How to Make a Jewelry Box With Lock and Key

It is always prudent to keep your treasures under lock and key.

You most likely own items that you wish to keep under lock and key. In today's uncertain times, having a secure jewelry box to store those treasures and family heirlooms is both prudent and necessary. With an inexpensive half mortise lock set, you can transform any wooden box into a locking jewelry box. Installing a half mortise lock can also add character to an existing container, giving it an antique look.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden jewelry box
• Half mortise lock and key set
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Razor knife
• Drill with a forstner wood boring bit
• Small wood chisel
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• Wood stain, polyurethane sealer or colored wood paint

Instructions

1. Purchase a wooden box from a craft store that fits all the jewelry and collectables you want to protect. Choose an unfinished wooden box, which will be easier to score and chisel away the wood as needed to fit the lock. Purchase a half mortise lock and key set.

2. Measure and find the center of the jewelry box and draw a straight pencil line down the front lid and onto the base. Center the lock on the front of the box base and score around the outer plate with a razor knife, then remove the lock template. Use a forstner wood boring bit the depth of the lock to create small holes within the etched area. Place the small wood chisel inside the bore holes and chisel outward toward the etched outer barrier (make sure to mind the depth created by the bit) to create a snug indent for the lock to rest.

3. Mark where the keyhole will fit by first pressing the key pin (tip of the key) into the chiseled area until it indents the wood, then drill a one-eighth-inch hole through the indent. Now press the key face into the key pin hole, and an outline resembling a figure eight should appear. Use the razor knife to carefully carve the keyhole, then press the lock and keyhole plate into the carved spaces.

4. Repeat the same steps on the lid by pressing the catch strike plate into the wood and chiseling to the correct depth. Be sure to check often that the catch and lock stay aligned. Press the catch strike plate firmly into the chiseled area so that the two metal nubs on the back of the plate implant in the wood.

5. Finish the wooden box using wood stain, polyurethane sealer or colored wood paint. Make sure to avoid the hinges and half mortise lock components when applying the finish. Add lining and cushioned jewelry holders to hold valuables in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Use super glue to further secure the lock and catch strike plates to the jewelry box.

• When using the razor knife to carve out small areas, be careful not to cut your fingers.

References

• Woodsmith Magazine: Installing a Half Mortise Lock
• Fine Woodworking.com: Installing a Half Mortise Lock

Resources

• The Family Handyman: How to Use a Wood Chisel