Gun cabinet Idea.

[Andrew Gibson]

Well I am working on a design for a gun cabinet, and I am trying to decide if what I have planned will look good.
I have been going on a design trend for my last few projects and this cabinet wants to fallow the trend.
First off here is a picture of a tv stand that I built for a friend that follows the trend in design. (In almost finished condition)

Now the Gun cabinet will be about 2' wide by 6'6" tall. the case itself will be out of cherry or similar med-dark wood. The cabinet will be laid out with a stand similar to the one above with maple inlay. The cabinet will consist of 2 drawers with the cabinet above.

I am thinking of using figured Maple for the drawer fronts and Cabinet door frame, and using the contrasting wood as inlay. This is what I am having a hard time visualizing.

I hope this all makes sense. Let me know if I need to clarify anything, and most importantly let me know how you think the piece will turn out, and any other thoughts.

... Ill see if I can get a quick sketch of the design posted up shortly.... ok here is a quick sketch...

[Don Morris]

Andrew,

I was a gun owner and had a gun cabinet similar to your design, (glass panel door from what I see). I changed to a metal gun cabinet, with key. The glass front cabinets can be smashed and the guns too easily removed. I'm not certain (depends on the area you live in I was told) but from a legal standpoint, if a underage youth broke into your cabinet (glass front) would you be held liable for not having a "safe" place for your weapons? I would check with the local authorities before proceeding. Sad but true.

[theo arno]

Well
I suspect that if you really wanted to keep firearms secure you would get a gun safe and build a cabinet around it to disguise it.

Other wise I don't think a wooden door is that much more secure than a glass front door,

As far as design if you really wanted to do some thing different you could make your cabinet horizontal. Similar to the TV stand in the picture.
You would have a pull out drawer in which the rifles would be laid on edge. A cabinet the size of your TV cabinet should hold about 5 rifles siting on their edge. If you wanted the rifles to be displayed then the top of the cabinet could be inset with glass sort of like a glass coffee table.

Just an Idea.
What ever you do I am sure it will look great if your TV stand is any indication.
Now that I have written this down I might try this Idea myself. The one issue to deal with would be balancing the cabinet when the drawer was pulled out with a full load of Iron.

[Roger Bullock]

As an insurance adjuster I have seen this type of case with the glass broken and the guns stolen. Instead of gun cabinet I think a gun display would be a better term. If you use this design (or any other for that matter), don't forget to also use some sort of trigger locks (for safety).
Unfortunately most standard homeowners insurance policies have a low maximum limit ($500 to $1000) on firearms. It is hard telling someone that they are getting only $500 for the $3000 worth of stolen guns. I'm not a salesman just stating a fact.
I think I will start a new thread on insurance not only for guns but also tools.

[Joe Mioux]

good looking cabinet.

A gun cabinet is also on my list of projects.

joe

[theo arno]

Unfortunately most standard homeowners insurance policies have a low maximum limit ($500 to $1000) on firearms. It is hard telling someone that they are getting only $500 for the $3000 worth of stolen guns. I'm not a salesman just stating a fact.
I think I will start a new thread on insurance not only for guns but also tools.

Roger that is a great Idea.

[Chris Ricker]

beautiful design and construction on the entertainment center Andrew,

the design on the gun cabinet is great as well. I understand what you are saying about visualizing the maple and cherry mix.

As I see it in my mind, I think you may have too much maple in the drawers. My "minds eye" keeps focusing on the bottom of the cabinet rather than the top where the guns are.

A possible solution would be to create the drawer fronts with more cherry added, perhaps with a cherry border or a larger cherry inlay.

Also, unless you are building for a specific area, I think the cabinet is a little bit too narrow, maybe 30 inches wide would be more pleasing to the eye ( according to the Fibonacci sequence anyway)

Regardless of what you decide, I'm sure it will be a fantastic project when completed

[Abe Low]

Although it would detract from the look, I would figure a way to reduce the chance of unauthorized removal from the cabinet. One way, although ugly would be to place a steel rod through the sides of the cabinet that prevents any removal without unlocking the bolt.

Pardon my paranoia, but I would also figure a way to keep the cabinet from being removed from the premisis.

I live in Sacramento, CA, where we lock up everything that is lockable.
A friend that came from the midwest said the only time they lock their car is in July so that they won't find it full of zuchinii.

[William M Johnson]

+1 for the horizontal design. I have way to many pretty guns (british side by sides) that need to be horizontal to appreciate them. A steel peg through the trigger guard with a bar lock on the end keeps the guns on the rack and out of small hands

Bill

[William M Johnson]

By the "steel peg" what I meant was a 1/2" steel rod with a 1/4" steel plate welded on the back. This protrudes through the back and through the trigger guard. This is the support for the gun at one end. A hole through the end will allow a lock

Bill

[Rich Johnson]

Love the design. As a homeowner and a gun owner I dont get all worked up on things like that. Trigger locks are common sense safty items and a must with any firearm. Outside of that If someone breaks in my home they will be met with deadly force. After all it is the law.

[Andrew Gibson]

Thanks for all the replies, I forget about this thread for a while.

I actually found some Sepele at the lumber yard that I decided to use, and I scraped the idea of the 2 tone drawers, just going to do some inlay like in the TV stand above. I'm not to worried about Theft, the main rifle that will be going in the cabinet belonged to my Great Grandfather and is simply a wall hanger at this point, so safety is not an issue. I have a couple air rifles that will going in the cabinet as well and safety and value are not of great concern. So yes this is a display.