​

I saw the Rubik's Cube and became obsessed with it when it first came to America in 1980. I had always enjoyed mechanical puzzles of all types, but this was something different entirely. The magical movement, the colors, the amazing mechanism (which was as much of a puzzle as solving the colors!), the fact that it was fully self-contained and self-explanatory. I was hooked right away and began dreaming of other possibilities for similar puzzles. I even made designs for a 5x5x5 version of the cube, probably around the same time that very puzzle was being mass produced in Germany. Over the next many years I collected any new twisty puzzles that hit the market. I even modified some to make them more difficult or interesting to solve. I also entered a few speed solving competitions, but even in those early days, my under two minute solves didn't get me very far!

 

Fast forward a few more years, and I was working as a hologram designer. One of my co-workers had seen this amazing machine that he thought could be used to make miniature models for holograms. While I had heard of 3D printing, I didn’t think it would be something I could actually use. When I saw that first machine though, and used a model it made to produce a hologram, I knew I had to get one for making twisty puzzles. A couple years later and I was running a design office and was able to spec one of those very machines for use in prototyping our product ideas. Of course I also used it after hours for making some of my earliest custom puzzles. My design office grew, adding more 3D printers and capabilities, and I continued designing new puzzles.

 

It was around this time that I also started meeting other puzzle designers and enthusiasts around the world. I exchanged files for 3D printed puzzles with some, and worked on new puzzle design projects with others. Just a few years later, 3D printing web services arrived on the scene producing highly accurate and durable SLS prints, and the puzzle revolution hit full tilt. This is when my own creativity, and that of the world of puzzle designers in general, really took off. Most of the puzzles you see on this website are a result of the readily accessible 3D printing services that made such an explosion in innovation possible. Enjoy!

​