Gun Safe

[WFM]

Building another gun safe. I am more of a machinist than a welder but I get by. I finished welding the hinge on the door and main body. 3”x3”x3” steel blocks with a 3/4” hole are welded to a 2”x3” angle and welded to the body. Hinge pin is ¾” stainless steel. Hinges have to line up perfectly. Door is ¼” steel plate 24” wide x 48” tall that had the edges turned. Body is 1/8” plate that had been bent in a U. I had it around my wood burner trying to trap heat and then blow it into my furnace duct. It didn’t work very well and I dismantled it a few years ago.

Next to make is the dead bolt mechanism that will have (3) ¾” stainless steel dead bolts going into the top, bottom and one side.I didn’t need another safe but I had the materials and they happened to fit together perfectly. I only needed to buy a key cylinder. Have to keep myself busy somehow.

[Skwerly]

WOW, that's some heavy duty stuff there! Looking good!

[elvergon]

Originally Posted by Skwerly

WOW, that's some heavy duty stuff there! Looking good!

x2 nice job!

[74fencer]

I like it!

[minner]

I like it. Are you going to make it fireproof?

[farmersamm]

Hinges always have a pucker factor when you weld them. You hope the thing doesn't pull, and bind the hinge. I'm always nervous with hinges.

Hope that "staying busy" doesn't mean you're temporarily out of work.

[agwelder_dal]

man wfn that looks good hey are you arc welding it together can i ask what kind of rod u are using and what kind of machine you are using
i would also like to ask if u dont mind if i copied your design and built one of my own

later
agwelder

[mr2turbo7]

That should keep The "new Man" from taking your guns! but not your ammo

[Hammack_Welding]

Originally Posted by mr2turbo7

That should keep The "new Man" from taking your guns! but not your ammo

What ammo?

[WFM]

Like I said, I am a machinist not a welder (mechanical engineer by trade). I have a Lincoln 225 arc welder. A local hardware store went out of business last month and I bought all of his welding rods, about 100# of different rods in 1# ,5# and 10# boxes. I tried the 6011and they seemed to work very well so that is what I stuck with.

The hinges were not that hard. To line then up I ran a 3' length of 3/4 " rod through both of them to hold them straight before I welded them. Then I bolted the other half of the hinge to the door and tried the movement before I welded them to the door. Fits perfectly. The hinge pin has .008" clearance. The door was a motor/pump base that happened to be made wrong and was scrapped at a local sheet metal shop that my brother deals with. We are always scrounging metal. The entire safe will be made from stuff I had laying around.

This safe is a lot smaller than the first one I made. The other one is 4' wide x 2 ' deep and holds about 20 guns. It has 6 dead bolts and 2 locks. This one will only have 3 deadbolts and 1 lock. I will start on the dead bolt system tonight. I have all the pieces together ready to machine. I will try to post a pic of the dead bolt system in my big safe.

Here are some of my shop machines. I like the old iron. The big stuff is in the garage and the small stuff is in the basement.
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1924 Boye & Emmes 18” Lathe
1958 South Bend 9” Model A Lathe
1964 Index Model 645 Vertical Milling Machine
1950’s Diamond Tool Co. M-22 Horizontal Milling Machine
Rockford Drilling Machine Co. Camelback Drill Press
Silver Manufacturing Co. Camelback Drill Press
1920’s John Steptoe Co. 16” Shaper
Joba 13” Shaper

[A_DAB_will_do]

Nice looking piece of fabrication, especially from stuff just lying around your shop. I wish my drop bin was as well-stocked. Your welds look good for someone who professes not to be a welder. Looks like you could spend a little more time filling in the craters on the hinge welds, but otherwise everything looks sound.

Tell me, what secures the hinge pins into the hinge brackets? Are they an interferrence fit with 0.008" clearance? Will they be tack welded permanently into place once the door assembly is complete? What keeps them from being driven out with a hammer and drift by an enterprising burglar?

[WFM]

There is a flat machined on the hinge pin and a set screw on the back side of the 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" square. The set screw can only be accessed when the door is open. Even if the pins were removed, the 3 dead bolts would prevent the door from coming off.

[737mechanic]

Looks good, make sure you post the finished project.

That should keep obama from getting you guns.

[Hammack_Welding]

Nice equipment. I like your shaper. You don't see them being used in shops much these days. I have a 20" Rockwell shaper, and a good friend who had a large machine shop for years still has a 24" I still get a good bit of use from mine... The safe looks good. Keep the pics coming.

[katana1150]

Originally Posted by 737mechanic

That should keep obama from getting you guns.

Oh man is Obama going to do the same thing that Cretien did to us 10 years ago??

All these new rules and regulations regarding long guns (concealed and hand guns where highly regulated since I was a wee lad) have made it more difficult to obtain a hunting rifle to the point that many have given it up altogether!

All these new rules haven't seemed to have stopped the gangs and criminals from getting Illegal guns. The gangland style shootings are becoming an epidemic in Vancouver! Now I know that we are not as bad as some cities in the states but for a major canadian city it is getting really bad here. Broad daylight shootings and highspeed chases on the roads and highways between the rival gangs...absolutely crazy.

I don't think gun control (to the canadian extent anyways) is really the answer but rather it is the liberal additude our courts seem to take with these criminals. Obscenely short sentences for repeat dangerous offenders and murderers

[WFM]

I started machining the dead bolt mechanism last night. Here are some pics of the dead bolts on the other safe I made. It has 2 mechanisms with three 1" stainless steel deadbolts each with Medeco lock cylinders. This safe has a 1/4" steel plate for the door and a 1/8" steel plate body.The safe I am making now will have three 3/4" stainless steel dead bolts. The design will basiccally be the same.

[Tim M]

That's really cool!

[dr stan]

Originally Posted by 737mechanic

That should keep obama from getting you guns.

Or more likely Rush stealing them and selling them for his oxycontin habit.

[fishon91]

always wondered how those locks worked, pretty cool
nice work

[AndyA]

I bought a Sargent & Greenleaf 8500 series combination lock on ebay for about $30. This would be a nice addition to your safe, and prevent someone from just stealing and using the key. I'm no expert, but I'd imagine picking a standard key lock would be easier than bypassing the combo. Of course, with mild steel, a large hole saw would be the easiest.

[WFM]

Machining is done, 3/4" stainless steel deadbolts are fit. Machined parts are mostly bronze and stainless steel. A little fab work to do: top and bottom plates and some 1/4" x 1" around the outside of the door. Everything works pretty smooth. Will be getting it ready for paint sometime this weekend. Total cost so far $20 for the key cylinder and garage door deadbolt (+ some electricity). Everything else I had laying around.

[bensweld]

If i had you're shop and equipment i'd need a cot in it because i'd never leave,good job how much do you figure it will weigh when complete?

[WFM]

The 1/4" plate for the door weighs 95 lbs alone. When the door is open it tips the rest of the safe forward so I am going to put a caster on the bottom of the door. I am also going to put 1-1/2" of concrete in the bottom of the safe to add some weight. I added 4" of concrete in the bottom of my other safe and that kept it from tipping forward when the door was open. I think it will weigh around 250-275 when it is done. Nobody is going to walk off with it.

[WFM]

Done. Finally finished the gun safe. Had a very old cabinet that locks with brass trim that I bolted to the top to put ammo in. It is 6 inches wider than the safe. Not sure if I like the look of the cabinet on top but it serves a purpose. Might change it. Safe holds 8 guns.

They can't keep guns or ammo on the shelves in PA. One gun store has a sign that says, "Best Salesman I have - Obama and PA Governor Ed Rendell". I am going to get a couple more myself.

[B.Appel]

very nice piece of work.

Great idea with the locks too.