Prototype Dodecahedron Box

This was the first prototype of the Dodecahedron Box. This is the first puzzle I have designed that requires a series of rotational movements to open. It is also my first puzzle design that matches up into a pattern when it is unlocked.

I made this piece out of two African woods. The lighter wood is called Sabuni. The darker is called Muteneye. Muteneye finishes gorgeous. However, I found out the hard way that it is extremely toxic. The Muteneye sawdust made me extremly ill. For a month I could not return to my studio.While I was recovering I spent my time learning web design. One closed door opens another.

Unlike the finished Dodecahedron Box, the lid does not work on a hinge. All the pentagonal sides rotate except for two. When three of the five sides are rotated away from holding the lid in place it can be opened up.

Technically this is a separate puzzle from the Dodecahedron Box, which won the awards in Tokyo. The sequence is different. It actually requires 58 moves to release the lid.

Only one was made.