Wooden Lock Build

After installing the wooden hinges for my cabinet I will now build a wooden lock. The lock is my version based on ancient Egyptian locks. 

I make a quick mock of my lock to see what would work. Plexiglass is very useful to see how everything is working out. Everything worked out so now I can carry on and build a nicer one from cherry. I may make a few modifications as I build it.

These are the parts, they will be the lock body and back plate. 

I used my table saw sled and cut slots for the pins. This can also be done with a router but whatever works for you.

Maple is used for the pins, they are left long and will be cut later to fit the key.

This piece is the latch bolt it is slightly thinner than the frame so it can slide easy. The top and bottom are ready for gluing the latch bolt will be left in while gluing to get a nice fit.

The pieces are glued together, the latch bolt was used a guide to make sure all the pieces were lined up.

 

Slots are cut in the bolt, they will match the slots on the main body. They are first drilled then cut on the bandsaw. A file was used to do some fine cutting to mate them perfectly.

 Pins can now be cut to the right length.

This is the latch bolt it is for the key.  I first dado cut part of the bolt then glued on a block. This way was easier than using a router or chiseling it out the section.

To make the key teeth were marked to match to the pin slots. The width and depth have to be exact to work properly. 

The last piece of the lock is this bracket for the latch. Two pieces of wood are dado cut to fit the the size of the latch,  then they are glued together. The pieces are glued together first then cut to the right size later.  

Plexiglass is used for now to show the lock. Later I can always add a wood plate.

See Also:

How to Make Wooden Hinges

I built a small cabinet with a door so I needed some hinges so I thought I would try make some wood hinges for the door. They will be made all of wood including the hinge pin.

They are very strong and work well. I will show you step by step how I built them.

In my wood pile I had some Brazilian cherry  stair treads. I like the look of cherry and since it is a hardwood I thought they would work well for the hinges. They will be cut to a width of 3.5".

I used my table saw sled to cut the blocks to the right dimensions for the 2  mounting parts of the hinge. 

I had to glue a couple of pieces together, this will give me  large blocks to work with. They will be cut and shaped later to make a nice looking hinge.

I clamped them and set them a side overnight. 

The pieces are marked and notched out carefully with the band saw. 

 

The pieces are tested for fit. They are not bad but I could have done better, although this does not matter when the hinge is complete.

 

The two pieces of the hinge are clamped together and holes are drilled  for the hinge pin. The hinge pin will be a 1/2 wooden  dowel. It is easier to drill them now and later round the ends of the blocks.

 

In order for the hinge to rotate the block ends have to be rounded. I did this first using the band saw then a  belt sander. To keep things as accurate as possible it is best to pencil mark the round end and clean up using a belt sander. 




To make the shape of the hinge it is first cut lengthwise and cleaned up with the belt sander. 

More shaping the hinge.

When all the pieces are sanded a half inch dowel is pounded into the hinge. It feels very tight at this point but will rotate easier in time. I also use a little bit of lubrication which helped a lot.

 

 Five holes are drilled in each hinge, this will be for carriage bolts.

 


                                          See video


I used spacers to center the door and then drilled and installed the carriage bolts. After the bolts were tightened I tested it out and it worked 
perfect.

See Also:                                                                                  

 

    Tool Caddy                                           Spline Jig                                                       

 

                                            

                                                                              

Make a Marking Gauge with Micro Adjust

Marking and measuring gauges are always handy in the shop. I came up with this idea of making a gauge with the pencil attached inside. This gauge is easy to adjust and micro adjust just by rotating the pencil.

It fits nicely in your pocket and now you always know where you have a pencil. Making one is very simple, all you need is some hardwood maple, dowel, knurled nut and allen screw. 

Here are a few of my other marking gauges. I use them all in my shop and there is a video about each of them.

To start I will cut a slot in a block of maple it will be the width for the pencil. The slot is cut first since the slot is the most important cut. After the slot is cut I will cut the block to the right dimensions.

I tested several pencils and and found 7mm. works best.  I slowly moved the fence and made cuts then tested the pencil each time until I got the correct fit. 

The next thing is to drill a hole for the dowel. A pencil will fit in this dowel and it will swivel so it has to be a tight fit. I will use a 1/4" dowel and the drill bit I will be using is 31/64th.

Cutting a small piece if 1/4" dowel on my band saw

The dowel is put in a drill and taken over to the belt sander. One end is rounded, this will help when is tapped into the hole.

The dowel was tapped in the maple block and the ends are cut on the bandsaw, later they can be sanded smooth. Be careful when tapping so you don't split the block, if it doesn't feel right ream the hole a small amount with the drill bit.

A 9/32nd hole was drilled into the dowel to fit a pencil. I tested several pencils and drill bits and found this size works best. Also when I finished the piece I swabbed the hole with varathane which helped me get the right amount of friction for a tight fit.

                       

The pencil fits nice and swivels nice, I just have to trim the pencil down to the right length to fit in the gauge.
                           

Here I am making a stop block. I used a pair of pump pliers to hold a small  block to cut it to the right shape. The pliers made it easy to cut and I did not risk cutting my fingers.

My wooden machine vise was used to hold the block to drill the hole for the allen screw.

To attach the stop block an allen screw and a knurled nut will be used. I used my homemade hex driver for the allen screw. The block was drilled slightly smaller than the screw so it would thread itself into the hole.

The marking gauge is complete and it works great. It adjusts and folds nicely.  I now have another tool for my shop and I know I will get a lot of use from it.

See Also:


      Large Bevel Gauge                                                                      Pocket Bevel Gauge