| Project by llwynog | posted 495 days ago | 1526 views | 8 times favorited | 19 comments |  |
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This wooden padlock was made as a present for my son’s 2nd birthday.
Now this may seem like a somewhat unusual gift for a toddler but it turns out that our son developed a fascination for keys and locks and I wanted him to have a memorabilia of this period when he grows up.
“key” (or more precisely “kagi” in one of his 2 native languages) is actually the 4th word he ever learnt to speak out and he spent hours and hours trying to fit random keys in every nook and cranny of our apartment, muttering “Key… Key… Key…” to himself.
The design as many of you may already have recognized comes from the great book “Making Working Wooden Locks” by Tim Detweiler. I just tweaked the original plans to adapt the dimensions to the available timber and to metric sizes. I also added the carved key-hole cover detail. You can get a glimpse of the moving parts inside halfway through the video down at the bottom.
Woods used were:
Walnut for the faces of the lock and key shank.
Ash for the lock inner mechanism, shackle, spring and key-hole cover.
Ebony for the rest of the key.
I am quite proud of the fact that 90% of the stock used was hand planed from rough timber which is a new step for me. It is also the last project I will ever make on my (re)tired old workmate and on my kitchen counter (more on this in a soonish to come project)
This was all in all a very fun project to build and the looks on my son’s face when he plays with the lock is completely worth the time invested (roughly 2 weekends in cumulated time).
Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks everyone for the great inspiration.
-- Fabrice - "On est bien bête mais on sent bien quand on se fait mal" - my grandfather
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19 comments so far
3Gwoodguy
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152 posts in 860 days
#1 posted 495 days ago
this is fascinating….thanks for the video. I think its a great toy! You can tell by the way he played with it! Well done!
-- "The beatings will continue until moral improves" -- Bart Ridings, Illinois
OnlyJustME
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1346 posts in 545 days
#2 posted 495 days ago
Great Toy!! I will have to make one for my son now. :) thanks for sharing.
-- In the end, when your life flashes before your eyes, will you like what you see?
Kate
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389 posts in 2042 days
#3 posted 495 days ago
Great lock. I want one for my bike!
-- Kate, http://www.wooden-box-maker.com
nonickswood
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266 posts in 555 days
#4 posted 495 days ago
Very Nice!! Like the key hole cover.
-- Nick, Virginia, http://www.etsy.com/shop/NONICKSWOOD
KMP Wood Designs
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45 posts in 816 days
#5 posted 495 days ago
Great toy lock! I’ve saved this as a “favorite” on my list of things to make.
-- Jim, Virginia, http://mysite.verizon.net/vzexvdsv/
woodshaver
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2000 posts in 1521 days
#6 posted 495 days ago
That sure is a great present you made for you son. I like the contrast in your choice of wood’s. The new owner is very handsome and a very lucky little guy!
Thank you for sharing!
-- Tony C , My high school shop teacher said "You can do it"... Now I can't stop!
Brit
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4186 posts in 1010 days
#7 posted 495 days ago
Outstanding! Great craftsmanship and a wonderful present for your son. I hope he treasures it.
-- Andy -- Old Chinese proverb say: If you think something can't be done, don't interrupt man who is doing it.
ward63
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166 posts in 1255 days
#8 posted 495 days ago
Very nice “Year of the Dragon” lock. The woods used really look great.
a1Jim
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#9 posted 495 days ago
That’s a very neat lock what a cool project.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
llwynog
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231 posts in 746 days
#10 posted 494 days ago
Thank you everyone for your nice comments
-- Fabrice - "On est bien bête mais on sent bien quand on se fait mal" - my grandfather
StumpyNubs
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5032 posts in 968 days
#11 posted 494 days ago
My father is a locksmith, so I’ve been thinking of making a wooden lock for him. Great job!
(The greatest woodworking show mankind has ever conceived is now online!)
-- It's the best woodworking show since the invention of wood... New episodes Wednesdays at: http://www.stumpynubs.com
mafe
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8055 posts in 1257 days
#12 posted 490 days ago
What a wonderful son!
And the lock is a beautiful piece of work, facinating too.
Best thoughts,
Mads
-- Mad F, the fanatical rhykenologist and vintage architect. Democraticwoodworking.
Dave
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9174 posts in 1008 days
#13 posted 426 days ago
Stumpy had a two by fore contest and I made a lock from the same book out of a pine two by fore. I later had found this project and the care and skill you placed in it are wonderful. I to wish to make a second lock with a bit more care and a better wood. I hope to reach the skill you have achieved.
-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com
llwynog
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231 posts in 746 days
#14 posted 426 days ago
Yes Dave,I saw your entry in the challenge and really liked it, especially the way you tackled the shackle with the 2×4 constraint. I am also thinking of making another lock someday as it was a very enjoyable project.
If I ever manage to get my hands on the second book on wooden locks, I would like to make the wooden safe (some kind of secret box for my daughter)
-- Fabrice - "On est bien bête mais on sent bien quand on se fait mal" - my grandfather
Dave
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9174 posts in 1008 days
#15 posted 426 days ago
I did not know there were two books. Amazon is your friend.
-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com
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