Slideways Cube Puzzle
The real puzzle of the Slideways Cube, and intricately handmade brainteaser from puzzlemaker Lee Kasnow, is why I would spend one thousand dollars to drive myself absolutely mental when I can commute to work or go over to my in-laws' house and end up in the exact same state for only $5 worth of gas.
Guess this one more for the real puzzle fiends and collectors than the dudes and ladies who just like to dick around with a Rubik's Cube when there's one in the waiting room at the doctor's office. (The only good thing about getting my eyes checked, by the way.)
Kasnow crafts each of the 3 pieces in the "C-Level" Slideways Cube from a different material, and using a different production process. The "subtractive" metal piece is 6061 aluminum billet that he's cut into rectagular lengths with a band saw, and then put through a CNC milling machine.
Kasnow used a computer to design the Slideways Cube's internal lattice structure, and then 3D printed it into a mix of 316 stainless steel and bronze, some left raw, some machined like the billet. The final "bonded" piece of the puzzle is a mix of different woods, made the old-fashioned way, by notching out 1/8" sticks and gluing them together.
Perhaps the most impressive characteristic of the Slideways Cube is its size - you can't tell from the images, but the puzzle measures just 2" across. Even with the help of machines and technology, the precise and meticulous effort requied to produce such a complex piece on such a small scale is impressive.
Muchas danke to The Awesomer.
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