Making
Working Wooden Locks
Complete Plans For 5 Working Wooden
Locks
by Tim Detweiler
Softcover
215 x 280mm
96pp
Published by Linden Publishing Inc, Fresno CA USA
R.R.P.$29.90
ISBN 0-941936-60-0
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 127
Locks have a long, long history, extending back thousands of years, but it is only during the past few centuries that our modern locks have evolved. Innovative design had to wait until metallurgy and manufacturing processes caught up.
Now there are locks in every conceivable type, shape and size and it’s little wonder that they are a source of fascination for many people. But no one, surely, could be more fascinated by them than the author of Making Working Wooden Locks. Tim Detweiler, a retired carpenter, custom homebuilder and (of course) locksmith, has made and sold more than 3500 wooden locks.
The very nature of wood, the ease with which it can be cut, makes it impossible for the locks Detweiler describes to function in the role normally expected of their metal counterparts. Yet in all other respects, these locks operate in the same way - and they look a great deal more decorative. Virtually any one of them would make an attractive addition to the decor of a home and provide an excellent conversation piece.
The book begins with some brief comments on Materials, Safety, Tools and Finishing as well as preliminary notes on the Projects. These absorb seven pages while almost all of the rest of the book is occupied by a series of projects, each a specific kind of lock.
The wooden locks are reproduced about two to two and a half times larger than a conventional lock of the same type. This not only makes the construction of the locks easier, it increases the visual impact of the finished model.
The first project is the Warded Lock with Key. Its treatment in the space of 14 pages is typical. There is a full-page colour photo, followed by details of the construction arranged into steps and illustrated throughout by large, easy-to-read diagrams and colour photos.
The other projects are a Three-Number Combination Lock, an Antique Lever Lock with Key, a Railroad Switch Lock with Key and an Antique Push Key Lever lock with Key.
If these five projects don't quench the reader's thirst for lock construction, a further seven possibilities are presented in a Gallery at the end of the book. Having studied the construction of the first five detailed projects, it should not be difficult to apply the information and construction methods to the locks in the Gallery, though perhaps the Screw Key lock might take some extra thought.
This is an attractively presented book on an uncommon subject which should go a long way towards satisfying those who seek out unusual woodworking projects.
Photos: Colour
Units of Measurement: Imperial
Contents
Dedication
Introduction
Chapter 1: Materials
Chapter 2: Shop Safety
Chapter 3: Tools
Chapter 4: Finishing
About the Drawings
Chapter 5: Warded Lock with Key
Chapter 6: Three-Number Combination Lock
Chapter 7: Antique Lever Lock with Key
Chapter 8: Railroad Switch Lock with Key
Chapter 9: Antique Push Key Lever Lock with Key