Fitting a jewellery box lock

[david simper]

I have just come within a whisker of losing an entire finished piece, after screwing the ironmongery back on and finding the lock did not fit. After much jigging about, the lock stripped, in the locked position of course, and I barely managed to get it open again before it failed completely. :evil: I thought I was going to have to wrench the whole thing apart with the broad blade chisel and god knows what that would have done.

Has anybody got a sure fire method for fitting these locks, which seem to have virtually no tolerance at all? Surely this task should not be that difficult when the fitting has siting tuts. The more I play, the worse it all seems to get.

You may have guessed that I am currently incandescently angry and came close to taking a hammer to a cherry, ash, walnut and sycamore box, which feels like it's taken half my life to get together. :twisted:

 

[twothumbs]

Hi David
I am no expert on small locks but can you show a photo. Rage...yes .....it is very upsetting when things ...'go off beam' and you seem to have nowhere to go. There will be answer and not the heavy hammer. Lets see what you have. Many of the very small locks are best suited to toys... I reckon. In the mean time, best wishes.

PS Only Queens and Prime MInister are able to be incandescent with rage. The rest just swear and through tools about the shed.

 

[Racers]

I remember making a box and while I was cutting it open on the table saw I checked the depth of cut after the first pass, and proceeded to put it down the wrong way round and cut 1/3rd up from the bottom not the top.

I smashed it to bits with the largest hammer I could find!

Pete

 

[david simper]

Thanks for trying to make me feel better.

Now this is angry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DbUPjEbIvA

I'll try and post a pic.

Dave

 

[david simper]

Well, after purchasing a new lock (good job I don't need a profit off this job), I have managed to finish this box and think that it looks ok:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

Thanks to those who did their best to help.

Dave

 

[twothumbs]

Well that is just the job and not a heavy hammer mark anywhere. Best wishes.

 

[UTMonkey]

Lovely.