Designing a Laser-cut Version of a Yosegi Puzzle Box

Inspired by the delicate woodwork of a Yosegi puzzle box, I decided to work on a laser-cut version of the puzzle box.

Yosegi-Zaiku（寄木細工）is a Japanese woodwork technique that utilizes the different colors of various types of wood to create geometric patterns on the wood surface. Traditional Yosegi Puzzle Boxes are mostly rectangular boxes, usually taking 4-27 steps to solve them.

In my laser-cut version, I kept the repetitive geometric pattern and the puzzle elements to retain the Yosegi-like features and built a round-shaped box by layering circular-shaped wood and adding in self-designed mechanisms to ensure its uniqueness and originality.

To match the theme of the round shape box, I utilized the spinning (rotating) feature and embedded a roller-bearing into the design. The mechanism features a box with an interlocking structure and two additional layers of puzzle, the nail stopper and the spinning magnet key, which are built on top of that. We’ll dive into the details of the puzzle in the latter section.

Other than the puzzle, another important part of a yosegi puzzle box is its aesthetic geometric pattern. I designed a pattern using the letters in my name ‘AMBER’, which I will also introduce in the pattern design and etching section.

While the mechanism design for this project is complete, the fun part is really designing a puzzle from scratch and watching other people struggle to open the box. That’s why I tried to document not just the making process but also the design and my thinking process. I hope this Instructable can provide some inspiration to people who also want to create their own puzzles!

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Quick Guide

1. Tell me everything! I want to learn how this puzzle box was designed from scratch—Start from Step 1. (Highly Recommended!)
2. Just give me the files. I'm an experienced maker and I'm ready to build it—Jump to Step 8 for files and assembly instructions.

Materials

Most parts of this project are created using laser cutting, but there are a few additional components that you’ll need to prepare. The attached images include the required materials, and two tables listing the parts we need for this project. The first table includes materials other than laser-cut wood, while the second table lists the laser-cut parts.

1. Plywood 3mm
2. R8-2RS Double Rubber Sealed Roller Bearing
3. PLA Filament (A small amount will be enough. You'll only need this to 3D print the nails.)
4. Paper Fastener (Check if it's magnetic. You can also replace this with any thin magnetic metal sheet.)
5. 5mm * 2mm Disc Magnets * 2
6. Sandpaper (240-1000 Grit)
7. Wood Glue / School Glue
8. E6000 Glue
9. Binder Clips / Clamp

Equipment

1. Laser Cutter (Trotec Speedy 400)
2. 3D Printer (Bambu Lab X1 Carbon)

Software

1. Fusion360
2. Adobe Illustrator (For etching setting planning)

Before building anything, I like to take some time to think about the design, jot down ideas, plan the steps, and break down tasks. I redrew my sketch for better readability, but often, a rough sketch is enough to sort things out. As mentioned earlier, the puzzle box consists of an interlocking box, a nail stopper (not included in my sketch since the structure is relatively simple), a spinning magnet key, and a cover. I didn’t plan out the entire mechanism from the start, but I sketched along the way to visualize and verify my ideas whenever I felt stuck.

The first step is to construct a rotatable interlocking box. Since we are building the box by layering wood, we need a base plate for the bottom layer and multiple outer rings to form the walls. I modeled all parts in a 3mm-thickness, so they match with the plywood I used for laser cutting. This will make getting the laser cut plan a lot easier and does not require many changes to the model.

When determining the box size, consider the player's experience. In my design, I want the player to comfortably hold the box in one hand while keeping their other hand free to solve the puzzle. To achieve this, I set the base plate to a 90mm-diameter circle, balancing functionality (providing space for small accessories) and playability (ensuring it can be held easily). If the box is intended to be solved on a desk, it can be made larger.

The lid must have at least one protruding element for the locking mechanism to prevent players from lifting it directly. The number of protruding elements (N) will affect the maximum angle (360°/N) the player has to rotate to unlock. In my design, I included three protruding parts on a smaller circle (shown in a lighter color in the screenshot), which should be attached to the lid. On the corresponding side of the box (the darker-colored section), I cut matching holes with a slight offset to create some tolerance. This way, when the lid is rotated to an angle where the protrusions do not align with the holes, the surrounding wood will block the lid, creating a locking mechanism.

When the mechanism is complex, it can be difficult to picture how all the parts will work together. This is where laser cutting really shines—it enables quick, low-cost trial and error. I recommend cutting out the pieces and testing them every few steps, as this is especially helpful when you’re feeling stuck while designing the mechanism!

To convert the 3D model into 2D laser-cutting plans, simply turn the bodies into components, click Arrange → Envelopes, and project them onto the same plane. You can refer to the screenshots for detailed steps.

Once the laser-cut plans are ready, it’s time to cut the parts. I’m using a Trotec Speedy 400 to cut 3mm plywood. I also considered using acrylic, which would make the inner structure visible and look cool, but it might make the puzzle too easy to solve.

After cutting the parts, I glued them together into larger pieces for testing. School glue is usually sufficient to hold the parts, while wood glue provides a stronger bond but takes longer to dry. Using a few binder clips at this stage helps apply pressure, especially if the plywood is slightly warped.

At this point, we have three main components: an interlocking part, a box body, and a lid (shown from left to right). However, do not glue the interlocking part yet, as we will be adding a middle layer.

Since the interlocking box requires rotating the lid to the correct angle, a mechanism that prevents the player from rotating it can lock the box. To achieve this, I designed the nail stoppers and two holes in the middle layer between the box body and the interlocking structure. Due to gravity, the nails naturally drop slightly from the lid into these holes, locking the rotation. To ensure durability, instead of assembling the nails with wooden sticks, I 3D-printed them using PLA.

To lift the nails out of the holes, I wanted to utilize the magnetic force. This requires attaching a thin piece of metal to the top of each nail and embedding two small magnets in the upper layer to allow magnetic attraction. Here, I used the leg of a fastener. Simply cut two small squares and glue them onto the nail tops.

Adding metal slightly increases the nail height (0.24mm), so it takes a few iterations to find the right dimensions. You might need to adjust the thickness of the nail head if you are using metal of a different thickness.

Following the same logic, if the magnets are not in place, the nails won’t be lifted. By placing the magnets on a spinning plate, the player would need to rotate it to a specific angle to lift the nails (refer to the video in Step 5). However, I wanted a more complex puzzle mechanism.

So, I redesigned it as a 3-layer structure. The player must move the magnet-embedded part—the magnet keys (the separated parts shown in the first picture)—from the top layer to the bottom layer, placing them directly above the nails to allow the magnetic force to lift them.

I designed the magnet keys to be hidden in the top-most layer to maintain the cylinder shape when the box is locked, making it a bit tricky to pull them out directly. To move the parts easily, the player can spin the plate quickly, using the centrifugal force to shift the magnet keys to the outer track, allowing it to drop to the bottom layer.

Additionally, I designed all parts to stay connected to the box at all times. This minimizes the risk of losing small pieces when solving the puzzle, moving the components correctly without needing to remove anything will lead the player to solve the puzzle.

The final part of the puzzle box is its cover. As mentioned earlier, the geometric pattern incorporates the letters “AMBER” in each row. I abstracted the lines from the letters, designed the pattern in Fusion 360, then used Adobe Illustrator for coloring.

To replicate the mixed wood color effect seen in Yosegi-Zaiku using laser cutting, I adjusted the etching power and speed settings. Each color represents a different etching parameter: higher speed and lower power result in a lighter color, while lower speed and higher power lead to a darker color. I tested various parameter combinations and decided to use the middle one in my work (as shown in the fourth picture).

Cut out all the laser-cut parts if you haven't already. You can find the full part list and the laser-cut file here.

Since this project relies heavily on correctly layering the wood, I created a slice video to clearly reveal the inner structure. You can follow the sliced model to assemble and glue the parts together. In the model, the interlocking part is highlighted in a different color, with everything below it belonging to the box body and everything above it forming the lid.

At this stage, you should have a spinning plate assembled on the lid and a box with the middle layer and interlocking structure attached. Be sure to glue the spinning plate only to the bearing’s side but not the lid, so it remains free to spin.

We’ll cover sanding in the next step, but I recommend sanding some moving parts—such as the magnet keys and the interlocking structure—before assembly, as it may be difficult to do so afterward.

After assembling the box, I sanded the box from 240 grit to 1000 grit to create a smoother touching experience. I intentionally left the interlocking layer unsanded so the darker color on the side can provide the player a hint of where the lid is. The image shows the final work of the puzzle box.

Done! Below are the instructions for opening and locking the box. I’ve also included a solution video and a video demonstrating how to lock the box again.

Instructions

1. Spin the plate quickly to move the magnet keys out.
2. When the keys reach the bottom layer of the spinning plate, rotate it slowly until you hear a click (the sound of the nails being lifted and hitting the plate).
3. Grab the plate along with the box lid and rotate until the box opens.
4. To lock the box again, simply place the key back in the first layer and rotate the lid until it locks. The nails will automatically fall back into the holes as you rotate.

Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoyed this Instructable. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!