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.