Built combination safe/how it works

[KBsecurities]

In a response to a previous post, I built a combination safe out of wood due to my lack of metal working skills. I noticed there were some questions of how the combination lock works. I'll try my best to explain it.

This is the outside front of the safe. It is a simple three combination lock.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r201 ... ure007.jpg

This is the inside of the locking system.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r201 ... ure008.jpg

When the wrong combination is put in, all three dials are not lined up and the locking mechanism is unable to slide over unlocking the safe.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r201 ... ure010.jpg

When the correct combination is put in the dials are aligned and then the locking bar can slide into the slots unlocking the door.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r201 ... ure013.jpg

This is the locking bar that slides across into the slots and unlocks the door.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r201 ... ure011.jpg

That is how a basic combination lock works. On many combination locks on the first dial, but third number to the combination, there are gateways, or false sets, that prevent you from turning the handle to find the areas where the bar slides into the slots. This is not seen on the safe that I built for fear of the wood cracking.

Here is a good site that explains all this in more detail and has good animated diagrams to explain it.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/combination-lock.htm

[bumpit]

This is how my safe was built. A few modications though.

[Legion303]

I hope you remembered to use a drill-resistant dial...

-steve

[mh]

I think it has a Hard-Wood-Plate instead.

Nice project!

That's the second wooden safe I've seen in this forum, though - where are the clay specialists?? Clay could work, too, and if treated properly, the hard clay could also be used as the equaivalent of tempered glass

[Deathadder]

LOL, that's the perfect idea, a glass safe lock! It would be easy to learn from because you would be able to see all the moving parts and the cams lining up.

[KBsecurities]

Hey I would struggle with metal, Id hate to see what a glass safe would look like if I tried to build it. lol It would probly be in pieces on the floor with a frustrated loook on my face

[C-Riv]

looks good but i hope thats fire resistant wood...haha....wouldnt want anybody breakin into that....

[lunchb0x]

at trade school i had to make a safe door, i might post some pics up soon, and good job with the wooden safe

[Squelchtone]

well done KB, that's a great looking project!

It's nice to see how this hobby brings out our creative sides.

props.

Squelchtone

[phantomhck]

that's a really good idea, I think I might make a safe out of acrylic (plastic sheets), and if I do I'll make sure to put up pictures. Do you have a turning handle/lever to open the safe? I didn't see anything where you could pull the bolt back with the spindle knob. I would make an overhead cam that drops in by spring action and is released by turning the knob back.
This safe would have a vulnerability to sensing the cam disk height offsets.
not to mention that it's made of wood

very nice though, I like the idea.

[jhl]

Neat work!

Making wooden models is underrated, gives you a good feel for the underlying engineering of a mechanism I find...
...brave enough to try a wooden oversized pin-tumbler lock?

[raimundo]

to improve the fire rating, look into the type of wood product that the university of wisconsin developed for the nose cone of polaris sublaunched missiles, it apparently burns up slowly while protecting the parts behind it by not transmitting heat. gooogle might have more info.

[raimundo]

I googled it myself, apparently its called and ablative nosecone, it turns to vapor but does not transmit heat, and it was used on the first generation polaris missles.

[Deathadder]

the one i built was actually quite different, mine had a drive cam and three wheels, and was a lever/fence model. mine is also made of metal and has a combination changer. I haven't put on the door to the safe, just built the mechanism and welded the walls together. i still need to find some good solid hinges to add to it, and still need to connect the lock to the back of the door.

[Jaakko]

has a combination changer

Could you provide some info and/or pictures as I have had the idea to build a safe lock myself but I have lacked the knowledge about those combination change things. I know that the wheels are "sandwiched" and the combination changekey dislodges them but I haven't seen or cannot imagine what the wheels actually look like dismantled. I would like to know this, so please, if you have information, please share it