Tom's Square Dance

RELEASED: 2.7.2012 PRODUCED: 40 Copies DESIGNER: Tom Jolly CRAFTSMAN: Eric Fuller MATERIAL: Bubinga / Paduak and Holly COMMENTS: Oh Tom, you crafty little devil. Once again he comes out with a very interesting and unique design that I can't resist making. Tom's Square Dance consists of nine pieces which interlock into the surrounding frame. With a unique level 1.8.5.3.4 solution, this is a tricky nut to crack. Simply identifying piece positions is quite tricky, and sorting out the insertion order and moves necessary simply compounds the difficulty. Definitely doable, but definitely difficult. I'm taking pity on you guys and shipping this one assembled! Construction of this puzzle was...interesting. Tom's idea was to glue the pieces together out of flat stock, but where's the fun in that? I decided to mill them from solid stock, a decision I later questioned. The protrusions are several thousandths undersize relative to the grooves to insure smooth, non-binding movement. Those of you who make things will immediately understand that doing so creates a lot of headaches and a lot more work. In the end it was worth it...this puzzle moves smoothly all the way around with no binding. The