Really cool !!!
Good job !

 

Great puzzle and nice job!

 

Out standing job. I'm not a puzzle person, some folks find me puzzeling however,but I sure like that puzzle.

 

Nice idea Rob! Sort of favors a Rubic's Cube when assembled.

 

Great work and a great idea as stocking stuffers...

 

I lurve puzzles, I had Rubic's snake, pyramid and cube, never solved the cube.
I got a really cool chain and bar link puzzle from sis-in-law a few years ago, solved it with in an hour, my father still hasn't solved it, which makes me very proud. I bring it over every Xmas for a stab at it and to punish him.

I also play the Myst series games some of the puzzles there are brutal.

 

I also play the Myst series games some of the puzzles there are brutal

Yeah only the first one was easy. I have them all and haven't finished any other then the original Myst.

 

Do you have a layout of the pieces for this puzzle?

I have a 13 year old nephew who is a Rubik's Cube afficianado, and I'm sure he'd enjoy one of these.

Then the question is whether to make all the cubes the same color, or arranging a color pattern, or randomizing the colors.

 

I see you found a pattern. There are several of them floating around the 'net as well as in a few different books.

I made mine with a "random" pattern for the grain. My thinking is this makes it harder because you get fewer visual cues as to part orientation. I have seen some made by the puzzle's designer were instead of using 27 individual blocks, he used larger and smaller sized blocks (e.g. a 1-1/2" by 3/4" instead of gluing two 3/4" together).

 

Ah, I found it on page 24 of this document

 

Yes, I was thinking that it wasn't necessary to glue up individual cubes.

It would likely make construction easier with longer pieces, gluing when necessary.

Question is, does it make the puzzle harder or easier with individual cubes?

 

To me, it seems like it would be easier because you get some visual cues. However this may only be true if you see a solved version first OR there is a repeating pattern in the grain orientation of the pieces that is apparent even when the 6 pieces are scattered on the table.

 

Rob, I had one like this as a kid.. a great puzzle. Of course, mine was store bought and made of plastic but still a lot of fun.