2003 Limited Edition 3 Sets of 24

SOLD OUT 18 Piece II - Bill Cutler designed burr puzzle

N/A

One of many burrs Bill Cutler designed in the 1960's and 1970's this burr is one he calls "an 'off center' burr". Bill says, "in 'off-center' burrs any two rods that intersect do so half-way through the widths of their rods as opposed to the 'altekruse' burrs in which pieces intersect each other with their full widths". This puzzle has 12 identical pieces and is therefore not one of Bill's most difficult burrs. However, the shape of this puzzle is aesthetically pleasing and the pieces interlock in an interesting way.

If you were not one of the lucky people to get one of only 35 of these puzzles made for Bill Cutler by Jerry McFarland between 1994 & 2001 now's your chance to own one.

The puzzle is crafted from Black Wattle.
Size: 150mm x 150mm x 150mm (18 pieces each 30mm x 30mm x 150mm)

SOLD OUT A Cube With A Secret - a box with a secret lock

N/A

This puzzle resold at The John Ergatoudis Collection Puzzle Auction (private auction) 20th October 2006 for USD415.00. Original selling price AUD350.00 (approx USD260.00 at the time)

Not just a common cube puzzle; Brian overlooked this puzzle several times when looking though the Russian puzzle book by V.P.Zhukov published in 1993. He thought it was just another variation of the standard cube also commonly made as either a barrell or sphere.

In fact Yevgeny Chebotarev had invented an intruiging 16 piece puzzle which he first published in 'Science and Life' in Russia in 1983, although he made modifications after that.

The original cube had a 'secret' ... a small compartment to store a small souvenir or piece of jewelery. To get to this cube's secrets you must negotiate the unusual lock. The lock has no magnets or gravity pins but there are a number of very tricky moves to find.

Brian made changes to some of the pieces to give the puzzle it's embossed style and to increase the number of moves in the lock; his version also has four separate hidden compartments as well as another 'secret'.
When Brian was corresponding with Yevgeny to get the plans to make this puzzle Yevgeny originally sent a different version to the one in the book. When asked about this he said no-one ever wants to make the original as it's much too difficult to manufacture; too much of a challenge for Brian to refuse.

The puzzle is crafted from Jarrah with contrasting pieces of Queensland Silver Ash. The giant Jarrah tree, sometimes commonly referred to as West Australian Mahogany is part of the Eucalyptus family and the only Jarrah forests in the world are found in Western Australia, south of Perth.

Size: 140mm x 140mm x 140mm

SOLD OUT Criss Cross designed by Goh Pit Khiam

N/A

This puzzle is a combination of six pieces, each being a unique shape made by joining three rods together on perpendicular axes. Bill Cutler's GENDA program reports three solutions, none of which it can disassemble. It is however possible to disassemble one of them with a rotational move that the computer has not yet mastered. The other two are as the computer found; impossible to get apart. This gives the puzzle a unique solution albeit very difficult to find.

Whilst the outward appearance of this puzzle may seem the same as the Sticks Cube invented by Oscar van Deventer in 1982 the pieces of this design by Goh Pit Khiam are different and none of them have three mutually touching joints. For added strength Brian has drilled and dowelled each join then glued with epoxy resin.
This puzzle is so rare that even the designer only has a prototype made from plastic cubes.

The puzzle is crafted from Cooktown Ironwood. This is a very heavy and dense timber, 20% harder and more dense than Ebony, even slightly more dense than African Blackwood, so dense it sinks in water. This timber is grown only in a thin band across the very northern tip of Australia known as Cape York Penninsula.

Because the colour of this timber can vary considerably the two extremes of colour are shown in a photo link below. Different shades of timber have been allocated numbers at random although we have put considerable effort into matching colour within each puzzle.
Size: 140mm x 140mm x 140mm

Shopping cart software
and credit card processing provided by ezimerchant

Web site currency conversion

*** SPECIAL PROMOTION ***
Spend over 100.00 on puzzles and receive 15% discount off the postage cost