Pentominoes
16 March 2020
Pentominoes are a set of 12 shapes that form a puzzle. Despite having thousands of possible solutions, finding one is challenging. I made a set of pentominoes with the laser cutter at work.
The cutting is done in two passes. Start by sending side1.svg to the laser cutter (red is cut, blue is engrave). Then without moving the stock, remove the cut-out rectangle, flip it upside down, and place it back into the stock. Finish up by sending side2.svg to the laser cutter (red is cut, blue is engrave). Some glue, sanding, and varnish completes the project.
The box holds everything nicely in place, and also provides a workspace for solving 6x10 rectangles (of which there are 2339 non-trivial solutions). A sample solution on the lid helps one to put the pieces away, and is also an indicator for which side to open.
As always, I'm thankful to be able to use Google's workshops for personal projects.
