Another day, another video that seriously makes us doubt whether eschewing the purchase of a lathe in favor of feeding the family is a value proposition. This time, [Maker B] shows us what the queen of machine tools can do by turning a couple of bolts into a miniature safe.
We’ll state right up front that this build doesn’t source all its material from a single bolt. It’s more like two bolts and a few odd pieces of brass, but that doesn’t detract from the final product one bit. [Maker B] relieves the two chunky stainless steel bolts of their hex heads and their threads on the lathe, forming two nesting cylinders with a satisfyingly tight fit. A brass bar is machined into a key that fits between slots cut in the nesting cylinders, while discs of brass form the combination dials. Each disc is stamped around its circumference with the 26 letters of the alphabet; we thought the jig used for stamping was exceptionally clever, and resulted in neat impressions. The combination, which is set by placing a pin next to a letter in each disc, protects the admittedly limited contents of the tiny safe, but functionality is hardly the point. This is all about craftsmanship and machining skills, and we love it.
If you’ve sensed an uptick in resource-constrained builds like this lately, you’re not alone. The “one bolt challenge” has resulted in this wonderfully machined combination lock, as well as the artistry of this one-bolt sculpture. We’re all in favor of keeping the trend going.
You can buy a lathe _and_ feed the family:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/apple/
Or get any old lathe, paint is white and park it in the kitchen for precision carrot peeling and perfectly spherical brussels sprouts,
That was a pretty slick method for stamping letters onto the rings, but even still I’m glad I’m watching someone do it in fast forward than doing it myself…
It’s actually seven bolts and a few odd pieces of brass, but that still doesn’t detract from the final product.
Advice: Get biggest lathe you can both fit in your shop. Check the power reqs too. Otherwise you’ll end up with 2 or 3 of them. :-/
We have made a similar product with a USB key inside.
Nice! Lots of fun to watch :)
Where can I purchase one of those mini pocket safe?
Please send me an email at: pbleus.pb@gmail.com
Thank you!
Where can i get drawings so can try make myself one