Boxes and Booze 5/28/16 Boxes and Booze 5/28/16

Worm Wood

Absinthe, that mysterious emerald elixir which calls to mind visions of bohemia complete with Parisian cafes, famous artists and enchanted evenings. I knew that eventually I would want to write about it, and Thomas Cummings has given me the chance.

Boxes and Booze 5/21/16 Boxes and Booze 5/21/16

Two-Tricks

Opinions vary, but one commonly held belief around these parts is that the puzzle boxes appear to have multiplied. I really couldn't say about the validity of that supposition, but if such a thing were even remotely accurate, I would have to blame, of course, the rabbits.

Boxes and Booze 5/14/16 Boxes and Booze 5/14/16

Cam Box

There are probably a finite number of possible ways to open a wooden box, but designers delight in exploring the options to see what’s possible. Part of the challenge in creating a new design is also in making the novelty invisible, so the box doesn’t necessarily look any different.

Boxes and Booze 5/7/16 Boxes and Booze 5/7/16

Lotus Box

Sometimes a puzzle will keep you going around in circles. In this case, it’s quite literal as well. Kagen Sound is a well known wood worker, mathematician, artist and conservationist who resides in Denver, Colorado.

Boxes and Booze 4/30/16 Boxes and Booze 4/30/16

Kamei Egg

Akio Kamei is no stranger to this blog. He is the current leader of the Karakuri Creation Group, a group of wood artisans keeping the art of Japanese puzzle box making alive and well in Hakone, Japan.

Boxes and Booze 4/23/16 Boxes and Booze 4/23/16

The Navigator’s Box

Thomas Cummings has been making puzzle boxes for his family and friends in his Georgia workshop for years. Some recipients of his handiwork have apparently deserved particularly devious designs, and Thomas seems to relish the opportunity to inflict his puzzle passion on the willing.

Boxes and Booze 4/16/16 Boxes and Booze 4/16/16

Hales Lock 1

Shane Hales has a lock on some brilliant puzzle designs.

Boxes and Booze 4/16/16 Boxes and Booze 4/16/16

How? Box

How? does one describe the results of a seasoned puzzler teaming up with an expert craftsman to produce a new puzzle box? Exactly. The How? Box is a collaborative effort hatched in the deviously puzzling mind of Englishman Peter Hajek.

Boxes and Booze 4/9/16 Boxes and Booze 4/9/16

The Button Box

It’s time to break out the decoder ring again. The stealth spy operatives over at Cryptic Woodworks are at it again, incorporating hidden clues, codes and riddles into the very workings of the puzzle box.

Boxes and Booze 4/2/16 Boxes and Booze 4/2/16

Oskar’s Treasure Chest

“Oskar’s Treasure Chest” looks and functions just like the more famous 3x3 twisty cube puzzle we all know and love, but with an added surprise bonus.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles