Building Clever Wood Puzzle Boxes

Your own ingenuity is the key to creating and opening these attractive boxes. Japanese puzzle boxes have been around for over 100 years. They’re opened by following a sequence of “moves” to reveal the hidden treasures stored inside. And while the design featured here is fairly simple (only five moves), building one of these creative little boxes is sure to be a test of your woodworking skills, as well as your attention to detail. This plan doesn’t require a large amount of lumber to build one box. That makes it the perfect project for using an exotic species that you’ve been saving for a special project.

[fgriffintx]

VERY useful video! I was going through my back issues of Woodsmith Shop and came across the puzzle box project. It took me a while to figure out all the rabbets and dados etc (if indeed I did figure everything out!). This video was perfect to help me understand the construction, PLUS get tips on the very precise routing that needs to be done. I hope there are more videos like this, because they clarify some of the tricky/complicated aspects of a project. (Not to mention, my short-sighted local PBS station discontinued your program, so these videos are a great substitute.)

[VampBookLVR]

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I can’t wait to put my husband to work on this project!!😊

[StuffWithKirby]

Thanks for the video. Ive had the plans for a while but the video helps understand it better

[broughttoyoubyanandroid]

Nice! I was just searching things but it's great to see that theres actually someone sharing these interesting skills!😄😊

[Failure_inc]

Thanks so much for the help I have to make one for school so this REALY helped out!

[gotsteem]

So why didn't you show how your box functioned at the end of this video? I realize your box is rather primitive compared
to the 2 sun Japanese puzzle box showed at the beginning but it still would have been nice to see. Your box is still a
beautiful piece to be sure.

[MrGoosePit]

Looks like a fun project. Thanks for posting this!

[YouGumppy]

Did anyone catch where the final two pieces go and in what order to make this a puzzle? I imagine that information was printed on the plans and only cost $10. I purchased the plans a couple years ago but haven't seen them in a while. Fortunately, Woodsmith keeps track of which plans you have purchased and you can download the plans (and shop drawings for some projects).

[wesyoung]

I watched this whole video and never saw the box actually function. I saw you open the little tiny one but did I miss you demonstrating how the box you made actually works?

[jeffbaker]

Do they ship the plans in a puzzle box just for fun?

[jdswoodnstuff]

Got the plans and noticed something on step 4 on the 2nd page. the diagram shows the bit 7/16 proud of the fence and that would leave an 1/8 slot in between the 1/8 groove. this is incorrect I believe. if you cut 7-16 away from the edge like the diagram shows then the center of the bit will be at the 1/8 inch mark instead of the back edge of the bit. If you want a 1/8 slot then you need to be 3/8 proud of the fence instead. Am I wrong? I made 2 boxes so far and this doesn't make a difference, just a small gap in between the sides and the lock dividers.

[gpmoto]

Great informative video. Why Batman and Robin tho? Batman's doing everything while Robin is quizing him... Laughable!

[survivalsearcher]

This video appears to be very informative, that is until you start to follow along. Just as an example: first router cut is done in a single pass. With a 1/8" bit he takes a 1/4" deep pass, then turns around the very next cut that is 1/2 the depth of the first cut he says it is a lot to be taking out in 1 pass...

[michaelmeenaghan]

A good presentation, however surprised to hear a rule being called a ruler.

[normanjoy]

Bought the plans, they are missing an important step.