Box magnetic catches

[Hitch]

Ive been making a small walnut box for a present.

I was going to make the lid a lift off fit initially, but changed my mind and went for a hinged lid.

The catch, i was thinking about sinking a couple of small disc magnets in the edge, 2 on the lip of the lid, and 2 in the top lip of the box.
Anyone done a similar thing with any sucess? I guess a small blob of araldite would be the best adhesive....?

 

[motownmartin]

Hi Hitch, I made some boxes for a work colleague with magnets and it worked very well, I made them a press fit but don't know what they are like now as he moved on, i'm thinking that should have used some slow setting super glue or as you say araldite.

This is where I put the magnets

Anyway I am also interested in other peoples experiences.

 

[Chris Knight]

I like to use a couple of rare earth magnets each side of the closure, sunk in suitable holes and covered over with a very thin (around 2mm ) plug glued in. This way, you can't see the magnets and they don't stick to each other. I use two each side because even a thin cover reduces the magnetic attraction quite a bit.

 

[Hitch]

Cheers Martin, exactly what i had in mind

 

[richburrow]

I made a classic mistake with the earth magnets. I was doing the same a the lads above are saying. I did not check the poles, the box would not shut. The only way to get the one out of the lid was drill a hole and push it out :x :x :x
Worked out fine in the end but the shed air was blue for a time, ha ha.

 

[wizer]

I guess you'll need to play with it a bit, rare earth magnets can be awfully strong. It'd be a PITA if you had to yank it open every time you wanted to open it, sending the contents flying.

 

[motownmartin]

They can be quite strong and I suppose it depends on what size box you make, I have used 5mm and 6mm diameter magnets and found the 5mm about right for a box size of 6" to 8"