A couple of people asked me to explain how the secret drawer would work, I will try to explain the best I can.
From a previous blog , here is the construction of the box, note the spring , this will push out the drawer.
The spring is made from a old bandsaw blade.
The first operation was to route grooves in the drawer sides to accommodate guides.
Then I made the guides out of quarter sawn oak, they need to slide freely but very little play.
The holes for the screws and countersunk were next.
As the location of the guides is critical if you want to hide the drawer, I measured the top of the drawer side to the top of the routed groove and made spacer slightly larger.
The spacer was used to locate the guides.
I needed a latch to hold the drawer in place but finding one proved elusive, here is my attempt of making one,It cosists of four pieces.
Photo of the latch installed.
Photo of the underside of the box with drawer and spring.
After a lot of time fine tuning the drawer ,here are some pics of the side of my marquetry box with the secret drawer.
The opposite side with no drawer and the front.
I still have lots to do before finishing but I hope this helps
All the best
Keith
7 comments so far
shipwright
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8678 posts in 3811 days
#1 posted 10-05-2014 06:15 AM
Very nice Keith. I have a spot for a secret compartment in the jewellery box I’m making but the jury is out whether I’ll bother. It isn’t a great spot for one and I don’t want to add it just to have one. Yours is well thought out and very well made. The box is going to be lovely. Can’t wait.
Thanks for the photos
-- Paul M ..............the early bird may get the worm but it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese! http://thecanadianschooloffrenchmarquetry.com/
RogerBean
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#2 posted 10-05-2014 10:54 AM
Nice indeed. Coming along wonderfully. And the drawer latch is a really nice touch. Spring loaded drawers that fit tight and close properly are a challenge. I like yours.
Roger
-- "Everybody makes mistakes. A craftsman always fixes them." (Monty Kennedy, "The Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks", 1952)
stefang
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#3 posted 10-05-2014 12:33 PM
Very nice work and well designed Keith.
I was thinking that a secret drawer could also be inserted from the the back, but of course the drawer would then have to be pulled out of the box to get access. Not too handy.
-- Mike, an American living in Norway.
Roger
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#4 posted 10-06-2014 12:33 PM
Beautiful!
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Keep your dust collector fed. [email protected]
JoeMcGlynn
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219 posts in 3366 days
#5 posted 10-06-2014 08:20 PM
Thanks for the pictures and explanation. This looks amazing, the marquetry is great, the construction clean and solid.
How did you make the square slot that the catch slides in? I could see machining the main piece in two parts to cut that, and then assembling them to make the main body of the latch. I suppose it could be milled (or drilled) from the end and then filed square too. Regardless, it’s a slick setup.
-- Blog: http://mcglynnonmaking.wordpress.com/
Longcase
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#6 posted 10-07-2014 06:39 PM
Thanks for the compliments guys.
Joe, the catch was milled from a piece of 2” x 3/8” mild steel bar stock, the slot that secures the latch was milled into the stock ,but not all the way through, I left about 3/8” at the top and drilled a hole to retain the spring. A back plate was then MIG welded on and cleaned up.
Hope this helps
Keith
JoeMcGlynn
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219 posts in 3366 days
#7 posted 10-07-2014 08:25 PM
Got it, that’s probably how I’d make it too.
Having the drawer extend all the way to the sides is a great idea, I expect you can fit and latch the drawer, then to the final surfacing to level that side of the box/drawer before applying the veneer.
I like it a lot!
-- Blog: http://mcglynnonmaking.wordpress.com/
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