Pop Up Box

You can watch a video of this box here.

I first made this box while teaching a workshop on how to make a puzzle box at Anderson Ranch in 2015. This was an especially challenging class since I was instructing 10 students how to make a puzzle box almost entirely with hand tools and we all had one week to do so. Anderson Ranch is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the central Rocky mountains in Colorado, just outside of Aspen. If any of us ever became frustrated with the difficult task at hand, all one had to do was step out onto the balcony, inhale a deep breath, and take in the scenery.

I learn a lot of new things too when I teach wood working classes. It challenges my assumptions about my own routines and helps me think about new ways of approaching the work. Especially with communicating the ideas to other people.

Originally my class centered on making a version of the traditional Japanese style puzzle box that so many of us are familiar with. As the class progressed I quietly searched new ways to make a similar themed box in the down time. The design evolved into what I call this Pop Up Box. I named it this for the inner part that pops up out of the box as the parts are shifted correctly.