One of the oldest and most widely known category of puzzles, is the interlocking.

In very few words, you take a bunch of pieces and end up connecting them
(usually in some ingenious way) into a single solid object.

The materials could be from heavy types of metal to matchsticks and paper!
But the most common material used is (by far) good quality wood.

Some require balancing skills and as many arms as an octopus to put together,
while others require some sequential moves. Others need some synchronised
movement, while others may even require some mystical tricks!

Here is a nice photo of a good example:






Pantazis

I am interested in classification but interlocking puzzles are too diverse and classifying them would be a huge undertaking. I just think that they're pretty . I am especially fond of the Japanese Puzzle Boxes because they look like ordinary solid patterned boxes (for the most part) but they are actually deviously concealed puzzles. As for others, I think that I would be impressed if someone made an impossible bottle with one of them (especially a really complex wooden one).

I love interlocking puzzles, particularly the ones where you combine different types of wood or use more than one color. Here's a few examples from my collection:

Magnetic Star

Simple Star

Three Logs

Trapped Ball


...And a few more amazing examples from the French builder Stephane Chomine

Those match things are awesome (if not a fire hazard ).Are they real puzzles or just a bunch of interlocked matches that anyone can make.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that a Altekruse? I love it for two reasons one is that there all the same pieces and they don't use a key piece at all.