Strauss Vault Door made by York

Doug MacQueen

Here is a York door in lower Manhatten based on an Emil Strauss 1907 patent # 869,992. It has a solid plate thickness of 29″ and has Yale combination locks and timelock. The left hand timelock case is only a cover for the lock and timelock linkage. Compare this door to next one, a step brother Strauss door made by Mosler.

Doug MacQueen

This is the Mosler 25″ inch Strauss door in downtown Cincinnati. It is the same basic door style but shows the differences due to the maker. Both of these doors were probably made around the 1920’s. Doug

wylk

I stumbled across the patent for this, US patent 869,992 by Emil A. Strauss, 11/5/1907.

Dean Nickel

Here you go.

869992-boltwobk-mechanism-for-safe-and-v.pdf

84kB

wylk

In the first Manhattan picture there is a gigantic wrench resting against the doorway. Any idea what that’s for?

Tom Gordon

and the four spoked handle to the right side of the safe too??

wylk

Tom Gordon wrote
and the four spoked handle to the right side of the safe too??

I expect that handwheel operates the mechanism which lifts part of the floor out of the way so the door can be opened and closed. If so, it may also move the ramp that provides a flat walking surface over the sill.

[unknown]

bbcci

I would like to see an example of the key that would have been used to open the inner round glass door that gives access to the time locks, if anyone can help.
I know i wouldn’t want to be on the business end of that wrench…
It looks like there is a hole in the glass of the same access door, just to the right of the time pieces and at the same level as their knobs. Any thoughts(or guesses) on what that might be?

wylk

What was the diameter of these doors? I’ve heard that 8 feet was common. They are tapered, so is that the outside or inside diameter? I’m pondering whether to make a scale model; if so, most of the dimensions would be taken from the patent drawing and photographs.

Doug MacQueen

That sounds about right for the outer diameter of the thinner round doors. I know OD and ID aren’t measurements I would normally have taken but I think I may have once or twice. Making a model sounds like a great idea! I have considered it but my Sherline lathe is bit too small for a decent size model. Having access to a door near you would be ideal but limits your choices. Have you picked a door? Doug

wylk

Doug MacQueen wrote
Making a model sounds like a great idea! I have considered it but my Sherline lathe is bit too small for a decent size model. Having access to a door near you would be ideal but limits your choices. Have you picked a door? Doug

I’m still just pondering the idea. The Mosler/Strauss door you posted pictures of in this thread is appealing, I like the mechanism. Another alternative is an HHM style with “turnbuckles” that was pictured in another thread; here’s another image, this time with the bolts withdrawn:

But then there’s the rack/pinion/ring-gear mechanism that almost all makers settled on:

(in this case a Diebold door, from an image in another thread). However I don’t even want to think about doing the engine turning or acid-etching that adorned classic old doors!

I also would have to decide the scale (something in the 1:10 ballpark), and that might be determined by what size gears I can find off the shelf. Should it just be a boltwork demonstrator or should it include pressure bars and a door frame? And so on. SO, just thinking about it for now.

[unknown]

Tom Gordon

1:10……and if the original is 30 tonnes then the model would weigh?

wylk

Tom Gordon wrote
1:10……and if the original is 30 tonnes then the model would weigh?

Um, about 60 pounds. Remember that weight/mass is proportional to the cube of dimensions, so 30 (US antique) tons is 60,000 pounds; 10:1 cubed is 1000:1, so 60 pounds. Some of the decisions I haven’t made include whether to use steel or aluminum for the door proper, whether to make it full (scale) thickness, and whether to hollow out parts of it just to lighten it up. It would be just a model, and primarily to show off the boltwork.

[unknown]

Dean Nickel

It is not like it will ever have anyone try to break into it!😃: Would love to see it once done!