Shopsmith Forums

My grandson asked for a key holder for Christmas. Naturally his request was too late to actually make him one so we gave him an IOU ( or WE OU). To do this I looked up images of key holders on the weband selected one that I thought looked appropriate, without paying too much attention to the actual image. Well it turns out he liked it and wants one just like it, preferably in Walnut or some other dark wood.

What I hadn't noticed. was that there were no hooks, the keys went in a slot. Then I thought, the slot will get damaged so I need to put a metal liner in top and bottom to prevent this. Maybe a 1/16" thick piece of aluminum would do the trick and add a little flair to the project. Then the questions started.

- How do I get the metal in to stay, epoxy glue?
- The front is angled slightly so how do I cut the angle with the metal in there/
- The image has holes drilled through the front, presumably for attaching to the wall.
- How do I drill holes with the metal installed?
- The slot would have to be at least 1" deep to accommodate car keys.
- how do I do that if my router bits are not long enough?
- The only 1/16' aluminum I could find was a 3/4 x 3/4 right angle so I need to figure out how to cut it to get straight pieces.

I think my direction is going to be:
- Cut at least 1" off each side of the blank.
- Use the table saw to make the groove. That way I have a little more flexibility with both depth and width.
- Form a French cleat on the back for hanging. ( never done that before)
- Glue the end pieces back on.
- Cut the angle for the front
- Glue the metal pieces in place.
- Apply finish.

Now on to a few practise pieces.
I'll keep you posted. I hope.

John

John,

I don't think keys would do much damage to the slot assuming you use a hardwood. In fact, I'd be more worried about metal top & bottom doing damage to the keys.

You might try something like this to make one:
- Cut board to ~12" long, whatever depth & height
- Drill mounting holes
- Raise table so saw blade is below table
- Position fence
- Clamp board to fence
- Slowly lower table while saw is running until it is as low as the saw will go
- If need thicker slot, raise table, move fence a bit with board still clamped, repeat lowering
- Might want to turn over and repeat process to widen from back

John,

Maybe rip the board into two pieces and glue a contrasting hardwood in each end to give the width of the kerf for the keys. I wouldn't think you wood need the slot angled but if so you could rip a small angle on the backside after glue up. Walnut main body with maple strips or vice-versa.

Keep it simple, just use a durable hardwood such as walnut. Don't want to damage the keys!

john: I would start with a practice piece and do just exactly what roy_okc has suggested. This will tell you if the kerf created by your saw blade is the correct thickness (for the key slot) and if the kerf is going to be long enough. Initially, the blade will cut about an 8" long slot at maximum depth of cut.

I would not rely on a french cleat for mounting. French cleats are great for hanging heavier items; the weight holds the cleat in place. If the keys are the least bit snug in the slot, the bracket will come with the keys every time a key is removed.

I also would not concern myself with reinforcing the slot with any sort of insert. A hardwood bracket will survive. I would worry more about breaking keys.

My 'thoughts'.

Nice project.
Oak will not need metal for durability.
Cut slot as you would a ZCI.
Cut slot from the 'back side' (narrow side cut becomes the 'face').
French cleat will work IF you pin it. A couple of pegs inserted from the 'top' will prevent it from moving off the cleat.
An angled cut is IMHO beneficial, and easily done with a tilt table SS.
Once the saw blade has penetrated the face, the slot can be made 'longer' by moving the workpiece(very carefully!!!).

JPG wrote:Once the saw blade has penetrated the face, the slot can be made 'longer' by moving the workpiece(very carefully!!!).

Good idea. If I were doing this, I'd have stop blocks in front and back and maybe even above and to the side. And would use a long stick.

Very interesting approach to a key holder!

Stop blocks front and back, yes, but I would advise feather boards beside and on top. Put them right by the blade, not in front of it, which is where they usually go.

Forrest

Interesting project.

I would not use a metal insert. I think I'd use a tighter grain wood like maple. And I think I'd cut the slot using a router with 1/8" straight bit and then cut that little bevel on the table saw. My car keys measure 1/8" and the house keys 3/32" so I'd shoot for 5/32.

For mounting I'd drill holes, as in the pic, and use finish screws to hold it to the wall. Given how little stock is involved you might try a couple methods with pine to see which one(s) work best?

Just my 2¢.

Good luck and be sure to post the results.

Berry:

The router method is what I first tried and is the one I would prefer. My problem is the smallest diameter bit I have is 1/4" and it is only 1" long. I stretched it a bit to go 1.25" deep. Probably a little dangerous as the bit was not fully in the collect.

After reading your post I stared searching for a 5/32 or 3/16 bit and found a couple. They only go 5/8" deep and as I mentioned, for car keys I need at least 1.25" of depth.

I'm still thinking and practicing and will post under the "New Project - Progress" heading.

Thanks for your comments.

John