When Is A Burr Not A Burr?

Update 23 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

Name
Pinwheel Burr. 

Designer
Oskar van Deventer

Manufacturer & Availability
Produced by Dave Rossetti (mentored by Tom Lensch). This was Dave's IPP35 Exchange Puzzle in Ottawa, Canada last August. 

Type & Classification
Interlocking solid; 3D Packing; Put-Together

Dimensions
9cm x 7.7cm x 7.7cm

Materials & Construction
Made of four different exotic woods; Bocote, African Mahogany, Spalted Tamarid and Ebony and plywood for the base, the construction fit and finish is very good. All the pieces fit nicely.

Overview
The Pinwheel Burr looks like a burr, is as difficult (if not more so) than a typical mid-level burr but yet isn't really a burr as such. I would consider it more a 3D packing puzzle since the goal is to fit the eight pieces around a cube and the whole lot onto a base. Not only that, but also to form the "pinwheel" with the same wood type for each of six facings.

Each of the eight pieces comprise three blocks each measuring 1 x 2 x 2 glued together to form different shapes and in different combination of woods. Initially it doesn't look that difficult as you take out the pieces from the base. 

However, the whole ensemble and the orientation of the pieces relative to each other is very confusing to put back once the pieces are fully scrambled (just look at the photo above). Also trying to tell the different woods apart was also quite a challenge for me. To match back the same wood type to form the pinwheel for each side is really no joke. I got nowhere with this one and had to resort to the solution, which thankfully came with the puzzle. 

Difficulty Level

Very difficult and it even took me a while to understand and figure out the solution diagrams too before I managed to get the whole lot back correctly together. Hardcore packing puzzle enthusiasts would enjoy this one!

Twelve Bow Ties

Name
Twelve Bow Ties

Designer
Wayne Daniel

Manufacturer & Availability
Produced by Wayne Daniel

Type & Classification
Interlocking Solid

Dimensions
5cm x 5cm x 5cm

Materials & Construction
All wood and what appears to be cherry and walnut, the latter for the bow ties. Very well made with fine attention to detail and cutting, for such a small puzzle. Everything slides smoothly as intended.

Overview
Twelve Bow Ties was Marti Reils' IPP34 Exchange Puzzle in London. This puzzle takes the shape of a polyhedron with 12 faces and is known as a dodecahedron. Each face is itself a pentagon. 

The object of the puzzle is to take it apart and put it back together. The puzzle comprises of 8 pieces (with 2 sets of 4 congruent pieces each). Each of the pieces has grooves, notches and "bow tie" protrusions and the pieces slide and interlock against each other in the most amazing way. At first glance, you may even mistake it for an impossible object but not really, as the puzzle can be taken apart from different angles and directions depending on on which face of the puzzle you start from. 

Difficulty Level

Given the way its been cut, can be a bit tricky to put back together, if you totally scramble the pieces. The puzzle first splits into half and then into quarters and so on, so its best to try to remember which pair of pieces go together. 

Baffling Bolted Book

Name
Baffling Bolted Book ("BBB")

Designer
Louis Coolen & Adin Townsend

Manufacturer & Availability
Produced by Allard Walker (but all 3 gents had a hand in doing the modding and fittings with Louis doing most of the work!)

Type & Classification
Trick Opening/Take-Apart/2D Packing

Dimensions
18.2cm x 12cm x 3.8cm 

Materials & Construction
The puzzle is actually a box which has been made to resemble a book and I believe the box is commercially available. Made of plywood with canvas wrapping. The 2D packing puzzle is laser cut acrylic.

Overview
This is one of the more unusual looking (and rather large in size) puzzles at the IPP34 Puzzle Exchange and it was fellow puzzle blogger Allard Walker's exchange puzzle. The BBB follows the theme of his previous year's (IPP33) exchange puzzle the Conjuring Conundrum where an available object (in the case of the BBB, a box-book) is fashioned and modified into a working mechanical puzzle. 

Like the Conjuring Conundrum, the BBB offers two challenges. The first and easier (not easy) task is to open the box. The second is to use three pieces stuffed in a bag inside the box to make a line-symmetrical shape in a frame that is attached to the underside of the lid.

This is a sequential discovery puzzle where you are required to use whatever's in the puzzle (eg; tools etc) to solve it. No external implements or tools are allowed. To open the box requires approximate 7-8 steps. After about 3 steps, the lid opens partially and you get to have a bit of a glimpse of the inside. An a-ha moment! You can just about see a cloth bag and a card which holds the acrylic pieces for the second challenge but not more. From here, the difficulty increases. Not easy moving forward and it does require you to do some thinking how to use what's within the box to progress further. The next 4-5 steps if executed correctly will release the lid fully and bring you to the second challenge, forming a line-symmetrical shape inside the frame.

In case you are wondering what's a line symmetrical shape...simply put is this...if you draw a straight line over the shape you have formed with the three pieces and if the shape is the correct intended shape, you will get a mirror image on the left and right side of the line. Although its only three pieces, this 2D packing challenge is tough because you not only have to firstly form a symmetrical shape, but you need to form one that fits inside the parallelogram shaped frame. There are several symmetrical shapes to be found but only one which will fit inside the frame. Here is what makes the second challenge so very difficult, despite only having three pieces. Took me a while to figure this part out. I will not link the solution here but will provide it via email upon request.

Difficulty Level

For sequential discovery puzzle lovers, this is a pretty good one with some tricks here and there. Need to be careful or might miss some things. Not overly difficult but by no means easy either. For the 2D packing challenge, very difficult and can be a real pain! Not that many symmetrical type puzzles out there and this one is really a toughie.

Summary

A very nice, unusual and well executed exchange puzzle which provides two challenges in one puzzle. The BBB is available in limited quantities from puzzle purveyor Wil Strijbos. The 2D packing challenge is also available as a standalone puzzle (called the Symmple Puzzle; what an understatement! and designed by Adin Townsend) and available from Louis Coolen.

Leprechaun's Dilemma

Name
Leprechaun's Dilemma

Designer
Patterson G. Feeney 

Manufacturer & Availability
Allen Rolfs

Type & Classification
Slocum Classification 4.1 Disentanglement

Dimensions
13cm x 10cm.The ring is about 6cm in diameter.

Materials & Construction
The puzzle is entirely made of sheet metal. Everything fits and moves as intended. Pretty good detailing given that the puzzle is hand-painted. Alan painted a 100+ copies? Wow!! Only problem is that with continuous play (if your solve is slow), the paint can get chipped away.

Overview
I usually don't fancy disentanglement puzzles as they are usually way to hard for me. But when I do play with one, I try to choose one that is not too difficult or does not look difficult. In the case of the Leprechaun's Dilemma, its both.

The puzzle was Allen Rolfs' Exchange Puzzle at IPP34 in London. His reproduction is based on a 1912 design pattented by P.G. Feeney. Object here is to remove the yellow ring from the Leprechaun's body.

Difficulty Level

Not too difficult. With a bit of experimentation, I was able to remove the ring in a matter of minutes...hooray. Nonetheless its sufficiently tricky enough that I took a bit more time to put back the ring. What can be taken out (without force), can be replaced. And its all a matter of physics, even though the ring looks "impossible" to remove (like most string/disentanglement puzzles)

Summary

Cute and colourful puzzle that can be solved quickly once you master the couple of moves required. Great for novice "Disentanglers" and a nice exchange puzzle with (IMHO), just the right level of difficulty.

4L Co-Mo

Name
4L Co-Mo (4 layers Co-ordinate Motion Puzzle)

Designer
Johan Heyns, South Africa. This circular version is based on a hexagonal shaped version designed by Johan in 2011. Johan has also recently produced a hex-shaped version with a cutout in the middle.

Manufacturer & Availability
Handcrafted and sold by Johan himself. 

Type & Classification
Co-ordinate motion

Dimensions
Relatively large at about 9.1cm diameter and 4.5cm thick, but a good size that fits the hands pretty well.

Materials & Construction
The three pieces of this puzzle is made from Pau Marfim (a Brazilian "substitute" for Maple), Rhodesian Teak and Mansonia. Quality of construction, fit and finish is excellent with the entire puzzle built to tight tolerances. Hefty and yes the sliding is also very smooth. The stand that comes with the puzzle comprises of offcuts re-purposed from the same three woods. A nice little extra touch here!

Overview
This is my first puzzle from Johan and certainly would not be my last. My copy is the less expensive "non-stripey" version (US$38). The stripey version has each of the pieces made from a combination of three woods. It is also overall thicker to maintain the strength and integrity of the puzzle and correspondingly a little more expensive.

Generally I don't have much problems with co-ordinate motion puzzles (based on past experience) and I didn't think I would have much issue with the 4L Co-Mo. But I couldn't be more wrong. I took apart the puzzle in a jiffy (this was the easy part) but spent the better part of an afternoon trying to put the thing back together and still couldn't! 

I made a comment (to Otis Cheng's FaceBook picture post of his 4L Co-Mo) about my difficulty and within minutes, Johan (who must have seen my comment) shot me a PM to let me know that I needed to align certain match markings on the pieces to slide them back to the original state. He mentioned that the markings were a necessary guide to ensure that the pieces fit especially after sanding and turning. In my case, it was a small dot drilled into the joining ends of two pieces. Others could be two dots or a circle, depending.

With this new info, I was then able to position the pieces correctly and slide all three pieces back into the solved state. 

Difficulty Level

Easy to take apart but even with the match markings, this is still a relatively difficult puzzle to put back together; you need to align all three pieces "just nicely" in the correct position and orientation to slide them inwards. If not, one of the pieces would always be excluded. Not an easy task and I did take a bit of time on this as well. Perhaps the hardest co-ordinate motion puzzle I have come across so far. Thanks for Johan's help, otherwise I would still have been grappling with this one. A bit of practice here and there and I got the hang of it after a while.

Summary

The 4L Co-Mo is a great co-ordinate motion puzzle; very high quality and sturdily constructed with thick stock and can withstand abuse (but be more gentle with the stand tho'). Johan calls his works ICTA (Intellectual Coffee Table Art), not puzzles. How true; supported on its own stand, the 4L Co-Mo displays really very nicely on any desk or mantle. And did I mention that it is very good value for money too?

Antislide Tetramino

Name
Antislide Tetramino

Designer
Vladimir Krasnoukhov, Russia. The AT-Puzzle was also Vladimir's IPP35 Exchange Puzzle. For some of his other very nice puzzle designs, click here and here.

Manufacturer & Availability
Manufactured and sold by Vladimir himself. He may still have some copies available. 

Type & Classification
2D Packing

Dimensions
13.5cm x 7.5cm x 0.6cm

Materials & Construction
Laser cut acrylic used throughout. 3mm thickness for the pieces and the tray. Excellent quality and Vladimir went one step further by providing a red piece-holder so that all the pieces are are nicely held together when not in play.

Overview
This is not just your usual packing puzzle, but one with an added task; to pack all the 5 tetramino (each piece is 4 units) pieces into the tray in such a fashion that none of the pieces can slide (or move) in any direction. As a pure packing puzzle, this would have been a no-brainer, but with the anti-slide requirement, the AT-Puzzle becomes a very difficult puzzle indeed!

I took the better part of a day and still couldn't figure out the solution and decided to email fellow puzzle collector George Bell (who had solved it a while back) for a clue. But before he replied, something clicked in my brain and I tried arranging the pieces in a new way...and there, within seconds...I had solved it! I usually don't spend so much time on any one puzzle, but this one just drew me in and I went on and on playing with it, refusing to give up. I wish I could do the same for burrs.

Difficulty Level

Very difficult! thinking outside the norm is required no less. If you wish to see the solution, please click here - Password - antislide.

Summary

The AT-Puzzle is absolutely fantastic. It is also George Bell's favourite. So innocuously simple looking yet extremely challenging for a 5-piece puzzle. One of those puzzles that once you pick it up and know what you have to do, you simply can't put it down.

Vauban H5

Name
Vauban H5

Designer
Stephane Chomine. As of this post, he has a staggering 497 published designs on PWBP. Stephane stopped posting since mid 2014 but he continues to come up with new designs that are now and again picked up by various puzzle craftsmen.

Manufacturer & Availability
Manufactured and sold by Pelikan Puzzles of the Czech Republic. From what I can see from their website, its currently unavailable. Your best bet is to drop them an email to see if they have any spares or will be producing some more in the future.

Type & Classification
Interlocking solid

Dimensions
7.2cm x 7.2cm x 6cm

Materials & Construction
My copy is the Red version. Made from Bubinga with Maple, the Vauban H5 is excellently constructed. All the 4 pieces are cut accurately and precisely with tight tolerances and with edges slightly beveled. But despite this and all the pieces pretty snug against each other, everything slides very smoothly and I experienced no jamming whatsoever. A very high quality piece of work.

This is the stage I usually reach before getting stuck

Overview
As usual, this level of burr is beyond me. And despite me spending a relatively long time with this one, I could not get the first piece out. After like 10 to 15 moves, I would eventually end up stuck at some dead end. And from what I can tell, there are quite a number. Each of the pieces seem to be moving around another in all directions. Beyond a certain point, I was lost in confusion and at times even had trouble getting back to the original position.

The design is also such that you can't really see what goes on inside the spaces and this makes it a lot more difficult.

Difficulty Level
Very difficult! Although only 4 pieces, this is a mid-to-high level burr with a level 31.10.7 solution (meaning it takes 31 moves to remove the first piece). A total of 48 moves to completely disassemble the puzzle. I had to use burr tools both for the dis-assembly and re-assembly. Looking at the solution, my first moves were quite wrong to begin with.

Summary

For puzzlers who enjoy this kind of challenging burrs with the time and patience to match, the Vauban H5 is a must-have. Not only great looking (just look at the diagonal Maple trim along the sides) and extremely well built, but value for money too. However, if you are like me, lousy with burrs but just can't resist the beauty and craftsmanship, then go for such puzzles anyway. Even if you can't solve them, they will look great in your puzzle cabinet.

8 Stars Labyrinth

Name
8 Stars Labyrinth

Designer
Robrecht Louage. The 8SL was also Robrecht's entry to the IPP35 Puzzle Design Competition.

Manufacturer & Availability
Manufactured and sold by Robrecht himself. He may still have some copies available. 

Type & Classification
Route finding/Maze

Dimensions
12cm x 8cm x 2.5cm

Materials & Construction
The puzzle is made of Trespa (a very strong and durable composite laminate made of resin reinforced by cellulose fibres generally used for interior table tops) with a translucent covering made of frosted acrylic. Construction, fit and finish is superb with very tight tolerances and everything accurately cut (especially the maze channels). A very high quality and solid puzzle.

Overview

Robrecht Louage is very well known for his "remove the coin" puzzles such as his 1 € Labyrinth and Remove The Yolk. And of course who can forget his IPP31 award winning 4 Steps Visible Lock. Then he has designed several of the more typical maze style puzzles like the Larva and La Cerradura Doble. 

The 8SL seems to be a bit of a departure from both of these styles. Instead what we have here is a puzzle which requires you to navigate a little ball bearing (7.5mm diameter) through a series of channels fraught with a number of traps and obstacles along the way. 

Object is to put the ball bearing in the hole "IN" and get the ball through the maze and its obstacles and then exit the hole marked "OUT". Take a look at the photo and you will know what I mean.

Difficulty Level
The 8SL is a bit beyond moderate difficulty. Quite a number of traps along the way. While some of the obstacles are visible through the translucent cover and its obvious what needs to be done, some are not and requires a bit of trial and error. And in some cases, dexterity is required. There are also four traps that are hidden from view (the blacked out areas on the cover) and these require some thinking as to how to pass the ball through them. 

I had previously designed a couple of puzzles involving moving ball bearings (see my BIC#1 and BIC#2) and so had some inkling of how the traps might work. But despite this, I still took nearly 45 minutes to solve the puzzle. Gabriel Fernandez took just 10 minutes! I guess I spent the most time on the bottom hidden maze. Its almost right next to the finish point but because its hidden and the ball is only visible through some of the holes at the bottom plate, I made a number of unsuccessful attempts before getting the ball back out to the top channel.

Summary

Overall a nice, fun and more than sufficiently challenging puzzle; not the most difficult by any means of course. And at times, you have to navigate blind. But a great concept in puzzle design, no less. What I like about the 8SL is that you get the "a-ha" moments as you successfully tackle each trap/obstacle. You can feel your progress and can take your time to finish the solve in stages.

Fusion

Name
Fusion

Designer
Goh Pit Khiam. 

Manufacturer & Availability
My copy was made by Eric Fuller. A total of 39 copies were made and sold for $57 each. Currently none available.

Type & Classification
2D packing 

Dimensions
3.8in x 3.8in x 0.8in

Materials & Construction
The tray is made of Maple while the pieces are Yellowheart, Bubinga, Paduak and Walnut. The tray has a top and bottom transparent acrylic cover. Construction and quality as usual is first rate with everything precisely and accurately cut.

No spoiler here showing the solved state, since the
challenge is to pack the pieces into the tray

Overview
This is another Goh Pit Khiam classic, following the likes of Retrofit and the IPP33 award winning Dancing Shoes. Puzzlers who have played with Goh's packing puzzles know that they are always in for a surprise since Goh's packing puzzles are anything but the typical.

The object is to pack the 5 pieces (4 which are identical) into the tray. The tray has a clear cover with a square hole the size which is just enough for each of the pieces to go through.

Difficulty Level
IMHO, more than moderately difficult but very tricky. Fusion is by far the most challenging of the three, as compared to Retrofit and Dancing Shoes. It took me a while to figure this one out. For anyone who has not experienced a Goh packing puzzle, he/she may take a really long time to solve Fusion, or not even at all. Again, some thinking outside the box (tray) is necessary here but ultimately, what needs to be done is inside the tray that matters.

Summary

Some folks are good at designing high level burrs while others are good at designing packing puzzles. Fusion is another great design from someone who manages to do both well. 

Pity The Poor Kids Who Couldn't Get Their Candy

Name
Mint Man

Start Position

Designer
Unknown. 

Manufacturer & Availability
The Mint Man you see here was produced and sold by The Kelrack Ltd of Middlesex, England. A check revealed that Kelrack Ltd was a manufacturer of plastic products and incorporated in 1973. It has since been dissolved. 

As far as I can tell, this version is not available anymore. But other similar versions are available commercially (see below). I was very lucky to obtain one online for $5/- from a used toy seller (who probably didn't know much about puzzles).

Type & Classification
Sliding Block puzzle. For information generally on sliding block puzzles, click here and here. To see the vast variety of sliding block puzzles out there and their designers, click here.

Dimensions
9cm (H) x 7.5cm (W) x 2cm (D)

20 Moves

40 Moves

60 Moves

Materials & Construction
Plastic. Pretty decent quality but not heavy duty.

Overview
The Mint Man produced by Kelrack is one of many variations of the same puzzle that goes by a number of different names; a Chinese "army" version called Huarong Pass, a number of wooden commercial versions with names such as Setting Sun, Soccer Game etc adopting a variety of themes but the puzzle itself is essentially the same. Some years ago, there was even a Microsoft 3.1 Entertainment Pack digital version called Forget Me Not.

However, what's different here is that Kelrack produced the Mint Man to hold a piece of candy and the reward, apart from solving the puzzle, is to get the candy out of the largest piece. Within the plastic version, the Mint Man also came with a black tray and slightly different coloured pieces as well as other themes.

81 Moves. Mint Man with Gummy

Difficulty Level

Very difficult! The minimum number of moves required to solved the Mint Man is a whopping 81! I never managed to solve this one. I really pity those poor kids and their parents who tore their hair out trying to figure this one out to get the candy. Well, fortunately, the box tray can be split apart to remove the pieces if all else fails. While 81 is a lot of moves, there are designers like Minoru Abe that have come up with over 200 moves using very whimsical and cute themes. One of my personal favourite designers.

There are also a number of videos on the internet which shows the step by step solve, so help is at hand should you decide to purchase a copy.

Summary

Nice collectible! A more solid and heavy 3D printed version would be nice.

Puzzle Wine Pot

Name
Celadon Wine Pot

Designer
Unknown

Manufacturer & Availability
Replicas are available from China and there is even one appearing on Etsy.

Type & Classification
Puzzle Vessel

Dimensions
19 cm (H) x 15 cm (diameter)

Materials & Construction
Porcelain.

Overview
Here's a puzzle that is totally different...

This was a gift to me from fellow puzzle collector Yee Dian Lee, whom I featured a while back. Lee wrote to me to give me more information about this wine pot:

"....the puzzle winepot (倒流壶 Daoliuhu) which you brought back, it is a replica of a Tang Dynasty celadon piece that was unearthed in 1968 in Shaanxi Province, China. That piece is now kept at the Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) in Xian, Shaanxi. 

A giant replica of this now sits in front of another museum in Yaozhou district near Xian (see the bottom of the page here - http://blog.sina.com.cn/guwan2005 )

More details here in Chinese (which can be Google translated) -

http://www.kaogu.net.cn/cn/kaoguyuandi/kaogubaike/2014/1106/48089.html

The Lilly Library also holds a similar replica (Lion Wine Pot) with some info in its puzzle vessels collection.

Difficulty Level

You fill the vessel from a bottom filling hole...and pour out the wine/liquid from the Lion's spout like an ordinary tea pot. There are a number of illustrations on the internet showing the internal mechanics of the pot and how the vessel is filled and used. I will leave readers to discover these for themselves.

Summary

This the first and so far my only puzzle vessel in my collection. A big thank you to Yee Dian Lee for his generosity.

4 Ducks & A Duckling

Name
4 Ducks & A Duckling

Designer
Jerry Loo

Manufacturer & Availability
My prototype and competition copies were 3D printed by Steve Nicholls. John Hache licensed my design for his IPP35 Exchange Puzzle and his version is laser cut 0.5in thick acrylic. You may wish to contact either Steve or John for availability.

Type & Classification
2D Packing

Dimensions
12.5 cm x 12.5 cm x 2cm (John's version is 10cm x 10cm x 1.25cm)

John Hache's IPP35 Exchange Puzzle (made from laser cut acrylic)

Materials & Construction
3D printed using ABS resin

Overview
4 Ducks was the second of my two entries for the IPP35 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition at Ottawa, Canada last August. There are 3 challenges for this puzzle:

• Fit all 4 ducks into the pond (tray)
• Fit all 4 ducks and the duckling into the pond
• Fit all 4 ducks into the pond to form a symmetrical shape

Solution
WARNING: The link here shows the solutions. Password - duckling
DO NOT click on the link if you do not wish to see it. 

Difficulty Level
The first challenge is very easy, while the second is moderate. The last is pretty hard; there are 144 ways to fit the 4 ducks into the tray but only ONE will form a symmetrical pattern. Based on feedback, most puzzlers can solve the first two challenges quite quickly but take a while to figure out the third.

Summary
Prior to designing 4 ducks, I have been toying around with designing puzzles using the triangular format. While there are some instances where the format is suitable for 3D interlocking burr style puzzles, but for 2D packing puzzles, the format enables more thematic shapes and design options (like the 4 ducks here). I think it also generally makes a puzzle using triangular lines somewhat harder, since most of us are used to and always seeing and playing with vertical/horizontal format puzzle designs.

69

Name
69

Designer
Jerry Loo

Manufacturer
Handmade by Lacika Kmolnar from Hungary. He has designed several puzzles including the popular L-I-vator Cube.

Type & Classification
3.2 Interlocking solid

Dimensions
5.0 in x 3.5 in x 2.0 in

Materials & Construction
Walnut and Maple. Construction, fit and finish is well above average and everything works as intended. Lacika (or Laszlo as he known) is an amateur wood worker and has put in a very good effort to make three copies of the puzzle for me.

Overview
The 69 was one of my two entries for the IPP35 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition. The object is to rearrange the pieces in the box to form the #9. Starting position of the puzzle is a #6. 

Solution
WARNING: The link here shows the solution. Password - jerryloo69
DO NOT click on the link if you do not wish to see it. 

NOTE: Turning the puzzle upside down 180 degrees is NOT the solution. 

Difficulty Level
I would grade it a 6.5/10 to 7/10 but based on feedback I received from some puzzlers who have played with the 69, apparently its not easy; somewhere in between moderate to difficult. There are a couple ways to solve the 69 but only one which requires the minimal number of moves.

Summary
This is not just your typical packing puzzle where you try to fit all the pieces flush into a tray. I have added a bit of a "twist" to this one to surprise the puzzler.