Box with a secret

Box with a secret

You can use this a box with a secret made with your own hands, for storing various necessary small items, and also as gift or packaging for a gift.

For making boxes with a secret you will need six sheets of paper, preferably thicker. One sheet for the outer part of the box, a contrasting sheet for the lid and 4 sheets for the inner boxes. Cut as follows (all measurements in inches - 1 inch equals 2.54 cm):

• outer part of the box: 6 x 11;
• box cover: 8.5 x 8.5;
• 4 inner boxes: 8 x 8;

Method for making a box with a secret

Let's start making the box with 4 inner boxes. They are all made according to the same scheme. See further step by step photo manufacturing.

1. On the wrong side of our paper square, draw two lines from corners to corners.

2. Now we fold the corners to the center of the intersection of the lines on all four sides (like an envelope), and then unfold them again.

3. Then we divide the distance between the center and the fold in half and again fold along this line on all four sides - these are the sides of our box.

For clarity, everything in the figure is outlined with a marker, but this is not necessary.

4. Then cut out the four shaded triangles and get the following:

6. Now let’s assemble our box. He does everything without glue, you just need to firmly press all the corners and folds (although, if you wish, you can use glue).

In this way, all 4 inner boxes and the lid are made. The lid of the box, as well as the box itself, can be decorated according to your taste and desire.

Take a sheet of paper measuring 15.25 x 287 cm and bend it in the center, then divide both halves in half again and bend it again. Thus, we got 4 rectangles, each of which will have one box. We place our boxes on them as shown in the figure and glue them.

After the glue has dried, simply bend the sheet with the boxes along the folds

Our box with a secret ready!

Here are several options for boxes with a secret

Japan delights us with numerous secrets. This is one of those countries cultural development which created an amazing atmosphere. However, if other nations have forgotten about them, they keep them and constantly remember their ancestors. This is clearly reflected in their cultural objects, where true diversity is celebrated.

I would like to say a few words about Japanese boxes. Traditional ones have always been distinguished by unnatural beauty, supported by mystery. Many people have such boxes, but cannot unravel their secret for several years. Surprisingly, at first glance, a very simple object can contain a sea of ​​grace and beauty that is inaccessible to other things.

Japanese boxes are special, they surprise people not only with their beautiful appearance, but also with striking features that allow them to talk about their true perfection. Masters who make Japanese jewelry boxes are like jewelers who spend many decades honing their skills in order to create a unique masterpiece. There are not many such examples, but at the same time we constantly encounter their high cultural and material value.

Himitsu-Bako - traditional Japanese secret boxes appeared more than 100 years ago in the vicinity of Hakone. Many years ago there was a station on the main road to Edo and were developed as souvenirs for tourists. These places are distinguished by a wide variety of tree species. A special wood processing method is used to make boxes. Boards of unpainted wood of different colors are cut into thin strips and glued into plates. Then new strips are sawn off from these plates, which are then glued together again. And so on several times. The result is a block glued together from different types of trees and having a unique pattern on the cross section. Next, using a special tool, paper-thin sheets are cut off, which are used to decorate the boxes.

The secret of the box is that it consists of several parts and you need to know which of these parts and in which direction to move in order for the box to open. In most cases, in order to open the box you need to make from 4 to 66 movements. Although there are boxes for 78, 122,119,125 movements.

Shape of Japanese boxes

Probably few people saw it live Japanese jewelry boxes, their distribution is not so widespread. Of course people are interested in them, but their production is nothing like any other product. It is worth noting that industrial production of Japanese boxes is simply impossible, because each of them must contain a secret. They are presented on the market in small quantities. Most often these are simple fakes that are not able to please people with real quality.

The shape of the Japanese box is unusual, but there is no constancy in it. If we are accustomed to the fact that a box is an ordinary rectangular box, then the Japanese prove that it is not always so simple. The fact is that many can be made in round boxes or a simple cube, on which even the lid itself does not stand out. This is what becomes one of the main features of Japanese boxes. The shape depended only on the complexity of the closing mechanism, so each master chose it to his own taste.

We usually find ordinary rectangular boxes on the market, but they cannot be called masterpieces because they lack real originality.

The secret of Japanese boxes

The Japanese box is a truly original work of art. Its shape and size depend only on the imagination of the master manufacturer. There are no specific standards that everyone adheres to. Thus, we sometimes find boxes that resemble simple cubes. Sometimes it seems that they don’t even open, but each one keeps its own secret.

The Japanese box looks more like a kind of puzzle, because opening the lid is not so easy. Not here locking mechanism in our understanding, rather, you need to look for a small lever or button. Historically, Japanese boxes were the property of the ruling part of the population, who used them to store wealth. However, a simple lock cannot provide sufficient protection against thieves, so real masters made boxes with a secret. A similar secret always concerned the opening of the lid, that is, it was never opened by simply tilting the lid. Most often, you had to rotate some part of the picture or press a hidden button, the mechanism would work and the lid would open. Creating such a box took a lot of time, so real masters can be counted on one hand.

Drawings on Japanese boxes

Japanese boxes always fascinated with their secrets, as well as with the beautiful drawings that decorated each of them. You can look at the drawings, seeing interesting myths and legends on them, but you cannot think that the apparent simplicity of the drawings does not hide any secrets.

All drawings on Japanese boxes bright and catchy. They reveal pictures of the country's history or one of the legends, although in some cases a simple ornament can be seen. However, some of the drawings were made convex, which seemed simply amazing. This kind of skill could only be found in Japan. True, the convex pattern was not always a simple picture. Often it contained a secret mechanism that allowed the lid to be opened. You just had to find a bump to press on, because there were simply no keys for them. The beauty of the pictures was carefully thought out; it was impossible to simply draw a landscape. Each picture by the Japanese master carries an important meaning that may not be revealed to every person. Moreover, in some cases it is he who becomes the clue for opening the box.

Japanese boxes still bear interesting, but incomprehensible drawings, which most often cannot be used to help open them.

A little about the history of boxes in general and Japanese boxes in particular

The boxes came to us from the depths of centuries, from the mysterious countries of the East. Since then, their design has not changed much, but they began to use latest materials And modern mechanisms, production schemes have been improved. However, no matter what materials the boxes are made from, each of them has its own little secret.

It is believed that the very first boxes were created to store jewelry. Two thousand years ago, talented craftsmen from Japan and China made unique cases for storing valuable things. They were various forms and sizes, decorated with juice lacquer wood. Craftsmen strived to get ahead of each other in terms of craftsmanship, so more and more new processing methods appeared: decorating with fabric or leather, inlay precious stones, ivory decoration. Such boxes were a real masterpiece; they were valuable in themselves, especially if precious and semi-precious stones or noble metals.

Russian masters and craftsmen created boxes that were very clever in their design; such boxes could only be opened by pressing a secret button. The Russian people have always loved riddles and secrets, so secret boxes began to enjoy great success. With or without secret, but basically, jewelry and treasure boxes were made and they were of all sizes from small to large.

Music boxes originated in Switzerland. It was there that the first musical mechanism was created, which was placed in a box - the carillon. Switzerland is famous for the creation of watch mechanisms; it is not at all surprising that self-winding watch boxes were created here, which emitted a pleasant melody when opened, and consisted of many plates and metal teeth.

Japanese handmade boxes with a complex mechanism.

Secret boxes are made mainly and most often of wood. You can store anything in such boxes, in other words, the boxes are not props, but can actually be used for their intended purpose.

The first Japanese secret box was made more than 100 years ago. Made this miracle Jinbei Ishikawa (1790-1850). Ishikawa lived in the Hakone-Odawara region of Japan. Jinbei Ishikawa was surrounded by mountains and an abundance of high-quality wood, from which he made the first wonderful box with secret mechanisms.
Just like then, more than a hundred years ago, today such boxes are made different sizes, shapes and with different quantities steps (actions) to open the box and are done manually.

The surface of most of these boxes is decorated with “Yosegi” - a unique mosaic of different varieties wood This mosaic dates back more than 10 centuries, greatest development this art received from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
Initially it was used to decorate trays, chests of drawers and other items. It was, and is now, a fishing center, surrounded by forested mountains and long known for its crafts.

Well, now about the tricks and mechanism of Japanese puzzle boxes. No, this box will not play tunes, jump or do any other stupid and/or uninteresting things.
The trick of the box is that you can’t just pick it up and open it. The box has a lot of strips that can be moved in different directions (parts of the walls of the box can be moved). But in order to open the wonderful puzzle, you will have to move the parts of the box in a certain way and with a specific sequence.

Japanese secret boxes have the following differences from each other

1. according to the drawing.
2. By size (3 sun, 4 sun, 5 sun) and so on. How larger size boxes (sun), the more expensive it costs.

Sun is an ancient Japanese unit, one sun = 30.3 mm. Thus, if the box has 3 sun and 4 steps, then this means that the box has a length of about 9.1 cm and in order to open this box, you need to perform 4 actions (steps).

3. According to the complexity of the mechanism, namely the number of actions that need to be performed to open the box. The more actions, the more complex the mechanism (5 step, 6 step and up to 27 or more steps), the more expensive the box is.
In shape, boxes can be square or rectangular (mostly).

The internal volume depends on the number of steps, and on the size of the box, of course. If there are not many steps (4 - 8), then from the external volume (length, for example 4 sun multiplied by 3.3 external length = about 12 cm) subtract approximately 2-3 cm (i.e. 1.5 from each sides) cm, and we get an internal length of about 9 cm.

Approximate dimensions for different external sizes of boxes

Internal dimensions for 4 sun approx:
for the box 4 sun (approx. 12 cm external length) and 4 step (4 steps to open), internal dimensions are as follows: 8 x 6 x 3.7 cm.
for a 4 sun box, but with 27 step internal dimensions = 7.31 x 6.2 x 3.2 cm.
For 5 sun boxes (about 15 cm in length):
for 5 sun and 7 step int. dimensions = 10.79 x 7.5 x 5.35 cm.
For 5 sun box, but 27 step (27 steps) internal dimensions: 10.41 x 7.5 x 4.2 cm

Various Japanese boxes (photo):

Using beautiful wood, elegant design and instructions, the DIY box below makes a great gift.

Designer sophistication with an artistic deviation from the usual corner connections- connection with tenons of variable width - adds zest to the corners of the box. Below we will present an option for making a connection - straight box tenons of variable width.

In production, you can also use pieces of various types of wood with a beautiful textured pattern, stored in advance. You can also make boxes from plywood, you just need to choose the required thickness of the material.

Choose contrasting wood species for the body, lid and handle.

In this section we will look at how to make a box with your own hands using straight tongue-and-groove corner joints.

1. Prepare end walls A - 10x56x46 - 2 pcs. and longitudinal walls B - 10x56x292 - 2 pcs.
2. To set up the saw to make the tenon joints shown in the drawing below, install a 19mm thick mortise wheel and make a test groove on a piece of wood, then adjust to 6mm and check the width of the resulting grooves.

1. Cut a 19mm wide groove in the trim, trim a 10x305 spacer to a thickness equal to the width of the groove, and check the fit. Then repeat the operation with a 6mm wide groove.

1. Reset the groove disc to 6mm, adjust to a depth of 11mm. Attach a wooden extension to the movable stop-carriage, protruding to the right of the saw blade at a distance of 15 cm. Place the extension over saw blade, cutting a groove. Cut a pin 50 mm long and 6 mm thick from a spacer 305 mm long.

Video on how to make a plywood box with your own hands

Casket (translated from Latin “scatula” - box) – small sizes a chest used to store valuables. Depending on the material of manufacture, plastic, wooden, and metal boxes are distinguished. Less common are items made of bone and stone.

In order to give beautiful view, the boxes are inlaid with precious stones, covered with leather, fabric, carving or embossing. They come in different configurations (round, oval, square, rectangular shape or describe the contour incorrectly geometric figure) and size (small – 50 mm x 50 mm, medium – 100 mm x 100 mm, large – over 150 mm x 150 mm).

The high cost of the box reduces the demand for this product. However, do not despair, it is easy to build a chest yourself.

Let's look at the history of its appearance, types and how to make a box with a secret with your own hands.

Video training “How to make a box with a secret with your own hands”

The emergence and formation of “secret” boxes

The first box appeared two thousand years ago in the Middle East, and a little later the “know-how” spread throughout Egypt, Japan, and China. During excavations carried out within Mesopotamia, archaeologists discovered fragments of wooden caskets. The chests found were decorated with lacquer tree sap, ivory, carvings, and inlay.

In Europe, “amazing boxes” appeared in the Middle Ages and indicated the status and prosperity of the owner. IN Ancient Rus' Every home already had a chest and was used to store jewelry, love letters, and memorabilia.

Before the advent of industrial production, a wooden box was made by hand directly to the buyer's order.

Russian craftsmen sought to outstrip their colleagues in terms of workmanship. Thus, “cunning” boxes were born that opened only after pressing a secret button.

The first music box appeared in Switzerland, its operation was based on a special mechanism - a carillon, then boxes for automatic watches were created that emitted a melody when opened.

Today, the chest has evolved from an expensive item to an "everyday" item that is mass-produced by contractors. At the same time, the scope of application of the box has increased beyond recognition: in addition to boxes for storing jewelry, products for banknotes, documents, watches, cigars, business cards.

Creating a box with a secret

A truly real work of art is the Japanese Himitsu-Bako chest. It first appeared in the vicinity of Hakone a hundred years ago. In addition to attractive appearance, which depended only on the imagination of the master, the box was a kind of puzzle.

Not everyone can open such a box. There is no hidden lever, button or locking mechanism. To get the “secret” contents, move the walls and fragments of the box in a certain sequence.

The box with medium difficulty opens in seven rotations. At the same time, there are hiding places designed for up to 125 movements, which serve as reliable protection against thieves.

Let's look at how to make a box with a secret with your own hands.

1. Prepare a block of rosewood, measuring 40 mm x 46 mm x 75 mm, check the perpendicularity of the canvas so that the parts of the box can move correctly. Perform this procedure regularly throughout the entire work.
2. Cut out the lid, walls, and bottom of the box into a rectangular shape. This procedure should be performed using a jigsaw.
3. Draw and cut out a key in the shape of the letter “T” on the lid.
4. Make a cut on the wall of the box. Set the sawn-off lid aside.
5. Draw a line around the workpiece 3 millimeters from the edge, intended to go around the key slot. Using a drill, drill a small inlet hole in one corner and make a cut along this mark.
6. Cut out the lifts. These end parts will subsequently be inserted inside the secret cell, supporting its lid.
7. Glue the walls of the chest to the bottom. Do not lubricate the area near the key slot with glue.
8. Attach lifts. To do this, apply a layer of glue to the inner ends of the walls of the box. Then place lifts at both ends. Replace the secret compartment lid as it holds the sides in place.
9. Clamp the box in a vice and leave it to dry for 10 hours.
10. Sand rough edges using a sanding block and sandpaper.
11. Apply finish using Danish oil paste wax.
12. Cover the chest with varnish.

A box with a secret is a proven way to hide personal belongings (money, jewelry, letters) from unwanted eyes and intruders.

We suggest watching an online video on how to make a chest yourself.

Each person is mysterious in his own way. And everyone, no doubt, has their own secrets. For example, often many people for many years keep all sorts of trinkets reminiscent of significant events life. If you fall into this category, you may need a secret box. In souvenir shops you can easily choose the item you like, and it can be locked with a key for secure storage of “secret” little things. But in ancient times such devices were not on sale. And therefore, those who wanted to hide something from others came up with various tricks. One of these useful things was a secret box made from an ordinary book. Only its owner knew on which shelf and in which row of the huge library (which was a mandatory tradition in those days) the keeper stood hidden secrets. This article will tell you how to make a box with a secret with your own hands - from a book, and even in the form of a book.

Making a real cache. Method one

You will need any book you don’t need that differs from the rest in its monumental thickness. It is desirable that the workpiece has a reliable hard cover and a thick cover. So let's begin. Place the book in front of you and open it to the front endpaper. Prepare a thin wooden board in advance, which should have the same dimensions as the book. Place it underneath all the pages on top of the back cover. After this, draw the outline of the hole with a pencil on the first page. It can be either rectangular, round or oval. Naturally, cutting a rectangle is much easier. Yes, be patient: you will have to cut a hole in each page separately. Use a special sharp cutter for these purposes or, following the marked lines, bend the finished pages with a niche inside. So gradually work everything up to the bottom cover. The antique box with a secret is ready. An imitation of this product can be homemade device, which is described below.

Second method: secret box using cardboard

Such a craft may well become an original gift with a surprise. Taking this little thing tied with a bow, the birthday boy is unlikely to immediately realize that a boring, nondescript volume from the collection of classical literature is an interesting and unusual hiding place. The frame of an old unwanted book is used as a cover. Cut and glue four rectangles from cardboard (these will be the sides) and place them inside the blank, following the example of the previous box, forming an empty niche in the middle. You can pre-draw on front side border lines imitating pages. After this, firmly glue the inner frame to the bottom cover and spine. Make a rope bookmark for originality. Surely the gift will be memorable!

Japanese box with a secret

One of the ways to keep secrets is the traditional things of some peoples. For example, the history of wooden Japanese boxes goes back to the distant past. You can open such a hand-made device in several stages (sometimes there are more than a dozen of them). It all depends on the difficulty level. By moving fragments and walls decorated with ornaments and mosaics in a certain sequence, all the secret drawers of the box are gradually revealed. The process is somewhat reminiscent of a children's puzzle - tag, only here everything is much more complicated.

The world is full of wonders and mysteries! Build your own box with a secret, let the secret settle in your home!