Kagen Schaefer

Here's a woodworker that I find inspirational - Kagen Schaefer. He builds puzzle boxes of his own design, and they are quite clever and beautiful. A puzzle box is a small wooden box that is opened using a secret combination of 'moves'. Different types of boxes use different types of moves. Traditional Japanese puzzle boxes often used sliding panels moved in a specific sequence to open the box. Kagen's boxes sometimes use the method, but he has also invented many other opening methods. Aside from the sheer creativity of designing the opening mechanisms, the boxes themselves are quite expertly crafted. Check out his page for examples of his work.

I myself would LOVE to build a puzzle box. I think I have come up with a couple of different types of opening mechanisms, but so far I have not had the time (or the accuracy in my tools) to try and build one. Maybe I will try very soon!