Thread: Plans for a Secret box

I know a place in Germany that sells "Japanese Puzzle boxes" in 3 levels of complexity.
I don't think I've ever seen the boxes for sale in Australia.

Have you tried searching for "puzzle box"

Hi Choof,

I assume you are talking about something like this.

Reg's puzzle box copy opened - Rimu.jpg

My father made one in 1952 (it's dated in a hidden spot) and after he died I made an exact copy. I thought it was unique until I saw one in an antique shop and I've since seen another. I have no idea where the original came from but he was a great Popular Mechanics fan so that's a possibility. Wherever they originated they have been around for a long time.

This one operates slightly differently to your description - first the front panel slides across then the side panel slides forward to access the key. Next the whole bottom "book" slides back so that the keyhole cover can slide down. You can see all the panel movements in this photo.Dimensions are 200mm wide, 140mm deep, 110mm high and the timber is Rimu.

This was a bit of a tribute to my Dad so I tried to use only tools similar to what he would have had - only hand tools and a homemade saw bench, which made for an interesting project and a renewed appreciation for his skill. I didn't draw plans, just took dimensions from the original (which belonged to my sister) and I'm sorry, but I'm not about to produce a plan any time soon.

Rex

Hi Rex,
Thanks for that, yes that is the type of box I am looking for.
Rod

Hi Rod,

I'm not trying to taunt you with this further photo but it occurred to me that there may be others looking at the thread who would like to see a better view of this box. I should also point out that the two similar boxes that I've seen were different, in that one was smaller and the other had different proportions - a bit longer in relation to it's height. This would seem to indicate that either this was a traditional style or people saw one and just went ahead and built a copy without having access to a plan. Certainly that could have been the case for my Dad as he was one of those blokes who would look at something and declare "I could do that" and then go ahead and do it.

Reg's puzzle box - Rimu.jpg

I'd say just give it a go. Like many box makers I wouldn't know what to do with a plan, I might have a rough idea in mind but usually I start with a piece of wood and see where it takes me. This box wasn't actually that difficult, although restricting myself to hand tools taxed my skills at the time. Having the whole base slide was a bit tricky, but if you use your original description of sliding the front panel far enough to allow the keyhole cover to drop down it should be fairly straightforward.

Rex

Hi again Rod,

It's amazing the way things appear even when you are not looking for them. Yesterday I was browsing on YouTube and this appeared as a side link. I thought you might be interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPoVzKAWXmY

Rex