specifically chosen for its warm honey yellow color to match the theme. One thousand boxes was a huge undertaking. Such a large production scale meant paying attention to tiny details in precision, as any flaw could get magnified quickly. It became important, for example, to be able to predict how dull a table saw blade will get over time, which can cost more in extra effort and time to fix problems than to simply purchase a new blade. The biggest challenge with making one thousand boxes was to keep the quality high. This is the kind of challenge that Kagen finds fun and stimulating, thinking about how to maintain quality in high production numbers. Even with much smaller puzzle production runs he is often dealing with up to twelve hundred identical component parts, so this is not uncommon for him. The fact that he enjoys it is why he is so good at doing it so well.

According to lexico.com the phrase “bee’s knee” was first recorded in the late eighteenth century to mean something small of little significance. That would hardly be an appropriate reference for the Honeycomb Box, which although small is certainly significant in many ways. In fact, I’d say it’s the “bee’s knees”, using the now common definition coined in the 1920’s during a robust period of new American slang that included other expressions such as the “cat’s pyjamas” (or its “meow”), the “gnat’s elbow”, and the lovely “dog’s bollocks”, although that one was clearly borrowed from the Brits. Meaning something outstanding and sensational, the Bee’s Knees was also the name given to a classic prohibition era cocktail made with gin, lemon and honey. It’s a perfect name for the drink, referencing the honey and suggesting that the cocktail is absolutely delicious, which is true. The drink may have been the invention of Frank Meier, the head bartender of the Café Parisian at the Ritz Hotel in Paris when it opened in 1921, and was also associated with the socialite Molly Brown, who survived the sinking of the Titanic. It was certainly popular in the American speakeasies of the era thanks to its ability to mask bathtub quality gin.

Here’s a deliciously different take on the Bee’s Knees cocktail that is perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday and season. It has two small but important additions to the original. The first is the inclusion of Cynar, a robust, vegetal Italian amaro famous for its use of artichoke leaves, among many other herbs and botanicals, in its secret recipe. Cynar is a relative newcomer to the amaro family, first introduced in Padua in 1952. The Bee’s Knees cocktail is light and summery, but the addition of Cynar changes it completely and alluringly into an autumn drink. The second addition is the use of a rosemary infused honey syrup. The aromatic herb lends a whole new layer of deep flavor to the drink, and ties it so well to the season. The drink’s name is an homage to the bees we have buzzing around our yard, burrowing into the fences, and is a bit of a misnomer, as Carpenter Bees do not produce honey. Cheers!

Rainy Days and Mondays

1 ½ oz gin

½ oz Cynar

¾ oz fresh lemon

½ oz rosemary infused honey syrup

Shake ingredients well with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Garnish with a lime peel bee on a pick.

See more from this artist:

Kagen Sound

Maze Runner

Thor’s Hammer

Brass Lighthouse