Ugly Stick Puzzle Box

Hey Guys, this is Ugly Stick.

So as it turns out, scrap bins get full, duh right? When working with exotics I hate to throw anything out.  Not surprising that I keep little tubes of each specific wood species of dust, and sort all my offcuts to size.  The smallest pieces get collected in labeled bins, etc.  

Often times, much like with this project, I can whip up a one-off design by playing with what material is available in what numbers to satisfy the demand for the intended design. In this case, I didn't have much of any of it, ha.  So I added in other colours and pieces with different thicknesses.  The thickest naturally would be kept to the outside edges.  

The sides are made up of internal material wrapping horizontally, while the exterior pieces get attached vertically.  I would pre-glue the sides one at a time, then trim them with the tablesaw, including a rabbet on the front and back ends. For kicks, I didn't dado out a channel for the mid level bottom, instead, I ripped a piece that would fit in up under the mid bottom.  What this allowed for is that GLASS mid bottom will show around the edge of the box, ...especially if there are 100 fairy lights hidden in the lowest section, ...under the glass.  

The inspiration for this came from customers themselves, asking what kind of puzzles would kids enjoy?  How do we design it so there is enough dopamine as compared to video games, digital world etc.

Well, for me, I had to add a skull and a cool metal key.  The colors are so bright, I thought of calling it Fruit Loops.  Alas, I was not trying to describe myself, but the new puzzle box, lol.

Now, puzzle collectors DO NOT enjoy battery operated puzzles for obvious reasons.  However, this is for kids, so I spared the batteries and found a set of Fairy Lights that runs from a USB source.  And, instead of kiddo plugging it into the wall or a computer, ...na, I found the smallest hand crank generator I could that still fit inside the box. The way the glass edges can be seen through the sides of the box, when the lid is closed, ...makes for an amazing night light!

It's not super challenging at only 5 moves to open, but the light show, for the kids will certainly make it over the top fun!