Shop Stuff

Mini Stamp Puzzles

DIY, New Item, Shop Stuff

When I was a kid I collected stamps. After almost 30 years I rediscovered my old stamp album. On the first page the were the space themed stamps. I think these were the first stamps that I got – and if I remember correctly this was from a nurse at the hospital where my mother worked. In the album there are also a lot of South African stamps (this was were I lived). I am now continuing my collecting but also making small mini puzzles from some of the current duplicate stamps (some of these are for sale here).

Making a mini stamp puzzle is trickier that I thought it would be. I made some puzzles previously – using a scroll saw – where you just stick the paper to the wood and cut. But I wanted to use the laser to make the pieces really small. I need to cut them upside down to minimize the burn marks on the stamp itself. Positioning something this small exactly at the right place in the cutter while upside down required some thinking. The focus also needs to be spot on. But I think I got everything working quite well now and are happy with the results. 20190601_22305420190601_175556

After I made a few single stamps puzzles I got the idea of making whole sets in to puzzles that can be displayed in a single frame. I got some really nice stamps from the Royal Mail. These include the 2019 Marvel set, the 2018 Star Wars Set and the 2019 Leonardo da Vinci  sets. I have the Royal Mail’s Game of Thrones and Harry Potter sets still to make into puzzles.20190601_18050820190601_180708

I made the 2018 Swedish Lighthouses set into a puzzle set with an engraved lighthouse on the frame itself. 20190601_175720

I also wanted to make a bigger puzzle but with small pieces. I got a image from an old book and made a 200 piece puzzle. It took more than 2 hours to build (more pictures here).9

I still want to collect more stamp and thus posted this offer on a few forums and sites: I am willing to turn any stamp you want into a puzzle and send it back to you. I will however need 4 of the exact same type (one as payment and 2 for backup if something does not work – but I will keep the backup stamps also). I of course prefer not to cut stamps are not rare.20190601_224632

This project was a lot of fun. It provided me with a bit of a break as I am still struggling with the wooden clock kit – that is next on the to do list to finish. Keep an eye out for it…

R

Chain Clock

Induku Wooden Models, New Item, Shop Stuff

I bought a few clock mechanism with the idea of making a small rolling marble clock. This project is still on the table but it is a bit more complicated that I anticipated… I decided to use the clock mechanism in the meantime for another project that I had in mind: A chain clock kit (for sale here).

Download the assembly instructions here!

This new kit is sold with the quartz mechanism, the laser-cut wood parts and a whole bunch of toothpicks. The model is reasonably easy to assemble. It does however take some time to construct the chain. It is a good intermediate level model available in the shop.

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The chain clock kit 

The way to read the clock is simple. When the number is at the top it is that hour. E.g. When the 2 is on top it is 2h 00m. As the chain moves the number will move. E.g. at 2h 10m the number 2 will be at the 10 minute indicator to the right printed on the face. At half past the 2 will be horizontal and the 3 will be exactly opposite it.

I use one of these clocks in my workshop and it has been running for almost 4 months now without any problems. Since the chain is reasonably balanced there is no excessive strain on the mechanism and I think it will work for years to come.

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I will continue to make some novel clocks and hope to at some stage design a clock kit where the whole mechanism is made from wood.

R

 

Maze Puzzle Kit

Induku Wooden Models, New Item, Shop Stuff

I designed a new maze puzzle kit. This is a classic game where a ball needs to be moved through a maze by tilting it BUT in this version the tilting is done by a simple mechanical mechanism. The mechanism is operated by two knobs that are rotated. Available here!

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The kit is quite fun to build and I think it is currently one of the simplest Induku wooden model kits. It ships in an envelope with all the parts and instructions included.

Free download of the building instructions available here:

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R