Locking mechanism??

[myxpykalix]

This idea goes along with my post of "raised stepped inlay". If you look at this pic visualize the sides of the box are.5" thick.

imagine that the lid is on this box and the larger circle in the center represents a free floating inlay in a pocket on the lid.
The .25" small circle represents a dowel that goes thru the lid and is hooked to the 3 rectangles on the underside of the lid and they are connected to the 3d carving and to get the box open you need to turn the carving a partial turn to open or close the locking mechanism.

First question, does anyone know of any kind of premade mechanism like that?

if not i'm a bit confused about how i could attach the arms to the underside of the lid to keep them lined up, and how would be the best way to make them extend into the inside face of the boxsides to lock it?
I'm thinking rather then flat metal probably round rods would be best?:confused:

[Ajcoholic]

If you make the central bar with short slots instead of holes, then the bars could travel straight out and in without having to have the attached end move side to side with the circular motion.

Then ou could run a groove and set the bars into them. Just use some brass stock, and solder a brass pin on the end, make the central bar slotted as suggested and fit over the pins, so when you turn the central bar (which is attached to the centre disk) the bars move straight out.

You could veneer over the interior side of the lid and cover most if not all of the mechanism up, after its installed, and all you would see is the bar ends.

If you want to see what i am suggesting better i can s ketch it out and scan, and post it.

AJC

[myxpykalix]

If you want to see what i am suggesting better i can s ketch it out and scan, and post it

You know the old saying..."a picture is worth a thousand words" as i'm not picturing what you are describing?

[Ajcoholic]

Ok will do ASAP. My wife is working nights again and my boy is sick again. Try later this evening if I can get him to sleep.

[Mayo]

If you're making one of these boxes, whatever you do - don't open it!

Here's a Youtube of the film props
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=41WfWfXbyPc

Also found one with a cool magnetic locking device
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9sP4O7vzXM&feature=related

Or if you're making a steampunk inspired box of some sort,
expose the gears and levers like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTDst90qZNQ


Sorry - I know this wasn't really helpful but maybe it will get you inspired to go off on a tangent!

[myxpykalix]

I liked the steampunk box, i saved the link and it is similar to what i had in mind. I wanted to have a 3d carving on the top of the box that you would turn to unlock it similar to the one you showed.

I have seen some jewelry box lock kits like from rockler that use a skeleton key and that might work if the locking shaft was longer so i could mount the carving in the center of the box as these locks are meant to be right close to the lip of the box.

Depending on what drawing steve comes up with i'm thinking that i probably don't need a shaft in the back as depicted in my drawing but just one in the front. So keep looking and if you see something please post the link.:D

[ssflyer]

Hi Jack,

Puzzle boxes are pretty cool. Check out This page (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/Gallery%20Page%201.html), and browse the gallery. The first one is an interesting box where you manipulate a 3d carving on top to unlock. There are a lot of different designs, but none are particularly simple :)

[myxpykalix]

Hi Ron,
I like those boxes thanks for the link. The problem with puzzle boxes, at least for me is that if you can't figure it out you give up on it or break it!:eek:

This is going to be on a jewelry box/keepsake box that will be opened frequently and what i wanted was just to have a "clever" way to open it rather then making it a challenge.

The one box you mention did have a locking mechanism that if i can't find what i want already made, i may adapt.

Think back, if you have ever seen an old movie from like the 20's or 30's where you see art decco(?) architecture in a room and the door rather then having the doorknob on the left or right of a door has it in the center of the door? That is what i want to do, only smaller:confused:

[Ajcoholic]

Here is what I was thinking...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/IMG.jpg

If you set the rotating disk (with attached dowel) into the lid, then the bars which will be used to lock/unlock - then cover the underside with either a wood veneer or a thicker slice of wood. If you can resaw, you can even slice off 1/8 or so on the resaw band saw, and then after milling the channels and openings glue the piece back on for a nearly invisable joint.

The idea behind the slots in the disk part is to allow the locing bars to move in a channel straight in and out - and the fact that the pins can move in the rotating slot will allow everything to work without binding.

AJC

PS sorry for the delay. I am also sick. I guess either I gave the cold to my son or he gave it to me... took the day off of work as he couldnt go to daycare and my wife had to work her shift.

[myxpykalix]

See i told you a picture was worth a thousand words! (or in your case 116):eek:

The round disk as opposed to the bar makes better sense and although i had thoughts regarding the slop in my design might have for open/close I had not thought about how best to fix that, your design with the slots seems like it might do that and keep it straight.

Right now the material for my lid is 1" thick so i have room to do modifications and what i may do is pocket out the underside some and rather then resawing or veneering i may cut a seperate piece with a channel and glue it or screw it to the underside to act as a channel to hide the mechanism.

What i like is that the design changes for the better with the experienced advice i get here!:rolleyes:

btw when the grandkids get sick it just makes it's way from one to the next till all get it so that's just the way it goes....that's why when one of my grandkids get sick i stay away for a week or so till the last one gets over it.

[Bob Eustace]

Jack - another brain teasing box to give you a headache! One thing I learnt from this video s font make one of these boxes if you have even the slightest touch of alzeimers!

Bob


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRFIHcJbpiU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[myxpykalix]

it took that gut 5 minutes to open that box...i don't want to make this that complicated!:) I went to places like Michaels and Lowes looking for some type of solution and found nothing.

[myxpykalix]

I'm getting close to finding what i need. This is called a "Rod Latch" but the distributors are in China and a minimum order is 250! I only need 1 or 2:eek:

searching ebay and other sites...

[steve_g]

"to get the box open you need to turn the carving"

I've always thought it would be neat to make a wood combination lock... I've been looking at what's online and combining it with some of my ideas. I've got the proof of concept model done, now I need to miniaturize it... The dial can be any shape carving... the code symbols will be around the dial on the face. you could use alphabet letters and use a persons initials or any 3 letter word to open it, or you could use pictograms like NYU. still working on the latch details...

SG

[adrianm]

You might find this thread of interest.

http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3743

[myxpykalix]

I have always been interested in locking mechanisms and stuff like this Steve from growing up watching old movies and the Mummy series of movies where they have Crytograms(?) and other cool looking devices.

I have watched a bunch of puzzlebox videos on youtube for construction clues but just wanted to make this particular one as a simple opening mechanism as opposed to a chore to open as it was going to be a jewelry box meant to be used. I find that with some puzzle boxes and such, if you can't figure it out you put it aside and never use it.

I might need to get your advice Steve if i can't find something already made:D

[robtown]

latches on garage doors operate like this.

[gundog]

I would add one thing to Andrews design that would be a radius slot and another pin to limit the rotation of the round part that the rods are attached too.

Mike

[Ajcoholic]

I would add one thing to Andrews design that would be a radius slot and another pin to limit the rotation of the round part that the rods are attached too.

Mike

The slots and pin in the "arms" will already limit how much you can turn the disk IMO. You only need to be able to retract the arms, and have them come out enough to catch on the box mortise. Not really a critical amount of travel - and by design you wont be able to rotate the disk much past the required motion if the arms are fairly snug in their grooves.



AJC

[myxpykalix]

latches on garage doors operate like this.

Now if i can shrink that down to fit a box 12"x9" we'll be ok...or i could us one of those mechanisms and enlarge the box to 12'x9':eek:

That mechanism i posted a picture of looks exactly like the garage door opener mechanism. I found a distributor in sterling va will call them monday

[myxpykalix]

I got ahold of the distributor and they could not have been LESS hepful and rude if they tried!:mad:
JEEEEEZ.......anyway i'm still in search of some type of latch mechanism like what i have pictured here so if you have any ideas/links/solutions please let me know.:confused:

[Ajcoholic]

Have you tried Hafele? Or Hettich? They have a lot of stuff the normal hardware suppliers dont.

I stioll think it would be easy to rig up something with some hobby store K&S brass stock, and the rest wood.

AJC