Puzzle Box

This is a puzzle box with a few intricate mechanisms used to unlock it. If you don't already know the mechanisms, it will take you quite a long time to unlock it. It has a 6” by 6” interior and a 8” by 8” exterior.

Materials

1. 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 ½ inch wood plank 
2. If you want, you can take off a ¼ inch of the other plank and put veneers on it as I do
3. 2 feet of ½ inch dowel and 1 foot of ¼ inch dowel
4. ¼ inch cylindrical neodymium magnets
5. Small spring smaller than ¼ inch and shorter than an inch 
6. 4 small hinges
7. Wood glue
8. Linseed oil

Tools

1. Planer
2. Table saw 
3. Chop saw
4. Finish nail gun with pin nails 
5. Finish sander
6. Drill press
7. Carving tools

Veneers -

Pick out 5 nice looking pieces of wood that are at least 9" by 9" to give room to work with. You will then plain and cut theses bords down to be ¼" by 8" by 6 ½". you will save these for later

The Box -

Pick another 5 pieces of wood that are at least 1 ¾" thick and 8" by 8". plain 4 of these down till they are 1 ¼"

if you are using veneers, if not plain them down to 1 ½". Then cut 4 of them down till they are 6 ½" by 6 ½". and the other one to 7 ¾" by 7 ¾".

The Box -

The assemble the boards into a box shape screwing them together as you go.

Next drill a half inch hole in each corner on four sides, three quarter inch in from the edges and half inch deep. and for one hole instead of making in a half inch hole that's a half inch deep, make a quarter inch hole that's an inch deep

If using veneers drill all the way through to match the holes on the box.

Take an inch long piece of half inch dowl and carve a grove into it going about halfway up then carve a grove going sideways halfway around, this will come into play later. Then drill a whole into the side with grove in the bottom to install your magnet. and in one of the holes, put a little piece of wood that fits into you groove sticking into the hole.

Next take another piece of half inch dowl and cut it down to half inch and connect a piece of quarter inch dowl to the bottom about an inch long.

Next make two pieces of wood that are half inch by one inch by two inch. in one drill a quarter inch hole a half inch from one end, and in the other drill a quarter inch hole right in the middle. On both install a magnet into the side that is half inch by two inches.

Lastly take your quarter inch dowel cut it down to seven inches and round off both ends.

Make two pieces of wood that are inch and a half by four inches by eight inches. On one drill a quarter inch hole all the way through the long way a half inch from the inside edge and three-quarter inch from the top and bottom. Next in both pieces carve out hole that fits the two little rectangular pieces that you made and connected to that do the same but only half as deep leave enough room where they slide in and out freely.

To attach your veneers, use pin nails, a finish nail gun and wood glue. After sand down your corners and edges to hide any imperfections.

In the holes you made glue in pieces of half inch dowel so that they stick out from the exterior a quarter inch

Use you small hinges and install your two halves on the top so that they swing up and out.

Now you can assemble it put all your pieces in their respective places and now you halve a puzzle box.