| ©1990-2005 by Stewart T. Coffin For questions or comments regarding this site, contact the chief metagrobologist:  |
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Every puzzle described beyond Chapter 2 is made from straight sticks, and well over half use straight square sticks. Making uniform accurate square sticks is by no means an easy task, especially when the lumber is slightly warped, as all lumber is. But it is absolutely essential to success. If the lumber is quite true and the saw is adjusted perfectly, you may be able to rip-saw the sticks straight away. Usually not all of these conditions are met, so you saw the sticks slightly oversized and then plane them down to exact size. Access to a small thickness planer will make this operation much easier. You can do many sticks at one time and save them for future use. If so, you will want to standardize on one or two sizes. One-inch-square sticks would be a good first choice. For puzzles using large numbers of cubic blocks, such as the solid pentominoes, ¾-inch is large enough. For a few, such as the truncated octahedra, you may want to use 1½-inch-square stock. You will also require a measuring instrument. Vernier calipers are the absolute minimum, dial calipers are better, and if you are serious about this project, by all means use a micrometer.
| ©1990-2005 by Stewart T. Coffin For questions or comments regarding this site, contact the chief metagrobologist: |
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