Key (21st key) Money Box - Made from re-purposed pallets
 |
| Completed Key Shaped Box |
Once again got an interesting commissioning request... Customer wanted a key money box made from re-purposed wood; for a 21st birthday gift..
As the key was for a young man, I decided to go for a "manly" key; more in line with vehicle keys shapes.
 | |
| Side view of Key money box made from re-purposed pallets - here showing the key teeth |
It took some thinking to get the design concept I had in mind into a final product. Not forgetting; I'm not a carpenter and don't know the technical In's and outs of carpentry.
So when faced with challenges and obstacles I revert back to an old Afrikaans philosophical saying " '
n Boer maak 'n plan" - which roughly translates to;
a farmer finds a solution in any challenge. I life by this philosophy and it has not failed me.
 |
| pic sourced http://blog.galvintech.com |
So what was the process....
The key design was printed on paper and with this in hand the wood stack was tackled to find solutions, a lot of suitable pieces of pallet wood were selected and made the "shortlist"
Remember - this must be a box in a key shape; meaning it needs a base, hollow ample sized interior, a lid that sits tight and can lock securely, as well as a slot for money deposit, all shaped in a key.
In addition to this I wanted to put a "secret" locking mechanism, therefor a standard hinged opening lid would not suffice.
Compilation was done by laminating various pieces of wood together to provide enough space for the key shape.
The inside of the box was hand carved and shaped to give the rounded effect of the key and the bottom, lid and body of the key was shaped individually in the key shape.
Once the rough shape was achieved the three components were rough nailed together. An intense hand filing and shaping process took place to get the key teeth aligned and proper.
The body of the key box was then hand-filed and hand-sanded to ensure a smooth even consistency.
Once done, the nails were removed and the bottom was glued in position. The box and lid was then stained in a dark warm colour.
A slot for the locking mechanism was cut and the lock fitted. A secret sliding method was made into the box and lid. The last thing was to cut a slot for the money box in the lid. And done !
The final Product below
 |
| Final Key Money Box made from re-purposed pallet wood |
 |
| Side view of the Key shaped money box |
As I am a seeker of knowledge/explorer/investigator/researcher. I wanted to know what the story behind the 21st key is...
I'm sharing this bit of trivia for general knowledge.
The significance of the 21st birthday originates from the rituals of
knighthood. At the age of seven a boy began to learn what was required
to become a knight when he was taken on as a page. At the age of 14 he
graduated to squire and became an assistant to a knight, training with
him and caring for his equipment, at 21 he would finally become a
knight.
In Elizabethan times the age of consent for a man to marry was 21 and
this is largely why the birthday still holds so much significance now
days as although this law has changed, the 21st birthday is still seen
as the age when the boy truly becomes a man.
Nowadays the traditions have changed and the 21st birthday is seen as a
time for a big party and celebrations care a little more raucous.
In America whilst many teens experiment with alcohol in their high
schools years the legal age for buying and drinking alcohol is 21 and so
it is tradition to enjoy your first 'legal' drink on your 21st
birthday. This tradition is often hazardous to one's health as the
birthday party goes into the late hours of the night and a large
quantity of alcohol is consumed. In fact tradition has it that as it is
the 21st birthday, the person whose birthday it is should consume 21
drinks, quite often shots of straight liquor.
Whilst in the UK it is customary for the person whose birthday it is to
give a little speech to thank everyone for celebrating their birthday
with them, in Australia it is customary for the person whose birthday it
is and all of his family and loved ones to each give a speech after
cutting the cake.
Parents are expected to talk about how proud they are that their child
is now an adult, partners give a speech about how much they love the
person and look at their lives going forward and friends are given the
right to tell embarrassing stories about the birthday boy /girl.
One tradition from the past that lives on today in many countries around
the world is the giving of a 21st birthday key. The tradition
originated many years ago and the gesture of giving the key was that at
the age of 21, you were considered to be old enough to own a key to the
house and a senior member of the household.
Whilst modern times have made the meaning behind the gesture a little
obsolete given most people own keys to their houses a lot younger than
21, the giving of the key on the 21st birthday remains and these are now
sold in all different sizes and finishes by gift shops all over the
world.
