Machined Diabolical Cube
What?
A quick personal project, I machined a diabolical cube puzzle on the manual mill. Apart from being a fun desk toy, this puzzle was chosen because all 6 pieces are made up of a single layer of cubes. As I only had 1/2" thick stock, this allowed for a larger (and more satisfyingly hefty) final product.
To gain experience with different materials, I machined pieces out of wood, aluminum, and steel. Special attention had to be paid to part tolerancing for a satisfying fit between the pieces.
Results
The completed puzzle has a nice finish and feels great to play with (unfortunately it's still frustrating when you aren't able to find the solution). I gained a better feel for appropriate feeds and speeds for the different materials, and had a great time in the process.
