Box ‘n’ Ball Puzzle

Box 'n' Ball Illusion
Box 'n' Ball Illusion

Another wooden puzzle! This one was submitted by Joseph Lanius. Joseph said: “I noticed this today, and I thought you might like it. It’s a toy creation that anyone can make with some time on their hands, and it will impress people easily. The ball can roll freely up and down, but it can’t escape the wood prison, how did they get it in there?” I ask the same question. The only answer I came up with, was to curve it all from single wood block. Was I right? Now when you solved this one, go to next level. After that, solve how this guy managed to fit cork screw inside the bottle.

17 Replies to “Box ‘n’ Ball Puzzle”

  1. My dad carved one of these for me when I was a child. The top part was a ball in a cage, the bottom part was a chain with about eight links, all made of one piece of wood.

  2. u can kinda see a small carved out piece of wood at the left side of the carving, they could have took that piece out, stuck the ball in , then put the wood back..
    just another possibility, but i totally agree with the one piece of wood thing.. but it would take a REALLY long time to get that ball the right size to roll..

  3. i totally agree with the carved from the 1 peice of wood theory but do u notice u cant see the top or bottom sides of the top half of the cage? there could be a hole in there in which the ball could be rolled in

  4. well ive seen people get the ball into a cage, a metal ball and a little metal cage, a guy could get it in and take it out. i couldn’t do it nor figure it out but that one is carved

  5. ************************SPOILER***************************************************************

    ok here soulotin: you have 3 not 4 on,and put ball in,and then put the 4 one in!

    ***********************SPOILER****************************************************************

  6. Soak the wood in water, put the ball in, then the wood shrinks and………………………………………………………………………………………. Voila!!!!

  7. I made one of these in less than a week as an Adult Scout Leader at a Boy Scout Camp a few years ago. Yes, it’s carved from a single block of pine. You have to be careful not to carve the ball too small, or it will fall out. I also made the wooden chain, same concept. Lots of fun, takes a wood carving knife and some patience.

  8. My great-grandpa carved those all the time. He also made lamps with the same kind of ball-in-box feature. It’s neat looking but it’s not AMAZING!

  9. Yup, definitely carved from one piece of wood. I’ve made a few of these, along with the “ring on a bar” and wooden chains, all from a single piece of wood. It’s actually pretty easy with a good sharp carving knife.

  10. Well, it could be created in two parts. How? Well, cut the ball from a second piece of wood. Then cut the ball in half and put both halves through the opening. Within the box, glue both halves together again, making sure that you leave no marks. A little brush-up on the glued area and people won’t even notice it.
    Thus: cut the ball, not the box! :-)

  11. Solution is easier than you think. Cut the ball from one piece of wood, the cage from another piece. Now let the cage soak in water to soften it up and the bars will be able to bend a bit more. It doesn’t have to bend much since the ball must fit on the inside so once soaked, push the ball inside with a little force. Then let it all get dry again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *