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I came across Bedini's fascinating book when I was researching two boxes which were typical of the sort of box in which Jefferson interested himself:

Hygra: Antique Rare small traveling Watt's patent copying machine circa 1790

A  rare small size mahogany traveling box of dovetail construction, the compartmentalized interior with a  Watt's patent  copying machine circa 1790. The box retains many of the accessories including the crank handle and a special tool for adjusting the tension of the rollers. The roller mechanism of machined brass and steel  is particularly interesting in that the pressure and alignment of the rollers can be adjusted and are connected to each other by cog-wheels. 
Watts was granted a patent in 1780. The patent covered not only the roller press but also the ink which had to be semi soluble in water. 

and

Hygra: Antique Brunel Patent "Polygraph" Circa 1803

  Rare Polygraph by I. H Farthing of Cornhill London to the patent design of Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849) 
The box is in the Campaign style, made of solid mahogany using dovetail joints reinforced with brass corners, straps and edges. The box has countersunk brass handles. There is a drawer designed to hold the Polygraph mechanism when not in use. There are seven secret drawers concealed behind three sprung panels. The box retains its original inkwells. The Polygraph mechanism which enabled the movements of one pen to be copied by another is now missing.

“Thomas Jefferson’s delight in mechanical copying and writing devices has been noted by several of his biographers but generally dismissed as another example of his interest in gadgetry. What has been overlooked is that these devices made possible the preservation of a large part of his official papers and correspondence.
Jefferson’s lifelong concern with the maintenance of public records began when he was a law student in Williamsburg. And, early in his public career he began duplicating his own writings because he could foresee their importance to future generations of Americans and historians,
Nowhere is Jefferson’s talent for mechanics and invention more evident than in his modifications and improvements of the copying machine known as the polygraph.
His many suggestions are recorded in his correspondence with Charles Willson Peale and Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The statesman’s mind of work is revealed as he contemplated, experimented, and recommended changes, seeking always greater miniaturization for ease of use. He successfully miniaturized his portable writing desk in 1775 and his portable copying press in 1786.
His later experiments with reducing the size of the polygraph reflected his ever present compulsion for the saving of effort, space, and time.
This work is concerned with Jefferson’s writing habits and tools from his early life to his death and his concern with the preservation of his writing. Many of these writing tools are described and illustrated, including quill pens, copying presses, polygraphs, and the “Stylographic Writer”.
Jefferson and his multiplication of writings form the framework of this work, within which evolves the general history of copying and writing methods. Machines and processes from the seventeenth century to the present, ending with the Xerox machine, are considered, through the pages parade a galaxy of notables including Benjamin Franklin, Alexander von Humboldt, James Madison, Mellimelli the ambassador from Tunis, James Watt, Sir William Petty, Samuel Hartlib, Aaron Burr, and John Beckly.”