Workbench
The 'Workbench'
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The 'Workbench' is a new approach to the Rubik's Cube that relies only on the 'Sledgehammer'.
(It belongs to the family of simplified methods for beginners, such as Sexy_Method, 8355 Method, Less is More and Y-Move Method. , the latter being the one it most closely resembles, including in name. The original name of the 'Workbench' method was the 'Y Method'.)
The 'Sledgehammer' affects seven cubies in a Y-shaped area called the 'Workbench'.
(This area serves as a useful workspace for positioning cubies, which explains the name.)
- YouTube video on the 'Sledgehammer'
- Live interactive 3D 'Sledgehammer' tutorial
The strategy of the 'Workbench' method follows these steps:
1. Complete the Tripod (the cubies outside the 'Workbench'). 2. Avoid 'the trap'. 3. Complete the corners.
Complete the 'Tripod'
The 'Tripod state' is the configuration where all the cubies external to the 'Workbench' are correctly placed.
Since the layers are not completed, leaving the 'Workbench' free, makes it significantly easier to intuitively reach this configuration. The 'Workbench' method suggests using the
'Jolly move': It consists of the following sequence:
'setup-move' + 'Sledgehammer' + 'undo-move'.
- The 'setup move' brings a cubie into the 'Workbench';
- The 'Sledgehammer' performs the necessary operation;
- The 'undo-move' reverses the first move.
This page just presents the 'jolly move'
- 'Jolly move': Live interactive 3D tutorial (scroll to the 'jolly move' section of the page)
This page shows that the 'jolly move' can place both edges and corners.
- 'Jolly move': Live interactive 3D tutorial
The 'jolly move' can even adjust the orientation of the cubie
- https://www.easycubing.net/#page=Orienting]
The 'jolly move' affects only one cubie (at the time) inside the 'tripod state', That is a big advantage, letting the player follow any flow. The easiest flow is to position first the cubies already inside the workbench.
The 'Jolly move' is so effective that the entire Rubik's cube can be solved with just a sequence of 'jolly moves' (nothing else to learn), making it a versatile tool: the 'Jolly move' can:
- Bring every edge or corner (already into the 'Workbench') to its final place. In that case is named 'Delivery' move.
- Bring every edge or corner onto the 'Workbench'. In that case is named 'Setup' move.
- Set the orientation of every cubie (edge or corner).
- Escape 'the Trap' (explained in the next step)
- Complete the corner (explained in the last step)
Try the Solver to see the 'Jolly move' solving the cube
The 'Jolly move' is so effective that is the 'engine' that allows the 'solver' to mechanically solve any scrumble, explaining every single step.
Avoiding the Trap
The 'Trap' is when the last two edges are swapped. This configuration is related to the concept of 'parity'.
It is a particularly tricky configuration because it cannot be solved until one realizes that the problem is not the two cubies that have swapped places, but two other cubies that appear to be in the right place.
When positioning the edges on the last layer, it seems like there are four possible positions, but in reality, only two are correct, while the other two set the trap.
To escape the trap, you just need to move two cubies (those already placed) to the next position.
Once the trap is avoided, all cubies will be in their correct places.
This video shows this concept and how to escape the trap:
There are also these 2 interactive pages that show two different approaches to the same problem:
the 'sledgehammer' approach
A much more elegant approach
To complete this section remains to analyze these possible outcomes:
- last 2 edges in the right place but with the wrong orientation:
The 'workbench' contains 3 edges: two with the wrong orientation one correctly oriented. So to solve this configuration is enough move the correctly oriented cubie choosing one of the two 'Sledgehammers' that start rotating it and then choose the 'Sledgehammer' that brings it back. Done!
These two pages show:
- -The 'Sledgehammer' approach
- -The 'intuitive' approach
- The three edges inside the workbench are in the wrong place and sticker of the same color on the same face
The solution is to choose one cubie and bring it to its position running on the longest path. So the first 'Sledgehammer' brings that edge not to its place but to the other place. Now the second 'Sledgehammer' brings the cubie to its place.
Done
This page shows:
- -The 'Sledgehammer' approach
- The three edges are not in the other 2 configuration
The easiest solution is to run any of the 6 'Sledgehammers' if the edges are not placed then the result will be one of the two previous cases.
(You can follow a different approach: you can start with 6 different 'Sledgehammers'. Only 2 of them has the first move that bring the cubie onto its place correctly oriented and only one has the second move that bring at least one sticker to the correct face. That is it!)
Completing the corners
At this point, the only cubies left to position are the five corners of the 'Workbench'. Now the space for maneuvering is very limited. Continuing could be particularly challenging (though a correct combination of 'Sledgehammers' can solve it, it's not worth the trouble: there is a simpler strategy).
Once you realize that a new 'Workbench' can be used, this final phase becomes quite simple, even mechanical.
This videoshows how to positioning the corners
Extras
There are other two powerful properties of the 'Sledgehammer':
Super Jolly move
Appending an 'undo-sledgehammer' to the 'Jolly move' we get a very interesting trigger:
'setup-move' + 'Sledgehammer' + 'undo-move' + 'Undo-Sledgehammer'
- The 'setup move' brings a cubie into the 'Workbench';
- The 'Sledgehammer' performs the necessary operation;
- The 'undo-move' reverses the first move.
- The 'undo-Sledgehammer' reverses the first move.
Where 'Undo Sledgehammer' is the reverse of the previous 'Sledgehammer'.
This trigger has the interesting property of applying a rotation to 3 cubies
This page shows the 'Super Jolly' in action:
Flat orientation
This 3 'Sladgehammers'
(U F' U F)(F R' F' R)(R U' R' U)
(Where the next 'Sledgehammer' continues the previous: (U F' U F2 R' F' R2 U' R' U)
Have the interesting property of rotating only the cubies (inside the 'Workbench') on the yellow face
so
2 Iteration of this trigger rotate only the corner
3 Iteration of this trigger rotate only the edges
This page shows the The 'flat orientation' in action:
The interesting thing is that these 3 'Sledgehammers'
(U F' U F)(R U' R' U)(F R' F' R)
(The 'Sledgehammer' 2 and the 'Sledgehammer' 3 are swapped)
DO NOTHING!
Video tutorials
Tutorial
The 'Sledgehammer'
'The Trap'
The 'Jolly move'
Last 5 Corners
The 'Collision'
The 'Delivery'
The 'Setup'
- Tutorial 8.2 Overview on the Workbench approach
- The 'Sledgehammer' The algorithm used by the 'Workbench'
- The 'Trap' The main reason people fail.
- Changing perspective Changing the 'Workbench' makes very easy complete the cube
External links
- cuboon.com - The entry-level tutorial
- cubeiteasy.com - The mid-level tutorial + solver + tools + videos
- easycubing.net - The advanced Tutorial (not uptodate) + solver + tools + videos
