DYN-O-MITE Puzzle

This is a very nice little puzzle. It’s easy to print (Top, Bottom, and Sticks Set) with no s and requires little, if any, post-print finishing. It looks deceptively easy to solve, but it turns out to be a real challenge for many (most?) people. However, since it looks so straightforward, most people find it a joy to tinker with and will come back to it over and over until they finally solve it (or until you give them a hint).

The puzzle is somewhat smaller than it appears in the photos. It's actually about 118 mm. long x 60 mm. wide x 26 mm. tall.

Solution: The correct solution requires placing all 8 Sticks into the Box with each Stick lying flat on the bottom of the Box. No Stick can be tilted up, not even a tiny bit. Then the Box Top will easily fit back on the Box with all 8 Sticks comfortably inside. Trust me, there is plenty of room in the Box for all 8 Sticks when they are arranged correctly.

Please Note: Although I have not provided the solution here, I will respond to personal Thingiverse messages with questions about part sizes and/or printing accuracy. If you have trouble solving the puzzle once you have printed it, you can message me your email address, and I’ll send you the Solution Photo by return email. You may be surprised. . . Or, I can respond to your inquiry with a little ‘hint’ if you prefer. I will not use your email address for any other purpose, nor share it with anyone else. I promise.

Feel free to me with questions, comments, or suggestions. I would also like to have anyone who “Makes” this puzzle, thank me by taking a moment respond with “I Made One” with your puzzle’s photo and your comments.

Have Fun!

-mike-

PS: If you like this puzzle, you may want to take a look at my other, very similar, “Square Deal Puzzle”. Same concept, but with square Sticks instead of round ones. I’m not sure if one of them may be easier to solve than the other, but both print nicely and are very similar. -m-

I printed all the parts of the puzzle, in PLA Filament, on a MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation Printer using the following settings: Standard Presets; Infill=25%; Layer Height=0.20 mm; Shells=3; Raft=Yes; s=No. These settings produce a very nice puzzle in the least amount of time.

I printed the “Box” and “Top” using True Brown, and the “Sticks” using True Red. Print times were: Box=4h 8m; Top=1h 52m; Stick Set=3h 28m. I put the finished puzzle in a small zip-lock bag with all but the smallest piece inside the Box; I add the little Puzzle Teaser Label; and I include the smallest Stick inside the bag, but outside of the Box. See my Photos.

I have printed a dozen or more of these puzzles at this point – they make great gifts and they are fun to keep around as tabletop toys for friends and family visitors. None of them have required any post-print finishing. The Top fits a tiny bit snugly on the Box the first time you put them together, but they loosen up nicely very quickly. Just make sure to install and remove the Top by pushing it straight down and pulling it straight up (and not by tilting it, which may break off one of the small ‘pins’).

I included separate files for the individual Stick pieces in case they turn out to be needed, for whatever reason.

-mike-