Wow, So great! So you are here? CONGRATULATIONS! At long last you have got the answer to the question that has been whirling up your mind, denying you every little chance for a peace of mind.
If you would love to make a wooden gun safe, I will show you how to make a gun safe out of wood.
Do you have your gun in the house and troubled how to keep it in a place that you can harvest all your trust in? Do you want to keep the secret from that nosy person you stay with? Are you worried of the cost of other gun safes at your disposal?
Here is a simple idea to have your own a wooden gun safe in a matter of steps for your worries.
Step 1: Having the plan on a piece of paper.
- Before you start anything, sketch down a structure of the gun safe you would like to construct. This will ensure that you capture everything. Include all the components without forgetting.
- In your drawing, note down the exact measurements of the materials you are going to use in your construction.
- With all the components in place, you are at the journey to make the best gun safe. Take a look at the picture below to grab the full idea of this step.
Step 2: Building of the frames.
- In this step, start with structures that are simpler to construct, for example, frames.
- Cut the main frames in equal size, the size that is convenient to use as per your needs. For example, you can use 2×4 in the case of the main frames, 6″x2″x4’s cut exactly at the center, that is, 2.0″X1.5″ , for frames.
- Use one 2×4 and cut it about 14″ long while flat on the ground and another one raised vertically at the top.
- Do the same for the other remaining side. Do it at about 20” with the 2x4s placed vertical position connecting the other sides.
- Use screw as the most appropriate way to join the frames together. This will ensure that the frames are stable when holding each other.
- Other than that, with the screws you can remove them safely and make a correction on the part you forgot.
Step 3: Attaching the back cover.
- Of course, you must seal the back of the safe. Most preferably by a plywood and check its appearance, but before you do;
- Cut the plywood into the appropriate size that can cover the whole back surface of the safe. For example, cut the plywood in the dimensions of 20″x40″.
- Mount the piece of the plywood you have cut on the back frames to cover the surface.
- Ensure the piece of the plywood lie flatly on the frames to ensure no gap is left. Look at the picture below for further understanding.
Step 4: Mounting of the walls.
Are you troubled on how to mount the walls? Check here, it is so simple.
- As opposed to the back surface, in this case, cover the sides of the safe.
- Measure and cut the appropriate size of the plywood that is matching up with the measurements of the sides of the safe themselves.
- After that, mount one piece of the plywood on its appropriate side while pressing it to ensure no gap left.
- Do so to the other side of the piece of plywood on the other side.
- After mounting the pieces of plywood, pin them down to the frames by either a nails or screws to ensure they don’t pluck off.
Take a look at it and see how beautiful it is becoming. Great job! Enhance your understanding by looking at the picture below.
Step 5: Covering the base.
Can you see what I’m just about to explain in the picture? Great! Now the steps below on how to arrive at what you are just seeing.
- First, measure and cut the plywood into a piece that corresponds to the measurements of the bottom space to ensure it doesn’t mess up with your plans because you want a great product. Isn’t it?
- Trim the sides of the piece before dropping it in.
- After that drop the cut plywood right from inside such that it lays safely on the 2×4’s frames.
- Push the piece a little bit harder to ensure it fixes on the base properly before nailing it down to the frames. Is it great for you?
Step 6: Fixing the top space.
You are almost through with the safe; it is just a few steps in a matter of time.
- Just as you have done to the bottom space;
- Measure a piece of the plywood in correspondence with the measurements of the top space.
- Cut the piece carefully to ensure it is not spoilt.
- Trim the sides of the plywood.
- Drop the piece of the plywood from the top of the safe and ensure it is fixed before nailing it.
Look at the picture below for perfection.
Step 7: Covering the joints of the plywood.
Do you want everybody to see how you joined the plywood? Be creative enough and confuse their thoughts by covering the joints.
Cut an appropriate size of a 2×4 piece of wood and fix it to cover the joints. Check with the picture below.
Step 8: Fixing the interior effects.
You have to make the effects, of course, to ensure a better place to rest your gun.
- Make the barrels in which you will rest your gun by having them along the 2×24 piece, allowing an equivalent distance between them using a jigsaw if you can reach it, meanwhile, you can employ the use of free hands.
- Screw the piece safely from outside.
Look at the picture.
Step 9: Construction of the door.
Were you wondering whether the safe will operate without a door? Surely, is it possible especially for the security cases? Wondering how the door would be fixed? Your worries are solved.
- In making the door, just as we started, measure the appropriate length of the 2×4 piece that matches with the door space left to be covered at the safe.
- Fix the cut frames together both the horizontal and the vertical ones so that it forms a structure like a door.
- Screw the components together to ensure stability and strength.
- Grind the tips if the screws that have passed to the other side of the frames since these tips are dangerous as they can prick or seriously scratch your hand when you deep them in carelessly. Is it okay, does it look great?
Look at this picture.
Step 10: Covering the door.
Do you wonder how the skeleton of the door is going to be covered? It is so simple and interesting.
- Measure plywood with the corresponding measurement of the door frames to enable you to mount it and fix exactly.
- Cut the measured plywood safely; don’t damage it because doing that will incur you an extra cost to get additional plywood.
- With the help of the pneumatic brad nailer, make grooves on the door panels.
- Safely place the plywood over the intended surface. Pin the plywood down safely with screws on the door panels to in order to make a door.
Step 11: Fixing the door hinges.
Cheers! You are so great. This is so great; we have the ladder going through simple steps. We are almost there at the end. Be cautious enough in this step because you can end up making unimaginable mistakes that you may not correct properly at the moment. In fact, you may end up spoiling the spaces you should put the hinges.
- Accurately, measure the places you intend to put the hinges along the door frame.
- Make grooves on the door frames on the side of your choice in which you will fix the hinges.
- Fix the hinges on the shutter you have just made.
- Install the hinges on the door frame and screw them properly to hold the door.
Look at the picture below to see how the grooves are made.
Step 12: Scratching and painting of the safe.
Wow! At long last we have reached our destination.
- Here, in scratching the body of the safe, you will use a sandpaper to scrub the whole body if the safe to make it ready for painting. The scrubbing will ensure the compatibility of the paint that will make it last for years.
- Paint the safe as you allow an interval of rest for the paints to dry.
- Take a look at this complete safe. It is so interesting.
Summary
With this guide on how to build a gun safe out of wood, anybody can do it regardless of whether you are an experienced woodworker or not.
You just need to follow every step that I have outlined, and you will have a wooden gun safe.
How does it feel when you marvel at a work of your own? So interesting, isn’t it? In other words, it is simple as such through that guideline.
Featured Image by Dave Pape/ CC BY