Introduction: The Centrifugal Puzzle
Do you want to wow your friends,
Do you like working with wood,
Do you enjoy brain teasers,
if so read on...
Everyone likes a good brain teaser every once in a wile. A puzzle that can frustrate the most powerful minds, yet has simple solution. The centrifugal puzzle can do that!
Step 1: Things You Will Need
You will need 2, 2cm x 3.5cm blocks of wood around 30cm long,
2 small dowels,
2 drill bits, one for the screw and one slightly larger than the dowel rod,
A drill,
A scroll saw,
A scroll saw blade.
Step 2: Measuring
Using a pencil and ruler find the half way mark .Measure 1cm out from the line on each side. Make 2, 2cm lines up from the line you just drew. Now join the two lines so you have a 2cm x 2cm square. Do the same on the other.
Step 3: Cutting
Using the scroll saw cut your marks. Your two pieces of wood should fit flush with each other .Cut one piece in half (see picture) this part does net need to be exact.
Step 4: Drilling
Drill 2 holes slightly longer than you dowels in the wood. put the dowels in then glue your pieces back together. drill a hole about 3mm larger than you dowel in the other piece of wood (see picture 2).
Step 5: Paint It
Use semi gloss spray paint and spray around 8 inches away from project.
Step 6: You Are Finished
now put the two pieces together and shake it a couple of times. Now try to take the two pieces apart. You cant I know, I will give you a hint its in its name. still cant figure it out scroll down.
Take the puzzle and give it a good spin on a flat surface now pop the piece off and go fool your friends.

Participated in the
2nd Annual Krylon Summer Contest
38 Comments
11 years ago on Step 6
My uncle had a cube which was made of two pieces (looked like a rubiks cube). to seperate them, you had to put it on one of the corners and spin it like a top and it would fly apart. Pretty cool.
Reply 3 months ago
absolutely fire
Reply 11 years ago on Step 6
thats cool,
can you go to the launch it chalenge click entries and vote for my baseball launchit contest entry.
thanks
Reply 11 years ago on Step 6
Knock it off with the self promotion already...sheesh
Reply 11 years ago on Step 6
Some people have no shame. Besides the constant self-promotion, this has also been posted many times before, even if this does use round wooden dowels instead of copper tubes or square dowels.
10 years ago on Introduction
Nice "ibble", but I have to agree with Rob O. Perhaps, a spline at the cut would solve the strength issue. Simply set the cut ends of the cut portion upright on a table saw and run them through the blade. Glue a 1/8" spline into the slot of one and use that to fit and glue into the other. A very strong joint that looks good too.
All-in-all, this sure beats the traditional way of separately cutting and glueing all the pieces together.
I also use steel welding rod as the pins. This provides 2 educational ways to solve this puzzle... Centrifugal force and magnetic force.
11 years ago on Step 4
I think there is a flaw in this cut and glue back together approach. You cut one of the pieces of the puzzle in half and then glue together. Doesnt that make the puzzle structurally weaker?
In the other, better, previous ible you use square dowels and then assemble them together. It gives you a much greater area to glue together, that won;t get torqued like this approach.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
not if you use a hot glue gun
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I did not put this in the ible but I put a screw in.\
can you go to the launch it chalenge click entries and vote for my baseball launchit contest entry.
thanks
tell your friends to vote for mee too!!
11 years ago on Introduction
There already is an older instructable that is like this : https://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-Centrifugal-Puzzle/
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, I made these for Xmas 2010 based on LAST YEARS instructible.
I substituted pieces of brass tubes instead of dowels. It looked really cool.
I think using a scroll saw it a more difficult way to do this. Use the other ible.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
And the person that is the owner of this instructable isnt even commenting on this, he is just trying to bring it down so people dont see it.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
not realy actualy,
look at me and phill b's coments below,
its hard to comment on soo much stuff with ten other ibles,
he's chill about it,
calm down bud.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, sorry, that was before that, I saw you comment on other people's comments after I made that comment, but now you are talking to him, sorry about that. And I didn't see how it was different, now I know.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
thanks for understandind :D
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
he is just trying to bring it down so people don't see it.
Actually, I am not trying to hinder cobalt420 and his Instructable showing his method for making one of these puzzles. I am only surprised that my Instructable does not show in the list of Related Instructables.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
hi phil b,
sorry about all the confution,
would you like me to put a link to your ible on my ible?
Thanks,
Cobalt420
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
You really do not need to do that. One of the earlier comments includes a link to it. If I do an Instructable and am aware (key word in this equation) of an earlier similar Instructable, I usually give a link to it; but, I also then explain how my Instructable will be different. There is no rule, written or unwritten, that says anyone cannot do a new version of older Instructables. Each person has his own twist he adds. For example, you begin with solid pieces of wood and cut them apart with your scroll saw. Then you glue the halves back together. That is your own unique contribution. Also, that puzzle is certainly not original with me. I copied one made by a friend. Ultimately, these puzzles go back to a Japanese puzzle maker. To answer your question below, I do not believe I put mine in the puzzle category.
I wish you much success with all of your Instructables.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thanks,
you did not put it in the puzzle spot so thats why (i think) its not showing up.
thanks,
cobalt420
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, that is odd, but he spelt centrifugal wrong, that could be why