The Locks

There will be six locks. Each clue must be solved to unlock the cryptex for each compartment. The answer to the clue will include three letters, numbers, or symbols. Once correctly aligned, the core of the cryptex can be pulled and the drawer will be unlocked.

To get there, we must make the disks first. I glued up five 1x4" clear pine boards. After, I made two passes on the joiner to true up the edges. Next I ripped the glue-up on the table saw to 3 1/4" square. Then, I tipped the blade to 45 degrees and took off the corners to make it easier to turn on the lathe.



Once I found the center, I put the six-sided block on the lathe and turned it. First with the rough gouge, then with a smaller gouge.



3/4 of the block is turned down to a little over a 3" dowel. Lastly, I used 80 grit then 220 grit sandpaper while turning and finish with 220 grit along the grain to take out cross grain sanding marks. The reason I did not turn the entire board is because I need something substantive to hang on to while running the dowel through the chop saw.



Each disk will be chopped off from this 3" dowel. I must finish with 18 disks so I planned for at least 22 cuts. That way, when I make a mistake somewhere down the line, I don't have to go back and start the entire disk making process again. It's got to be a production line concept. Each disk will be 3/4" thick and 3" round and will have a 2 3/8" hole in the middle so it fits around the PVC pipe. More on the lock later.

7 Progress

Just a little more work on the insides.

The larger hole is cut with a 2 3/8" Forstner bit. The smaller hole is cut with a 2 1/8" bit. This will allow the 2" dowel that will serve as the middle of each of the three-disk, wooden crytpex-style lock to go through the center of the PVC sheath. The 2" dowel will eventually lock the thin drawer in place. More on that later.



When you look below you can start to imagine the thin drawer with a center runner. This thin drawer will have a 2 1/8" hole in the center so it will be locked in place until the cryptex lock is open.



Next..the beginning of the locks.

Seven Takes Shape

Will use very little glue in this project and plywood where I can to keep the project stable and allow for wood movement over the years to come.



Unlike some of my other Secrets, this one will not be moving around. You can see it's starting to look heavy already.



I wonder what that slot in each compartment is for?

A New Batch of Secrets

The Start of Seven.

Good layout in the beginning helps the builder conceptualize the entire project. Got to be accurate or you end up having to make a lot of time consuming and expensive changes as you get near the end.



Evolving diagram as the thoughts of the project flow to the drawing board (literally)



After a little work with the eraser...changing the design in my mind already.



Hopefully this is making you wonder what it is going to be.