Puzzle Safe




This is a puzzle that I created. It uses four pins to lock the center "cork" in place, and the only way to open it is to spin it. Fast. Once the centrifugal force causes all the pins to move out of the cork, you will be able to pull it up using the handle.


Step 1: Video

This is a video that describes most of the puzzle. Since I do not currently have access to a 3d printer, I made a prototype out of LEGO. They work exactly the same, but the LEGO version has a smaller cork.

Step 2: Optional, But Helpful

There is an optional cylinder that can go on the bottom of the box that will make it much easier to solve, even if you already know how to solve it. For those of you who don't know, centrifugal force moves objects, when spinning, away from the center point where it spins. Without this extra piece, the "center" of the puzzle will mostly depend on how you spin it. If you do use the piece, it sticks out about a millimeter below the puzzle, making the center area much smaller.

In the part of the video where I solve the puzzle, You might notice the box rock a few times when I put it down. This is due to a LEGO version of this cylinder.

Step 3: Inside the Box

Here are some screenshots of the inside of the model. Each inside face is 230 mm, but this can be scaled to make bigger or smaller.

In the second picture, the blue pieces prevent the cork from falling inside the puzzle once solved.

Step 4: Pegs

Here are the pegs. There is nothing too special about them: they have a radius of 2.5 mm, and a length of 10mm if not scaled. I tell you the dimensions because you might feel like they need to have rounded edges, or be slightly smaller. They are really just cylinders, so create them yourself if you wish to modify them.

Step 5: STL. File and Final Comments

Here is the STL. file to 3d print.

The picture above is not how the file is formatted, but is organized to show how each of the pieces look in the order of how they are supposed to be put together. (not including the extra piece, which is included in the file, but not the picture). Make sure to scale it how you see fit!

I hope all of you enjoyed this instructable, and would really appreciate it if you vote for this if you like it.



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    7 Discussions


    3 years ago

    Very cool.


    3 years ago



    3 years ago on Introduction

    So cool!! amazing idea. Kids will love it (and adults!) A fun conversation piece!!


    3 years ago

    Really cool!