# need help with design



## NavyGuyWandell (Apr 30, 2018)

hello, ive been thinking of building a bookshelf that I can put guns in. My wife has been giving me hell about having my gun cabinet in the living room and says she hates how gun safes and cabinets look. ive been looking around on the internet and I found that you can buy one for around $600 and I figured if I was going to spend that amount, I'm going to build it myself. does anyone have any plans for something like that? or know where I can buy a set of plans or at least make some?

thanks
Justin


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

For security reasons you might still consider a gun safe. You could always put a cabinet with a door in front of it to hide the safe so it would be out of site. If you still don't want the safe you might at least consider making some kind of hidden compartments in the cabinet. 

Because of security reasons people have all but quit buying or building gun cabinets. It's just too easy for a burglar to break the glass on a locked gun cabinet and take everything you have. Then if one of your guns are involved in a crime the police will be at least talking to you about it. That would just be insult added to the injury of being robbed.


----------



## hawkeye10 (Feb 18, 2015)

You could put a gun safe in a closet.


----------



## kentucky tom (Feb 19, 2017)

hawkeye10 said:


> You could put a gun safe in a closet.


Consider and require security ( lock) for gun storage. Design for covert storage with curio likes for the wife. Best of both worlds ! 
You may get some ideas from grizzly tools as they offer similar ideas. Make a rough sketch, and refine . Likely won't, find such plans , this is part of the woodwork fun! Tom

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk


----------



## NavyGuyWandell (Apr 30, 2018)

This is exactly what I'm talking about. A book case with hidden compartments, not even strictly for guns, however that the main reason for building it. I'd like somewhere to also put some cash in case of an emergency and I think it would be a fun build.


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Wooden gun cabinets are good for displaying guns. They are worthless for storing securely. They are also no good for fire protection. Nor for storage of other valuables and papers that you would not want to lose. 

I bought a gun safe that fits into a closet so that it does not have to be an eyesore. It fits close to the wall so that someone cannot get a chain around it. It is also bolted to the house.

When I was young my fathers guns were stored in a wall with a removable panel It looked just like any other wall member. Gun safes were not common in those days.

George


----------



## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

I agree with the rest of the posters here. Put them out of sight, preferably locked in steel. Build your wife something as a trade for getting a gun safe.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You have 3 choices ....*

The first, is the wood glass door "gun cabinet" that was typical when you left your doors unlocked and trusted your neighbors. That ain't the case anymore, unless you live in certain areas of the country. 
I have never thought that was a good idea, especially around children and teenagers. I am the only one who knows the combination to my gun safe. 

Your other choice is to get a steel gun safe and leave it in plain sight or hidden in a closet. No mystery there, but wives may object to it being in plain sight. If you have a "man cave" you're all set.

Finally, as your photo shows, they can be in a secret compartment in a cabinet, behind a mirror or picture, behind a hinged cabinet or bookcase, or under a bed or couch or coffee table. That design is so obvious that the secret compartment is not really hidden that well because of the depth of the upper shelves. It's easy to spot the difference. No matter the design, you need a method of securing them from those who are denied access. .... lock, magnetic plugs etc.


----------



## scott lindsay (Jun 22, 2010)

NavyGuyWandell said:


> This is exactly what I'm talking about. A book case with hidden compartments, not even strictly for guns, however that the main reason for building it. I'd like somewhere to also put some cash in case of an emergency and I think it would be a fun build.


NavyGuyWandell, These guys make a valid point however this cabinet looks cool and is safe and out of the way. If you are looking for storage of rifles and they are not meant for home protection then storing in this fashion is good as long as the bolts or firing pins are in a different area of the house. My Gunnery Sergeant always said a handgun is for home protection (close quarter) and the rifle is for long range so keeping rifles in house, always put firing pins in a different room. 

That said, the cabinet looks cool and if you like building and are creative, you can use Google Sketchup to design a case you want and make the plans yourself.

Hope it turns out nice.


----------



## sawdan (Jul 19, 2018)

I built my first shelf and my try another sometime with modifications. I must say it is impressive and I am getting a lot of praise for it. I added a top, but was unhappy with the gap because I saw some cool ideas on joineryplans website, so I bought one of those magnetic safety latches at the hardware store. Whoa, tedious, but finally got it adjusted right. Next one will have molding on the top or under the top to cover the gap and may have hidden cabinet style hinges. I will have to buy a special forstner bit though.


----------



## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

First off, I agree with most of the comments here: if you're going to store firearms in it, just get a gun safe and find somewhere to put it that it's out of the way (ideally anchored to the house foundation, to keep someone from just loading the whole safe into a truck).

Disclaimer aside, here are my thoughts.

I don't know of any ready-made plans for something like this.

A shelf unit like the one you show there takes up a LOT of wall space, because you need to allow space next to it for the hidden compartment to open. Also, you lose a lot of depth, which is pretty obvious if someone is looking at it.

Therefore, my inclination would be to build the hidden compartments into the sides, rather than the back. Something like this corner cabinet I found through Google image search:









If you put a "decorative" moulding up the sides of the cabinet, maybe 4" wide, you can reclaim most of that space by putting a false side inside the cabinet. I might also line it with thin sheet metal, and I'd definitely put a concealed latch somewhere, ideally with a lock. That would at least give a minimum of protection against theft, although it wouldn't do much for fire.

There's also an article here that might be useful: https://www.familyhandyman.com/woodworking/bookcase-of-secrets/view-all/

Something like the "Column compartment" photo. Again, there's no actual security there, but it's a starting point.


----------



## TVitan (Jul 28, 2018)

If you cannot find what you’re looking for, whether it’s $$ or design, and supposing you have some time...download sketch up, the free version, and play around with your ideas. I love designing with it.


----------

