| Project by scottb | posted 1014 days ago | 2519 views | 3 times favorited | 42 comments | ![]() |
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A few years ago, I gave this box to my wife for Christmas. A simple six-inch cube built out of pre-milled 1/4” pieces of aspen. I built it to hold one of the items on my wife’s wish list.
Recent Lumberjocks forum talk of prototypes versus just diving into a project… here’s the diving in. The prototype was all in my head. Or perhaps this is the prototype that became the project.
The locks internal components were cut and fitted by hand. If only I had better tools at the time, I could have milled better lumber. Or at least I wish that I hadn’t stained it.
Some Howards Wax (love the orange smell) over the stain improved the finish a bit. Oh well. I did the best I could with what I had. Besides, the box wasn’t the gift, but rather the means to get to the gift.
Inspired by the puzzles in The DaVinci Code, I wanted to make one of my own. My wife picked up the book before it became an international phenomenon. We both enjoyed it so much that I thought she’d be a good sport about cracking the code when I presented this to her.

Lift the lid and find three pins that align with numbers. The text reads: ”Daedalus unlike Knossos. Road to Jerusalem. How Many Yards is The League?”

This riddle could more easily be solved if you knew the box’s contents, for it hints at the answer. Once you’ve figured out the answer, line up the numbers, and open the box (or cheat and try “000, 001, 002, 003…” and so on. There’s only 1,000 possibilities). Notches on the bars align with notches on a dowel you have to remove in order to access the inside of the box.
I want the next one I make to be even more challenging (or with enough combinations to dissuade thoughts of cheating), and for it to have as small a locking mechanism as possible.

Here’s the opened puzzle, sans contents (which my wife now keeps at her work to help her de-stress – hint, hint). Researching the solution took my wife about 7 frustrating days of hard work. But when she finally got the gist of the clues, her renewed excitement pushed her on to work out the solution pretty quickly.
Do you know the answer?
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/































42 comments so far
Don
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2590 posts in 1054 days
posted 1014 days ago
Great story, Scott. And an unusual project. Trust you wife is on the mend or we’ll have to change your name to “Sheila”. LOL
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 1014 days ago
Thanks Don, this was really challenging to conceptualize. I’m trying to figure out a way to make the next one smaller.
My wife is doing well thanks, but I’ll be playing both parenting roles for a while still.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Shawn
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226 posts in 1031 days
posted 1014 days ago
That is an amazing idea, great post Scott, keepo them comming, I look forward to seeing more similar projects
-- Cheers
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 1014 days ago
haha excellent!!!
is the box sitting in the living room waiting for unsuspecting guests???
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Mark A. DeCou
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1533 posts in 1283 days
posted 1014 days ago
I love it. What an invention! I’m not good with puzzles (lack of intelligence), and this is so complicated I couldn’t figure it out, with a prototype, or not. I hope you will enter this one in the creativity contest.
Hoping for your wife’s 100% recovery.
If there is a way you could show the plans for how to build this, I would buy a set of plans from you.
Isn’t it nice that “Don” started using his handsome brother’s photo now?
hang in there, we are pulling for you.
-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com
dennis mitchell
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3785 posts in 1192 days
posted 1014 days ago
what fun!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 1013 days ago
Thanks for the positive comments, and well wishes.
This was a fun and challenging one to conceptualize, I have a couple that I’m trying to fine tune on the back burner, so yes, I hope to have more to share.
That really is a high compliment Mark. Thank you. I’ll see that I can’t at least get this one down on paper or perhaps fill the void out there with this plan and many others.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 1013 days ago
my question is—- your wife had to hold her gift for a week, while she figured out the clue?? cruel… cruel… cruel .
I love it.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Karrie
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15 posts in 1151 days
posted 1010 days ago
I think these are the kind of things that keep a marriage alive. Whether it is the “fun” in the relationship or keeping you out of the house while making it – I am not sure, but anyway…..
Great Job and love the idea. Keep up the creativity!
Karrie
-- Karrie
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 1010 days ago
I’m glad that she didn’t solve it immediately, but I did feel bad that she was frustrated for so many days before getting on the right track. One of the hard parts of this project was doing the research into the clue, and covering my tracks. Must have worked because once early on she was close but didn’t know it and went on down another route.
I already have the riddle for the next box, but the mechanics of using letters to spell out the anwer rather than numbers is going to be very different indeed.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
scottb
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posted 1000 days ago
Still no takers on trying to solve this riddle, huh?
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 1000 days ago
oh Scott you devil….. bring us back into your little tormenting riddle… ok ok… I’ll see what I come up with…..
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 1000 days ago
ok. 5 minutes into it (made you look) and at 5:30 in the morning my brain says “enough already… too early… too taunting…..”
I’ll pass the torch (probably someone has already solved this but hasn’t wanted to ruin it for the rest of us.)
Daedalus and Knossus both are about a labryinth and there are 5280 yards in a league. Take it from there someone.. take it from there
and my brain breathes a sigh of relief (“go back to bed” it is now saying… “it’s Sunday morning for Heaven’s Sake”)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 1000 days ago
I’ll let you know when/if someone gets it… The answer is a 3 digit number (combination to the lock)
Post your guess here, or send me a PM.
Keep at it. ;)...
the record to beat is one week of on/off trying!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 854 days ago
With all the jocks who’ve joined up in the past few months, surely somebody has solved this riddle by now?
Debbie, 5 minutes wasn’t enough,... but the buzzer still hasn’t sounded.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
oscorner
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4572 posts in 1188 days
posted 854 days ago
666, right? I’m sorry, but I’m at a loss of the fact that your wife isn’t well. I’ll pray for her recovery.
-- Jesus is Lord!
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 854 days ago
Nope.
Things are going well now Os (I guess those comments came from another blog post or something at about the same time), But Thank you very much.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
mot
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4901 posts in 914 days
posted 853 days ago
That’s cool, scott!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 853 days ago
haha it’s not 5:30 am now.. and my brain STILL can’t figure it out… sad to admit it
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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posted 646 days ago
SO much beautiful craftsmanship in the box category, I figure the only shot I have is with creativity. – Was thinking a similar line in the 2×4 contest until i found out that pine just isn’t supposed to bend.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
YorkshireStewart
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779 posts in 779 days
posted 646 days ago
I hadn’t seen this before Scott. What a fascinating box. I’ll need to revisit it and apply a bit more thought. Wouldn’t mind doing something like this.
-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems
Dick, & Barb Cain
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6989 posts in 1177 days
posted 646 days ago
I’ve looked at this many times before.
I guess it’s about time I commented.
Pretty smart, you let your wife figure it out for you. LOL
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
DAN
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6393 posts in 860 days
posted 646 days ago
sweet gift !
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
Andy
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posted 645 days ago
I am glad you entered this one.Its quite different,and shows a unique level of skill.I agree with Mark though,and I would have a claw hammer helping me figure it out pretty quickly.Well done Scott.
-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon
CedarFreakCarl
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562 posts in 931 days
posted 645 days ago
That’s really cool Scott! Like the Yorkmaster says…”fascinating”.
-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 645 days ago
well yes a claw hammer would certainly know the correct “password” but at the expense of the contents inside.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Obi
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2191 posts in 1115 days
posted 644 days ago
1 league = 6 076.11549 yards how do you get three anythings out of this?
-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 644 days ago
it makes perfect sense once you figure it out… it took my wife about a week, of off and on trying.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
shaun
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361 posts in 783 days
posted 644 days ago
Scott – I missed the original post for this. I might not have ever seen it if you hadn’t entered it here, Thanks. This has got to be the coolest ideas for a box I’ve ever seen. And I’m desparately trying not to think about the riddle, I won’t get anything done if I let myself get wrapped up in trying to solve it. ;-)
-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!
Scot T
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14 posts in 654 days
posted 621 days ago
Has someone been to the Notre Dame Cathedral?
Is the answer 286 or 287?
-- Scot, SW Washington
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 621 days ago
I have twice been to Notre Dame, once inside, and once I climbed up to the bell towers…
Scot – Your original (unedited) comment indicates you are on the right track – but that isn’t the answer.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Scot T
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14 posts in 654 days
posted 620 days ago
LOL – I edited it to avoid stealing your thunder if I was right.
For the other LJ’s out there – here’s the jist of my original unedited post:
A daedalus is a floor labyrinth (similar to a maze) and is a symbolic road to jerusalem.
The paths of the Chartres (Notre Dame) labyrinth make 858 feet or 286 yards.
Great information was found in The Spirituality of Mazes and Labyrinths By Gailand Macqueen
Great puzzle and nice piece, BTW!
-- Scot, SW Washington
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 620 days ago
394 days and Scott still hasn’t given us the answer!
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 620 days ago
I’m not going to Give you the answer Deb… but I’ll let you know if someone guessed it here, or sends me a PM.
Full disclosure – I had to go hunting down the solution last night (online searching) just to find out if Scot had it or not. I tossed the paper with the answer on it.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 620 days ago
you tossed the paper with the answer on it??? my goodness that is brave .. or .. umm silly
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 620 days ago
oh, and the next box i’m working on… the clue’s aren’t even in English! Hows that for mean?
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Scot T
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14 posts in 654 days
posted 620 days ago
Scott,
I’m really intrigued now.
How about 572 or 574? (You must return to the start of the labyrinth to complete the meditative journey, so the length of the ‘league’ is double the number of yards).
-- Scot, SW Washington
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 620 days ago
(I”m laughing)
Good rationale, but that’s not it.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 620 days ago
according to the official website for The Chartres Cathedral, the Labyrinthe is 261.55 Meters.
Convert that to yards and you (should) have the answer.
Scot T had it yesterday, the rationale, the riddle solved, but not the correct combination. (I did the conversion backwards. OOPS).. But in over 1 year, he was the first to crack the riddle. So there you go.
Until I started digging, to make sure I could find the answer (and I couldn’t knowing what it was) I just thought he was at the “wrong church” and it was just a matter of time before he walked the right path.
The unnerving part, both my wife and I did the conversion backwards. (Makes me scared for our checkbook)
I’ve got a mind to crack the lock open, and recut the sliding bars so the combination is correct to the riddle…
or I can just leave it as one last security measure!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
scottb
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3386 posts in 1205 days
posted 620 days ago
I once did a puzzle book in college, translating a page on the rules of chess into modern english. The rules asked you to seek out the 5 mistakes in the passage. (Classmates were supposed to have read the chapter, and the change was pretty obvious if you cracked the book) But the Frustrating part – There were only 4 mistakes, the 5th was saying there were five. That’s a cruel puzzle.
My next puzzle box will be a riddle, plain and simple, with no math to unknowingly confound me!
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Scot T
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14 posts in 654 days
posted 619 days ago
LOL! How frustrating!
I think I got the Cathedrals mixed up anyhow, but I’m glad I was on the right ‘path’!
Thanks for a very enjoyable puzzle, Scott! I look forward to your next ones – and to how you impart them into wood.
-- Scot, SW Washington
MsDebbieP
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14089 posts in 1038 days
posted 619 days ago
funny story Scott…
can you imagine if it had taken your wife this long to solve the puzzle?? (especially if she had done it correctly in the first place… )
as for your bankbook – maybe you are just richer than you think….
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)