DIY
OFFICE
MAGIC PHOTO CUBE
Make a fun, folding desktop photo display
for about a buck. By Ken Wade
Sometimes something comes along that snaps
you out of the blur of even the most mind-numbing
meeting. I was at this stage when the speaker
passed around a demo of the newest training tool —
a “magic story cube” that pulls kids into the learning
process.
The speaker’s words didn’t grab my attention but
the remarkable object in my hands sure did. This
was cool. I had to make one.
The magic photo cube (the easy half of a Yoshimoto
Cube, a truly impressive object invented in 1971) is
made by the clever hinging of 8 smaller, identical,
and perfect cubic blocks. I had our local woodshop
make 40 nearly identical cubic blocks from scrap.
After mixing and matching, I was able to make
4 magic photo cubes, each consisting of 8 blocks.
The size of the cubic block doesn’t make any
difference for the project. The sides of mine are
136 Make: Volume 21
MATERIALS
Cubic wooden blocks ( 8) about 15¢ each; I had 40
made for $6.
Clear packing tape free; always around somewhere
Photos fresh off the computer printer free,
using my daughter’s photo paper
Glue stick
» TOTAL PRICE: $1.20
about 5cm, the perfect size for 48mm-wide clear
packing tape.
The magic is all in the hinges. Use strong, clear
packing tape for hinges, taping the front and back of
each joint. Rub the tape down with a “bone” — that’s
what my dad called whatever smooth steel thing he
used to make tape stick — such as a socket out of
the tool chest.
Photography by Nattanan
