Ortho-Cube - Interlocking puzzle by Stewart Coffin (STC #1)

thingiverse

## ## Ortho-Cube ### Interlocking puzzle by Stewart Coffin (STC #1) Assemble the twelve pieces into a 5x5x5 cube with holes on its faces, as shown in the cover photo. This is Stewart Coffin's first published design: STC #1. But don't be fooled! Though it's his first, it's a genuine masterpiece, one of many Coffin would go on to produce. The solution is intricate and surprising, and the assembled puzzle has a striking appearance. Coffin originally created this design in 1970, and over the years it's been published under other names as well, including _The Cube_ and _Wookey Hole_. For the listing title, we use Coffin's original name, _Ortho-Cube_. UPDATED February 2020 with a new design and larger size. ### Printing Instructions Two versions are provided, a multi-color version and a solid-color version. The solid-color version can be printed in multiple colors as well (details below); the difference is that in the solid version, each _piece_ will be a single solid color. This makes the solid version easier to print, but the multi-color version has an especially striking appearance. To print the multi-color variant, print four copies each of `coffin.ortho-cube.multi-color-1.stl` through `coffin.ortho-cube.multi-color-3.stl`. Color 1 forms the body of the puzzle (off-white in the photo), color 2 is used for the corner cubes (brown in the photo), and color 3 is used for the edge cubes (red in the photo). To print the solid-color variant, print four copies each of `coffin.ortho-cube.solid-color-1.stl` through `coffin.ortho-cube.solid-color-3.stl`. You can print each in a different color if you like, but you will get a different pattern from the multi-color one. One of the photos shows an example of the solid variant printed in three contrasting colors. I've also included a smaller version of the solid variant, `coffin.ortho-cube.solid-color-1-smaller.stl` through `coffin.ortho-cube-solid-color-3-smaller.stl`, which will use around half as much material. Both variants use "snap joints" to enable each piece to be printed without supports. After you print it, first connect all the joints before attempting to solve the puzzle. Snap each male connector into a corresponding female connector (for example, the male connector labeled "A" should connect to the female connector with a matching "A" label on the interior). The joints are designed to be tight, and depending on the printer and filament used, you may need to hammer them into place. If they come out too loose, a drop of superglue will make them more solid (in most cases this shouldn't be necessary, but unfortunately tolerances vary across printers and filaments). The snap joint concept is discussed further in this blog post: [Adventures in 3D Puzzle Printing](https://normalplay.blogspot.com/2019/01/adventures-in-3d-puzzle-printing.html). The puzzle is modeled using [puzzlecad](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3198014), and I have included the .scad file in case you want to remix it. ### About the Designer Stewart Coffin has been called "the most outstanding designer and maker of interlocking puzzles that the world has ever seen". He is credited with over four hundred designs, has pioneered numerous ingenious puzzle forms, and has written extensively about puzzle design and manufacture. More information on Coffin, and a variety of other printable models of his designs, are available in the [Stewart Coffin Puzzles](https://www.thingiverse.com/asiegel/collections/stewart-coffin-puzzles) collection. Happy puzzling!