Hidden Safe Alternatives

[Corbs126]

Hey guys/gals,

Looking to get a safe for my carbine that can be in our bedroom with easy access. Looking at the magnetic style opening, grab a magnet and hit a spot and the door pops open. I will put a link down below for the one I’m currently looking at.

My question is: would this be easy enough to make for half the price? Are there any other companies that make these that you guys use? I need it to be at least 24”x12”x3”...any input is appreciated. Thanks!


What I’m looking at:
https://libertyhomeconcealment.com/products/always-kiss-me-goodnight-over-the-bed-sign

[satch70270]

Great thought! For me...I’d still want to secure that to something sturdy. Floor....bolt to a couple bed frame parts...both of those. Make someone really have to work if they were in house and you weren’t there.. something to consider. “Simplex” locking mechanisms I am fond of...very quick...no batteries...no magnet/rfid bracelet/card etc needed. Food for thought.

[Corbs126]

Great thought! For me...I’d still want to secure that to something sturdy. Floor....bolt to a couple bed frame parts...both of those. Make someone really have to work if they were in house and you weren’t there.. something to consider. “Simplex” locking mechanisms I am fond of...very quick...no batteries...no magnet/rfid bracelet/card etc needed. Food for thought.

The only issue with a simplex style lock is that it draws attention to the item. My goal here is to make it look like some wall art in the room, something that you wouldn’t look twice at. Magnetic lock would be to keep the kids out, if they even know what it contains. It will be secured to the wall studs, but just enough so it can hold the weight. Not too worried about a thief ripping it off the wall

[tenthumbs]

Hey guys/gals,

Looking to get a safe for my carbine that can be in our bedroom with easy access. Looking at the magnetic style opening, grab a magnet and hit a spot and the door pops open. I will put a link down below for the one I’m currently looking at.

My question is: would this be easy enough to make for half the price? Are there any other companies that make these that you guys use? I need it to be at least 24”x12”x3”...any input is appreciated. Thanks!


What I’m looking at:
https://libertyhomeconcealment.com/products/always-kiss-me-goodnight-over-the-bed-sign

With all due respect, that is not a safe. It's a secret hiding space that is fast becoming an open secret.

[Bikenut]

Sorry guys. Anything, a clock, a picture, a cutesy saying sign, that sticks out far enough to hide a gun shouts... "I'm hiding a gun in here!"..... to anyone with a half a brain.

If folks really want to hide a gun behind a picture or clock cutting a recess into the wall itself then adding that picture or clock (full length mirror with magnetic catch for a long gun?) so it mounts flush to the wall. That will look like just another picture/clock hanging on the wall.

Even that might not stop a thief from finding it because smart burglers look behind pictures and clocks for hidden money.

Maybe try something like this:

https://www.shotlock.com/shotgun

don't even need to hide it ..... although I would not mount it to a door.

[Corbs126]

Sorry, I misspoke. I understand that it isn’t a safe and that it’s really just a hiding place. Essentially my thought is to have something that the kids won’t look at and say “oh wow I want to get in there”. I’ll have a magnetic lock on it and if my house does get broken into without me home and they realize it’s there then I guess it’s theirs. I went out and got some supplies and I’m building it soon, hopefully it works :)

[tenthumbs]

Sorry, I misspoke. I understand that it isn’t a safe and that it’s really just a hiding place. Essentially my thought is to have something that the kids won’t look at and say “oh wow I want to get in there”. I’ll have a magnetic lock on it and if my house does get broken into without me home and they realize it’s there then I guess it’s theirs. I went out and got some supplies and I’m building it soon, hopefully it works :)


post some pics of the build process if you can. I'm interested despite what I wrote in post #4. :thumbup:

[Corbs126]

post some pics of the build process if you can. I'm interested despite what I wrote in post #4. :thumbup:

I’ll do what I can. I tend to start projects and forget to take pictures of progress hah

[dirtmcgirt76239]

unless you have all the stuff laying around and count your time as free, I doubt you can make that for half the price. Just go look at some struts, paint, hinges.

There are lots of neat ways to hide guns, though a rife or shotgun is harder, if you can build it into the headboard, or a dresser it can be pretty trick.

If you have no kids, and have vents up high, or do not mind cutting into the wall they make fake HVAC vents you can slip your handgun in.

That gun lock is not terrible, I just do not like having guns laying out where anyone would see them casually.

[Corbs126]

unless you have all the stuff laying around and count your time as free, I doubt you can make that for half the price. Just go look at some struts, paint, hinges.

There are lots of neat ways to hide guns, though a rife or shotgun is harder, if you can build it into the headboard, or a dresser it can be pretty trick.

If you have no kids, and have vents up high, or do not mind cutting into the wall they make fake HVAC vents you can slip your handgun in.

That gun lock is not terrible, I just do not like having guns laying out where anyone would see them casually.

Agreed with the last part. Don’t like my stuff just sitting there, and this box might stand out terribly but I’m gonna try. I’m into it for about $40 right now and I have everything but foam. We’ll see how it goes

[ltcnav]

I like the storage units that fit between the studs, and are essentially flush, with a key lock. I put one in the end wall of a coat closet, it holds a shotgun, an AR and a handgun. I leave the key in the lock when I want easy access(like at night} and can lock it otherwise. When the coats are pushed against the wall, it can't be seen.

[Corbs126]

I like the storage units that fit between the studs, and are essentially flush, with a key lock. I put one in the end wall of a coat closet, it holds a shotgun, an AR and a handgun. I leave the key in the lock when I want easy access(like at night} and can lock it otherwise. When the coats are pushed against the wall, it can't be seen.

That’s pretty cool! I thought about that as well. Might turn into that also, who knows

[Corbs126]

As soon as I figure out an easy way to drop pics from my phone I’ll post the updates. Box is built and stained, doing the stencil work on the front door and need to mount the hinges and it’ll be done. Turned out pretty cool so far

[Einthewoods]

I was inspired by this and started to build my own using wood I had on hand. I need a few things to finish.

One thing that I don't like is how deep I had to make it to account for my light on my AR. So, it will stick out from the wall more than I would like - will be more noticeable.

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Edit: for those who care, internal dimensions I came up with based on what I needed to fit are 40x14x5

[Corbs126]

I was inspired by this and started to build my own using wood I had on hand. I need a few things to finish.

One thing that I don't like is how deep I had to make it to account for my light on my AR. So, it will stick out from the wall more than I would like - will be more noticeable.

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Looks great man! The way I see it is this: will it be obvious to an intruder if you aren’t home? Yes. Will it matter if you are home? Absolutely not. Sticks out from the wall a bit but ends up looking nice and keeps things contained in a safe manner. Good enough for me.

[Model12gunner]

(Sticks out from wall more than I would like.) Quote
You could pull the drywall off of that wall and strip the studs out to the needed depth and re drywall, or strip over the old wall and drywall to required depth.

[Einthewoods]

(Sticks out from wall more than I would like.) Quote
You could pull the drywall off of that wall and strip the studs out to the needed depth and re drywall, or strip over the old wall and drywall to required depth.

Very true. I would have to wait until my wife is out of the house. I can hear the gentle purr of the sawzall and then the screaming...

[VIGILANT]

Hide your guns in a garment bag
https://www.guns.com/news/2015/12/07/hide-your-guns-in-a-garment-bag

[Corbs126]

Very true. I would have to wait until my wife is out of the house. I can hear the gentle purr of the sawzall and then the screaming...

Haha exactly. I didn’t want to cut into my walls and deal with all that, but that’s just me. Kind of made it just to see if I could, and now I get to use it since it turned out nice.

[Blue XJ]

Sorry, I misspoke. I understand that it isn’t a safe and that it’s really just a hiding place. Essentially my thought is to have something that the kids won’t look at and say “oh wow I want to get in there”. I’ll have a magnetic lock on it and if my house does get broken into without me home and they realize it’s there then I guess it’s theirs. I went out and got some supplies and I’m building it soon, hopefully it works :)

How old are your kids? I have a Jack Daniels sign at my bar that is a concealment one, I have never put anything in it because my 6 year old keeps asking what is inside of it, he said it is too thick to just be a sign. Kids are smarter than you think they are, him and his 3 year old brother have also defeated every child lock we have in the house with ease.. The sign I have is a magnet release one, my kids have magnetic blocks for toys, a few of those together will open the sign.

The easiest way to hide something from a kid would be to put it up high, like on top of a cabinet, or top shelf of a closet. Just make sure there is nothing movable around (chair, ottoman, footlocker...) or they will build some stairs to get to it. I speak from experience.

[Corbs126]

How old are your kids? I have a Jack Daniels sign at my bar that is a concealment one, I have never put anything in it because my 6 year old keeps asking what is inside of it, he said it is too thick to just be a sign. Kids are smarter than you think they are, him and his 3 year old brother have also defeated every child lock we have in the house with ease.. The sign I have is a magnet release one, my kids have magnetic blocks for toys, a few of those together will open the sign.

The easiest way to hide something from a kid would be to put it up high, like on top of a cabinet, or top shelf of a closet. Just make sure there is nothing movable around (chair, ottoman, footlocker...) or they will build some stairs to get to it. I speak from experience.

For sure, I appreciate it. Kids are 2 and 2 months. Shouldn’t be getting into things for a little while. It’s going to be in my room, in which the kids aren’t allowed without us. Door is always closed and we keep an eye on the 2 year old when she goes down the hall. It’s more so to see if I can do it, and maybe I’ll recess it into the wall when they become a little older so it’s less conspicuous.

[Bikenut]

For those with young'uns who are old enough to figure out there is a gun inside that hidy cabinet mounted on the wall this keypad lock could be mounted inside that cabinet offering an extra level of security without sacrificing very much accessability.

And no, I do not have a financial interest in this company:

https://www.shotlock.com/

They offer units for shotguns, AR's, and handguns.

[Corbs126]

Picture time. Went to Home Depot and got 1x4 unfinished lumber. Cut the pieces 36” and 16”. Made a simple frame for the box.
https://i.imgur.com/sOKS243.jpg
Then I used 4 pieces to cover the back. Drilled holes, countersunk the screws. It’ll be against the wall so it didn’t have to be pretty.
https://i.imgur.com/5Am4OK7.jpg
Similar idea to the back, but for the front I did not use any screws since it will be visible. Used liquid nails and two support pieces. The gray essentially disappears after stain, plus it’s on the inside so it’s not an issue.
https://i.imgur.com/ncdDsr2.jpg
I sanded it all down with 120 then 220 grit sandpaper. Finally I used wood conditioner, stain, and two coats of polyurethane and I’d say it looks pretty good
https://i.imgur.com/0Ma0yOr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/DHCh9jL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CNkhoyG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uINp586.jpg

I have foam that I need to cut to size, then I will mount the hinges and finish my stencil on the front. All for about $100 and 1.5x bigger than what I’ve seen offered on sites. Happy with the project

[Einthewoods]

Picture time. Went to Home Depot and got 1x4 unfinished lumber. Cut the pieces 36” and 16”. Made a simple frame for the box.

I have foam that I need to cut to size, then I will mount the hinges and finish my stencil on the front. All for about $100 and 1.5x bigger than what I’ve seen offered on sites. Happy with the project


Looking real good. I want to hear about the foam once you get it done. What kind did you use, how'd you cut it, etc.

[Corbs126]

Looking real good. I want to hear about the foam once you get it done. What kind did you use, how'd you cut it, etc.

That’s an interesting one. I called a place that would make me a piece specifically for the box for $50. Since this is intended to be a budget build I found some extra foam laying around at work. Same type that comes in a gun case from Amazon, the kind you can pluck. Sized it to the box and slid it in, will make it permanent with spray adhesive once mounted to the wall. From there I’ll lay the gun in how I want it, sharpie the outline and start plucking and slicing with an exacto. Need to get the stencil work done and mount the hinges then I can do the foam cutting. Kids keep me busy at night these days, hard to find too much time. Hopefully it’ll be done this weekend

[Einthewoods]

That’s an interesting one. I called a place that would make me a piece specifically for the box for $50. Since this is intended to be a budget build I found some extra foam laying around at work. Same type that comes in a gun case from Amazon, the kind you can pluck. Sized it to the box and slid it in, will make it permanent with spray adhesive once mounted to the wall. From there I’ll lay the gun in how I want it, sharpie the outline and start plucking and slicing with an exacto. Need to get the stencil work done and mount the hinges then I can do the foam cutting. Kids keep me busy at night these days, hard to find too much time. Hopefully it’ll be done this weekend

Good idea. I was planning to just use some sort of hooks to hang my rifle on as i didn't want to try and find foam. But, I like the sounds of what you found and will take a look.

Thanks

[Corbs126]

Good idea. I was planning to just use some sort of hooks to hang my rifle on as i didn't want to try and find foam. But, I like the sounds of what you found and will take a look.

Thanks

Hooks would work, so would wooden dowel rods. All depends on how you want to do it

[Blue XJ]

If either of you are looking for foam and on the east side. Foam Factory on 23 mile did an amazing job for me. I took them my rifle and my case, they traced everything out, cut the foam and layered it where needed for a perfect fit. I think I paid $75 for it though, but it's an option, and would definately hold a firearm securely.

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[Corbs126]

Stencil complete and I cut out the foam today. Tomorrow is for mounting hinges and mounting it to the wall. Foam is definitely budget but I’m the only ones that sees it :) pics to come...

[Einthewoods]

Stencil complete and I cut out the foam today. Tomorrow is for mounting hinges and mounting it to the wall. Foam is definitely budget but I’m the only ones that sees it :) pics to come...

Not far behind you. Got things drying in the barn hoping for some assembly tomorrow.

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[Corbs126]

Not far behind you. Got things drying in the barn hoping for some assembly tomorrow.

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Awesome! My final pics will be a little lame because I don’t need the whole internet knowing my full name but I can PM you the unedited pics of my final product

[Einthewoods]

One more internal brace to put in, but I'm calling prototype 1.0 done. :-)

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Cost: 79.50
+ portion of stain/poly/paint I had on hand
+ screws
- leftover wood

[Corbs126]

One more internal brace to put in, but I'm calling prototype 1.0 done. :-)

87491

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Cost: 79.50
+ portion of stain/poly/paint I had on hand
+ screws
- leftover wood

That’s awesome dude. I purchased all my stuff new just to see what I could do (aside from foam from work) and I’m in it for about $100. What size dimensions did you do?

[Einthewoods]

That’s awesome dude. I purchased all my stuff new just to see what I could do (aside from foam from work) and I’m in it for about $100. What size dimensions did you do?

Thanks. Glad this thread came along or I probably wouldn't have thought to look at one of these.

Biggest cost was the plywood I used in the back and front and then the hooks.

Biggest pain was making the stencils and then painting the letterson. It took every bit of patience I had. :-)

I'll add another bracing board inside for wall mounting and it'll let me hang a handgun as well.

Dimensions are 40x14x5 internal.

[Corbs126]

Thanks. Glad this thread came along or I probably wouldn't have thought to look at one of these.

Biggest cost was the plywood I used in the back and front and then the hooks.

Biggest pain was making the stencils and then painting the letterson. It took every bit of patience I had. :-)

I'll add another bracing board inside for wall mounting and it'll let me hang a handgun as well.

Dimensions are 40x14x5 internal.

About to run to Home Depot again. My hinge idea didn’t work. They didn’t have the tension to support the open lid. Gonna have to go with something like your style

[Einthewoods]

About to run to Home Depot again. My hinge idea didn’t work. They didn’t have the tension to support the open lid. Gonna have to go with something like your style

I ended up with piano hinges as I didn't like ho anything inside was going to work.

[Corbs126]

I ended up with piano hinges as I didn't like ho anything inside was going to work.

Messed with it some more, got my hinges to work and got a support brace for it as well. Last step is mounting it to the wall and spraying adhesive for the foam. Kids are napping so it’ll be a little later tonight

[Corbs126]

All done. Got it mounted and the gun inside. You can tell it’s budget, and nothing about it is perfect, but for under $100 I’m totally fine with that. PM for unedited picture, whole thread doesn’t need to know my name hah

https://i.imgur.com/crORCE7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GMGJfZO.jpg

[Einthewoods]

All done. Got it mounted and the gun inside. You can tell it’s budget, and nothing about it is perfect, but for under $100 I’m totally fine with that.

That turned out dang good! I like your front panel with the boards better than the way I did it. I see another getting made and me giving my first one to someone in the family:-)

[Corbs126]

That turned out dang good! I like your front panel with the boards better than the way I did it. I see another getting made and me giving my first one to someone in the family:-)

That’s funny, I kinda liked yours haha. If I did it again I would be more precise with my cuts and make sure it’s all perfect. It works out since it’s more “rustic” looking but yeah. Pretty happy with the result

[jmgstr]

nice

[oldmann1967]

I am just impressed one of you used a Kreg jig!