Miniature Working Demo Vault Door Model

[Huw Eastwood]

Here's my latest, started this one back in the 1990s and tbh it would probably have been quicker to totally start again- rust was so bad I ended up spending just as long re-skimming the door and re-making a lot of the smaller parts. It's still nowhere near finished but at least it's now finally at a stage that's worth some photos.

Loads taken throughout the various stages which I'll try and add over the next week or so.

Door is fully working with geared rod-driven boltwork, also working on a tiny Lever safe lock to make it key-locking. It will eventually have a fully geared pressure mechanism (3-bars, 120 degree spacing) with scale 6-spoke Chatwood style hand wheels, but all that's way off for now...

[RiemannHypothesis]

Hey Huw!

That is a very impressive work and I am looking up to this quality. That is something I have to work on to maybe achieve some day in the future So kudos to this masterpiece of yours.

As far as I can see it you made the door out of steel, right? Did you machine all the nuts or did you buy them? What about the measurements of the door? Are you going to make a frame for the door (please say yes, please say yes )

Cheers and I am really looking forward to tons of pictures and infos

Maik

[Huw Eastwood]

Hello there Maik, thanks for all your comments. You're spot on- it is indeed mild steel, and yes I did make the threaded studs and the nuts from hexagon bar. But, I have to admit I'm not happy with their appearance, so will be making new bolts to replace them.
I had planned to give them a final finish back on the lathe and then polish them up, but I'll probably make some nice acorned styled hexagon bolts with pointed tops instead.

My problem is I originally set out to make it an ornate American style, with a lot of engine-turned brass and polished brass bolts etc. Since then I'd changed my mind back to a more bland and conservative 'all steel' Chatwood sort of look, but tbh, I'm part edging back towards the ornate American style...

This door is modular construction in that any of the main parts could be swapped out for parts of a different style. This is the first I'd made like this and why I didn't apply it to all the others I'll never know! But it does mean I can at least turn it back into an ornate American style in minimal time if needed.

Theres still some temporary parts on it- the cheese-head brass screws on the 'big-ends' of the connecting rods are only for testing the boltwork, I've got some brass hexagon bar to make matching bolts for those. They'll have stepped 'shoulders' to act as bearings for the rods to pivot on. Likewise the smaller end 'gudgeon pin' screws fitted in the bolts- they will also be smaller hexagon brass with smooth bearing surfaces.

Can't trust the feed dials on my bigger lathe to make the really small precision parts, so will be back to machining those on my 'baby' Emco lathe indoors.

The bearings for the main drive gears, pinion gear and drive spindles are all made from Leaded Bronze bar, again all turned-up on the little Emco for precision. Will probably also change the main spur gear to a roller race, I have one or two that I plan to modify for a silky smooth fit.

No frame planned for it at all sorry Maik, made this as a "hands on demo" to stand upright on a heavy turned base. It's always been 100% about the door and boltwork for me.
I'll enjoy making the front of the door with scale brass hand wheels (very fine silver soldering), the geared pressure bars etc, but the surrounding frame and all the concrete walls/vault etc that goes behind it doesn't interest me really tbh. Sorry :-(

[Huw Eastwood]

Here's the bare door 'shell' and with the locking bolts fitted.

[00247]

I may know how to paint a safe. I learned how to lay gold leaf. I can even make "some" parts on my lathe/mill combo. But, these pictures make me feel totally inadequate!

[RiemannHypothesis]

Hello Huw,

I see that you are very routined in machining those little doors and the precision of the parts is really good!

How are you going to make the pressure system? With worm gears? What lathes do you use? What model from Emco? What is your bigger lathe? I am sure you are using a dividing head for the bolt work, right? What measurements does the door have?

Your model motivates me even more to continue with my door

Best

Maik

[Doug MacQueen]

Huw, there should be a special section on the forum, to showcase the work you and Maik have done. Both of you have put an extraordinary amount of effort and passion on these vault doors. Your list of the doors you have made is astounding. When I did bank service, I was always curious on how they were made. Your description on the design of the pressure bars is similar to the unobvious design features in making a combination lock lever/fence. I remember several times seeing cracks on the pressure bar jamb receiving blocks. That told me some serious forces were being generated. Keep up the good work. Doug

[Huw Eastwood]

Hi Doug and thanks very much!

[RiemannHypothesis]

Hey guys :)

Doug, thanks for your kind words and yes, if you like to make a subsection for vault door modeling and stuff, I would join there

Huw,
about the eccentric cams: Mine are 74mm in diameter and they have a pin (12mm in diameter) that is screwed in but it has a reamed hole where it is held and at the end you have the thread. So the force does not go into the thread. On this pin there is a roller that takes the friction away. The cam is then pinned onto the shaft and tightened by a M16 hexhead screw. The shaft is 32mm in diameter and stainless. I was not able to test the construction, but I have good faith in it so far.

In your model I see why you dont put rollers on the pins and I saw some doors of smaller safes which did have pressure bars but their cams didnt have rollers either. I think both versions (with and without rollers) are somehow sophisticated to machine as you pointed out.

Again, thank you for your kind words regarding my door

I am really looking forward to new pictures of your great work! Keep it up!

Cheers

Maik

[Huw Eastwood]

Finaly replaced the temporary cheese head screws for proper shouldered bolts turned from hexagon brass.