The Hidden Key

This is literally a box with rails for the key to slide out. All it does is it hides the key in a portable and secure manner. This is secure as the key will not slide out even when hung upside down, it will only slide out when a swinging action is made.

The supplies used for this hidden key has to be precise to measurements of the key will not slide out smoothly.

Here are the parts used:

2 wood planks - one in which has a 16mm hole(13.5cm by 4.8cm by 2.8mm )

Key holder - i used plastic, but wood will work too. (13.5cm minus the size of your key by 4.8cm by 2.8mm) Rails for the key holder to slide on 2x - plastic too. (13.5cm by 4.8cm minus the size of the grills that you want ( the ratio of the size of the grill to one rail should be 1:2) by 2.8mm ) The guide for the rail- wood (The size of the grill) The side support 2x (A length lesser than 13.5- I used 9.5 cm, by 1.3cm by 2.8mm) The back support ( 4.8cm by 1.3cm by 2.8mm) A key of your choice

I made this key hole by tracing the shape of the key then I drilled 4 holes and used a saw to cut it. Note: try to make the hole slightly smaller than the key, and then sand it afterwards to get a tight fit.

First place the 2 pieces on the wood, and mark the centre line for the guide. Then ensure that your guide has a tight fit such that it has enough room to move up and down, but has no room to move left and right. Note: the tighter the fit the better. Then attach a piece of wood to the top of the rail to ensure that the guide does not fall out. Please ensure that you are not using layered wood. The layer wood will wear out very quickly.

Next, the guide. I again, trace the line from the rail to the key hole, and ensured that the line was straight. Then I used a hot glue gun to glue the guide on to the key hole.

After attaching the guide and the rails, I proceeded to add the side and back supports. I used hot glue for this too. Then, I ripped a small piece of paper (big enough to cover the 16mm hole in front. Then, I glued the top part in. As you can see in the pictures, there is a gap at the end. This is a backup plan in case the key gets stuck. Then you can pull it out without damaging the case that you have just built.

The key is placed in by sliding it under, and then lifting it up. This ensures a good fit. And now, you are all set!