Making a Lau's Tetrakaidecahedron:

by: Caleb Lau

Introduction:
Lau's Tetrakaidecahedron was a puzzle designed by me, Caleb Lau, hence the name. It is a 14-sided shape varient of the 3x3x3.

Before we begin, I'll go over the materials I used to construct the puzzle. For the mechanism, I used one Rubik's brand 3x3x3. I also used some epoxy putty. As for tools, I used a variable speed hand rotary tool (on low to medium speeds), a disk/belt sander, and course to super-fine sandpaper. An Xacto knife and scissors were also used. Stickering is done with vinyl film.

Now that we've established that, let's begin! (Captions are below the pictures.)

Note: This is my interpretation on how to make this puzzle. There are probably better ways to make a Lau's Tetrakaidecahedron, here's mine. I am not liable for any damage you do to you and/or your puzzle(s).


I started out with an official Rubik's Brand 3x3x3


Use an Xacto knife to draw truncation marks on the pieces of the 3x3x3


Use a disk sander do sand away portions of the piece.


You should be sanding until the area shown here for 8 of the edge pieces.


All corner pieces should be truncated like so.


When sanding with power tools, be sure to go on as low a speed as possible to avoid melting plastic.


One layer of the puzzle truncated. Repeat on the bottom layer.


Use some epoxy putty (I use Apoxie Sculpt) to fill all the truncated pieces. You should have 4 untruncated edge pieces. Fill those all the way to the top.


Once the putty cures and hardens, you can sand away back down to perfection. For the 4 yet to truuncated pieces, use a belt sander to sand away the plastic to the right size.


Those 4 pieces should look like this. If you get air bubbles (shown), just fill it with some putty and sand again.


The rough shape of the puzzle.


Finish off each piece with some super fine sandpaper, by hand. The next step is to paint and finish the pieces. Tip on Painting: Spray each piece individually. Then, hang them up with some wire (or paperclips) to let them dry.


The puzzle, stickered with vinyl film, cut with scissors.


The puzzle in a pattern.


The puzzle, slightly scrambled.



Lau's Tetrakaidecahedron is a puzzle that I know you'll love to play with. I hope you enjoy making it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Happy Cubing!

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