Star of David Improved - Interlocking puzzle by Stewart Coffin (STC #37-A)

prusaprinters

Star of David ImprovedInterlocking puzzle by Stewart Coffin (STC #37-A)Assemble the six pieces into each of four symmetric polyhedral shapes. One of the images shows Coffin's illustration of three of the four solution assemblies (the fourth, "BILATERAL", was mentioned but not documented by Coffin).Star of David Improved is a refinement of Coffin's earlier design Star of David. Coffin wrote: "The assembled solution shapes are the same for both, but the new version has pieces of simpler design ... But believe it or not, this [Improved] version is even more confusing to solve than the original version."I'm not sure I'd agree with Coffin's designation "improved" (though it's definitely "simpler"): both designs have their charm! Coffin enthusiasts will surely want to print them both. I've included a copy of Coffin's assembly instructions (coffin.star-of-david-improved.assembly-instructions.pdf) in case you need help with the solutions.Printing InstructionsPrint one copy each of coffin.star-of-david-improved.pieces-1.stl and coffin.star-of-david-improved.pieces-2.stl in different colors.This model uses "snap joints" so that it can be printed in two colors. 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 tutorial: Getting Started with Puzzle Printing.The Printable Puzzle ProjectThe Printable Puzzle Project aims to make available high-quality open-source models of many puzzle designs. All of our models are posted with the generous permission of their designers and are licensed for non-commercial use only. Anyone may print copies for their own personal use, but selling or otherwise monetizing them is not permitted, and puzzle designers retain all rights as copyright holders of their work.Our puzzles are modeled using the open-source puzzlecad library. The .scad file is included with this model in case you want to modify any of its design parameters; more information on how to do this can be found in the PPP Puzzle Modeling tutorial.About the DesignerStewart 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 craftsmanship. More information on Coffin, along with many other printable models of his designs, can be found on the Stewart Coffin Puzzles overview page.Happy puzzling!