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The puzzle world eagerly awaits each wondrous creation from Junichi Yananose (Juno). In 2018 Juno created two “Meanders Box” designs – one with a maximum of 172 steps, the other with a maximum of 348 steps. This is the 172-step version, which actually can be configured in 4 different ways resulting in puzzles with 130, 134, 161, and 172 steps. One interesting feature of this puzzle is that the puzzle you’re solving isn’t the one on top, it’s the one inside that you can’t see! The puzzle isn’t just a wonderful if challenging puzzle but also an engineering delight.
You can learn more about the puzzle at:
https://www.puzzlemad.co.uk/2018/09/just-meandering-about.html
Juno’s description:
There are two versions to the puzzle, maximum 172 steps version and 348 steps version. The grooved lid can be set to the box four ways to have four different challenges. Two pairs of two solutions are very similar but when you flip the lid over to be set to the box, the challenge is completely different to the others.
172 steps version
The lid can be set to have 130, 134, 161 and 172 steps to fully open the puzzle box.
348 steps version
The lid can be set to have 260, 263, 337 and 348 steps to fully open the puzzle box.
This is Juno’s seventh secret puzzle box product. One day, he realized that he has never designed burr puzzles or puzzle boxes that require more than 100 steps to remove the first piece. OK, let’s do it, he thought, and started designing the puzzle box. Although he doesn’t know much about traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, he at least knows that the ends of some of the parts of these puzzle boxes have a stair shape. Combining the ideas of the stair shape to something else, designing a high level puzzle would not be difficult. He chose a pin and groove mechanism for the puzzle, like our former product A Mazing Burr.
Since the groove that restricts the movement of pins is hidden under the lid, designing the shape of the groove like a maze is a little too much. Juno designed the groove not to have many branches and the shape of it became like the meanders of a river. It doesn’t mean the puzzle is straightforward. Once you start solving the puzzle, you could easily lose ideas in which direction you are going, moving towards the goal or just returning to the starting point. You also have the chance to go forward toward the dead end of the meander. Juno indicates that the puzzle is for someone who wants to suffer.
After Juno started CNC milling work for the 172 steps version, he thought about increasing the number of stairs on the side pieces, halving the length of treads and height of rises. The modification roughly doubled the total steps of the puzzle, and the maximum steps to fully open the lid became 348. We believe that the 178 steps version is reasonable to play with. The 348 steps version is like a punishment. But we don’t stop you if you want to suffer more.
This is a very high level puzzle and you may be stranded on the halfway of solving the puzzle. To reset this situation, you can disassemble the puzzle box removing the two screws on the bottom of the box with a PH2 screwdriver. When you tighten the screw again after setting all the puzzle pieces, please do it gently and carefully, so as not to poke the bottom surface of the box with the tip of the screwdriver. Please do NOT use an electric driver. Over-tightening is not recommended.
The compartment of the puzzle is 26 mm in diameter and the depth is 25 mm.
We sell this puzzle setting the lid to make the puzzle have the highest level solution. The solution to this puzzle will be supplied upon request by Burr Tools file format.
Condition: Perfect
