A locking mechanical box with a unique opening mechanism made entirely of wood with the exception of the magnets use for the locking. There are 44 distinct wooden parts in the construction of this box.

This one has been in under development for a while, when I created “Safe Box” I was disappointed that the combination lock was actually just a single position latch. I have been trying to design an actual lock using the same magnet based concept as in “Safe Box”. This is the result. I can thank Keith Tompkins for putting the idea of a planetary gear set in my mind 3 or 4 years ago when I first showed him “Safe Box”.

The locking mechanism consists of a planetary gear set where each of the planet gears remain locked in place until the correct combination is set, one digit for each gear. Once the combination has been dialed in, the planet gears can rotate freely. At that point, the box is opened by spinning center handle which is attached to the sun gear, this action causes the threaded lid which caries the sun and planet gears to slowly unscrew. The ring gear is attached to the box. The picture to the right shows the lid about halfway unscrewed.

Every box should have some intrigue or mystery – I made the hole for the handle just large enough to give one a tease as to what’s inside. You can just see part of the gears and knobs, the indicator plate has copper leaf applied to provide a little sparkle when glimpsed through the cover.

Mahogany will darken considerably over time, for this reason I chose to detail the outside of the box in copper leaf. I am quite fond of patterns that appear to be woven or knotted. I used an Islamic knot pattern on “Safe Box” and I wanted to carry that idea forward with this box – the lid pattern is derived from another Islamic style knot. For the sides of the box I chose a Japanese pattern that I was particularly attracted to. I liked the way the outline forms ‘Y’s that appear to be woven and the way the increased density of the small triangles creates a contrast that almost makes it appear as if the wood in the triangles is lighter.

I suspect that there were other subconscious right brain reasons for choosing this pattern. When I got to the point of making the handle and adding the indicator, I realized that the exterior pattern can also be seen as a reference to the three dials, particularly the view through the cover where you can only see a small sector of each. The dial indicator plate is also represented in the exterior pattern. At this point I decided to carry this theme just a little bit farther by adding the pink ivory detail to the handle – it has the same “Y” shape of the exterior. I would love to claim that this was all the result of careful planing but it is more a matter of being present during the process of creating.

To the left is the first production Tantalus.  Over the course of two years (spring of 2006  – fall of 2007), I produced and sold thirty five copies of this model.

This device combines a Tantalus – a 19th century device that allowed one to keep the liquor safe from the servants and a Cryptex – a fictional 15th century device that allowed one to keep secrets for centuries, from the best selling book “The Da Vinci Code”.

After reading the description in the book, I set out to build one in wood.

The Cryptex Tantalus has 8 rings consisting of 16 segments each. These rings rotate around a central cylinder that is large enough to contain most 750ml wine or liquor bottles.

When the rings are properly aligned, spelling the codeword, the cylinder can be separated into two parts allowing access to the bottle.

The symbols on the rings can be anything, the most practical being letters, that when arranged vertically spell the secret word unlocking the secret of the Cryptex Tantalus.

I make each Tantalus by hand in my workshop, customizing the font and code for the client – no two are exactly alike. They are produced in small runs of 10 or less and each is signed, numbered and dated. Your satisfaction of quality and detail is guaranteed. I stand behind my work. Much like a fine musical instrument, the Tantalus is carefully constructed and finished with a durable lacquer finish. As with most finely made wood craft, the Tantalus can be repaired unless significantly damaged,  if properly cared for it should survive for centuries!

The images on this page are of the first model Tantalus which is no longer in production. However, in the near future I will begin a production of the next model. If you are interested in owning a Tantalus in the future, please contact me. I will put you on the waiting list and let you know when production resumes.

I also accept commissions for one of a kind Tantalus made from specific wood species with custom details, limited only by your imagination and my skills.

Safe Box #1 (closed)

Safe Box “The Illusion of Security”

The idea for this box developed over time. I had completed several of my Cryptex Tantalus boxes and was considering what to make next. After attending several design rotations at the national woodturning symposium, I was thinking about how to make a locking box where all of the design elements held together. The idea of a vault or safe like structure, particularly a radial arrangement of locking bolts was in my mind.

Safe Box #1 (lid detail)

During this process, I found myself standing in the teller line at my local bank looking at the 150 year old walk-in vault. I’ve admired this vault and all of it’s mechanical workings in the past, but this time I had more time and more interest. The vault has two doors and they are both swung wide open during business hours. In this presentation, the vault designer chose to display a highly complex arrangement of gears, racks and large steel bars that hold the vault shut. All driven off of one gear in the center that connects to a handle on the front of the door. Walnut sized nuts out of bronze appear to hold the mechanism in place. Every single piece of metal is engraved with a fine detail. I started asking myself what was the designer thinking, does the complexity make it more secure?  Why would you put so much effort into embellishing the mechanism? Would it not have been cheaper and stronger to just weld or rivet it together?

And finally, why would one choose to expose so much of, let alone any details of the workings of a vault? This vault is open 8 hours a day and anyone can spend a good deal of  time looking at and contemplating the mechanism as I was now. Is it a trick or a tease to any potential bank robber? And then it hit me, the inside of this vault was made to be looked at, to be on display for the bank. It’s intent is to make you (or me) the customer feel safe and secure about keeping money in this bank. The majority of bank thefts attack the human side of security, an inside job, or done when the bank (and the vault) is open on payday.

The purpose of this vault is to make me feel secure, it is an illusion of security.

Safe Box #2 (open)

This concept resonated strongly with me, airport “security”, a job with steady income and health insurance, marriage, religious faith, a big house with a mortgage – all the various ways we surround ourselves with the illusion of security.

I no longer concerned myself with the actual security of my locking box, It can be smashed or sawed open in an instant, it too is an illusion.

The sides are detailed with a fine outline derived from an Arabic mosaic pattern, the lines broken to give the appearance of a woven mesh. The dial is from a memory I have of a post office box that my parents used when I was young and we lived in a small town. The face had two knobs and raised lines in the cast metal door.

Safe Box #2 (closed)

This box has a combination that must be demonstrated each time it is shown. You explain that it functions like a combination lock left-right-left, while turning the dial back and forth to the numbers of the combination, slowly so that the clicking sound feeds the illusion. When the combination is completed, lift the lid and show the underside, hand it to the person you are showing it to and let them turn the knob while looking at the top. Usually by this point I’m being asked questions about how the mechanism works or even “Where did you buy the mechanism?”.  I explain that it uses a set of eccentric cams or gears and that while not trivial, it is not as complicated as it appears. Turn the knob back to the final number close the box and spin the knob to lock it.

While some people choose not to consider the workings and just accept that it is a combination lock made from wood, others who spend time with it soon realize that it is simply a single position latch. It is still a rather clever mechanism to accomplish this. I prefer to let people figure it out, for me this makes the box a performance piece, somewhat like a magic trick. What I get out of it is how others react.

The first time I demonstrated this to another professional woodturner, I was practically shaking. Terrified that I would be called out on the spot for my intentional deception. I am not a good liar. I very quickly explained that it was a deception and showed how the box worked. To my surprise he was amazed by the box. He encouraged me NOT to explain it’s workings when demonstrating it. Later that evening I demonstrated it many times to the attendees at a wood turning meeting. My progression from a guilty deceiver to a master illusionist culminated with demonstrating the “Safe Box” to a room of a hundred people or more, working it in front of a camera that projected for all to see.

I hope you enjoy “Safe Box”