Interlocking - Dic's Dozen - Level 49

Dic's Dozen - Level 49
Larger Photograph (74.0K)
Designer:Dic Sonneveld
Craftsman:Tom Lensch
Category:Interlocking
Material:Walnut, Cherry & Maple
Pieces:12

Dic Sonneveld began experimenting with computer programs to find higher level burrs. This is one of the monsters he came up with. It takes forty-nine moves to remove the first piece. Amazing as this seems, there is a level 60! Assembling this burr with graphic instructions is still very, very difficult. I found it slightly easier to use Frans de Vreugd's animation so I could step back and forth to see the proper configurations at different stages in the assembly. Occasionally, one or more pieces would slip and putting things back into position for the next move was a puzzle in itself. If anyone ever assembles this puzzle without instructions, I would like to hear about it.