The panel was designed such that the plywood would not have to support weight while locked in place. The plywood used should be thin to maximize compartment space. That way it can always be sanded down to fit more snugly. I would recommend cutting the panel to be slightly larger that the space it is meant to occupy. The fake panel is the most important part because this is what everyone will see. When sizing the fake panel, I had to make sure I got the measurements right. By drawing the image to scale, I could simply scale up to find the correct rail length. The length was the distance between the green and blue points. After I found the correct line, I found the rail length. The two points (I have marked them green-open and red-closed) should be the translatable distance apart (0.5'). In order to do this I found two points on the concentric circle on the sprocket which are collinear with the corner the rod would be translating into. I was trying to achieve a 0.5' translation on all four rods when opening or closing. Next, I drew a concentric circle on the sprocket (use a compass) which would allow me to drill a 3/8 inch hole for the rod connections. So, the first thing I did was line up the sprocket in the center of the board. Also, I only drew the panel such that the corners are where the rods will enter the desk (5/8' from lengthwise sides). I only sized one half, since the other side will just be a mirror of the other side. I drew a model of the panel layout to scale. To determine the rod lengths needed, I created this picture guide for myself (above). I would recommend a more case by case basis for different furniture limitations. Additionally, my design allowed for the panel to be very slim (~3/4' in height including the plywood, sprocket, and Plexiglas).įor the design I ultimately decided on, I was able to drill holes into the furniture to support the mechanism weight. I ultimately decided a mechanical mechanism in the form of a sprocket with 4 rods which would simultaneously translate upon sprocket rotation as I believed this would be more reliable for long term usage.

Also, the vertical space in my compartment was very limited, so if I included an Arduino or catches, I would have not room to store my stuff.

I even considered the catch idea in combination with an arduino knock response to release the catches, but I wanted the safe to be accessible even if the power was out. I also considered having the panel lock in place by pushing it into some kind of door catch, but I decided this would be to complicated as I would need to find a way to keep the panel parallel to the ground and unclip multiple catches. I did consider using magnets to lock the compartment panel into place, but I was concerned that I would not be able to manipulate the magnets easily as I would have to come at them at a bad angle.

plywood board (the thinner the better, used only for appearance) Īs with any project, I went through several iterations and ran into many problems when designing the compartment.

I want to create this Instructable as a guide for your own furniture, based on the steps I took to make it work in my furniture. The materials needed for the project will vary slightly depending on the desk or furniture.

Previously, I had been using an Altoids container which was magnetically attached to the bottom surface, but I wanted something that could provide more room. So, I decided to try to create a panel that would float in one of the empty spaces below my desk. I did not have enough room for false bottoms in the drawers as they are very shallow, and I felt that a false back would be too obvious. I sometimes forget to charge things, so any electronically triggered mechanisms were a no go, and the last thing I wanted was to have to damage my compartment to get it open.

So, as my first Instructable I've decided to share my the design of my secret compartment.įirst of all, as part of my design, I decided that the compartment should be strictly mechanical. I had been browsing Instructables in the past for ways to make secret compartments, but I wanted to make my own secret compartment that was unique.

Desk with hidden compartments antique