How This Guy Makes the World's Best Puzzle Boxes | Obsessed

Summary: The Art of Wooden Puzzle Boxes

This video features Kagan Sound, an award-winning woodworker and artist who designs and fabricates intricate wooden puzzle boxes. It showcases his creative process, from the initial concept to the detailed craftsmanship required to build these mind-bending mechanical riddles.

Intricate Designs and Mechanics

Kagan demonstrates several of his creations, including the “Hedgehog,” “Hex Flex,” and the “Cafe Wall Box.” These boxes are built without nails, using only carefully interlaced wood and glue. The mechanisms rely on notches, sliders, and springs made entirely of wood, requiring the user to perform specific sequences of moves to unlock them.

The Craftsmanship Process

In his home workshop, Kagan uses a variety of tools to process the wood, from large saws for cutting tracks to chisels for fine-tuning. He emphasizes the importance of precision, especially when creating dovetail tracks and decorative patterns like veneers. His background in mathematics complements his self-taught woodworking skills, allowing him to create complex geometric patterns.

Philosophy of Puzzles

Kagan explains that solving these puzzles is often a “coordinate motion” or a maze-like experience where moving one part unlocks another. He believes that puzzles encourage playfulness and curiosity, reminding adults to think like children. The video concludes with the host attempting to solve one of the boxes, highlighting the satisfaction and challenge involved.

Final Thoughts

Kagan Sound’s work blurs the line between art and engineering. His puzzle boxes are not just containers but interactive experiences that challenge the mind and celebrate the beauty of wood and mechanical design.

Vocabulary Table

Term	Pronunciation	Definition	Used in sentence
Intricate	/ˈɪntrɪkət/	Very complicated or detailed.	Designing and fabricating intricate wooden puzzle boxes.
Fabricate	/ˈfæbrɪkeɪt/	Construct or manufacture (an industrial product), especially from prepared components.	Designing and fabricating intricate wooden puzzle boxes.
Notch	/nɒtʃ/	An indentation or incision on an edge or surface.	Each piece has essentially a notch and a slider.
Joinery	/ˈdʒɔɪnəri/	The wooden components of a building, such as stairs, doors, and window frames, viewed collectively.	The notches are going to create the joinery that holds together those two rectangles.
Dovetail	/ˈdʌvteɪl/	A joint formed by one or more tapered projections (tenons) on one piece which interlock with corresponding notches or recesses (mortises) in another.	This cut will need to be at an angle so that I can make what’s called a dovetail track.
Trapezoid	/ˈtræpɪzɔɪd/	A quadrilateral with only one pair of parallel sides.	It’s the shape of a trapezoid.
Veneer	/vəˈnɪər/	A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material.	I now have a veneer and I’ll just glue this down onto a strip of cherry.
Router	/ˈraʊtər/	A power tool with a shaped cutter, used in carpentry for making grooves for joints, decorative moldings, etc.	Use this tool called the router to remove all the material.
Chisel	/ˈtʃɪzl/	A long-bladed hand tool with a beveled cutting edge and a handle which is struck with a hammer or mallet, used to cut or shape wood, stone, or metal.	I’ll have to come around with a chisel to trim leftover fuzzy material.
Coordinate motion	/koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪt ˈmoʊʃən/	Movement of multiple parts that must happen simultaneously or in a specific relationship.	This is working entirely on a principle in puzzles called coordinate motion.
Tessellation	/ˌtɛsəˈleɪʃən/	An arrangement of shapes closely fitted together, especially of polygons in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping.	Right now it’s a tessellation that I really like.
Tactile	/ˈtæktaɪl/	Connected with the sense of touch.	Interact with something in a tactile way.
Inlay	/ˈɪnleɪ/	A design or pattern embedded in a surface.	I was creating a piece of inlay.
Contemplative	/kənˈtɛmplətɪv/	Expressing or involving prolonged thought.	A lot of it is just contemplative, I’m just sitting thinking.
Inherently	/ɪnˈhɪərəntli/	In a permanent, essential, or characteristic way.	I think children are just inherently good puzzle solvers.

Vocabulary Flashcards

While-viewing Tasks

Complete these tasks while watching the video:

Guided Notes

Fill in the key information as you watch:

Kagan’s background degree is in:
The name of the box that won “Puzzle of the Year 2023”:
The number of years Kagan has been a woodworker:
The material used for the first puzzle box he made in middle school:

Questions

How does the “Hedgehog” box open? (What kind of movement?)
What tool does Kagan use to remove material between notches?
What is “coordinate motion”?

Checklist

Tick the box when you see or hear the following:

Embedded Video:

Fill in the Blanks Exercise

1. Kagan Sound creates intricate wooden .

2. The “Hex Flex” box won Puzzle of the Year in .

3. Kagan has a degree in .

4. He uses a to remove material between notches.

5. A track is shaped like a trapezoid.

6. Kagan’s first puzzle box was made of .

7. motion requires multiple parts to move at the same time.

8. The “Cafe Wall” box features an optical .

9. Thin strips of wood used for patterns are called .

10. Kagan uses a wet sponge and an to flatten the veneer.

11. The boxes do not use any .

12. The clicking mechanism in the “Plus Box” uses a wooden .

13. A is used to clean up fuzzy material.

14. Solving the box is compared to navigating a .

15. Kagan believes children are inherently good .

Extension Activities

Choose from these activities to extend your learning:

Design a Secret Compartment

Imagine you need to hide a small key. Design a simple box or object with a secret compartment. Draw a diagram showing how it opens. Can you make it so two moves are required?

Difficulty:
Easy

Puzzle Challenge

Bring a puzzle (jigsaw, Rubik’s cube, or logic puzzle) to class. Swap with a partner and time each other solving it. Discuss what strategies you used. Did you get frustrated? How did you overcome it?

Difficulty:
Medium

The Human Knot

Stand in a circle. Everyone grab the hands of two different people (not next to you). Now, without letting go, untangle yourselves back into a circle. Discuss afterwards: How was this like the “coordinate motion” described in the video?

Difficulty:
Hard

How This Guy Makes the World’s Best Puzzle Boxes | Obsessed | WIRED