From: [h--s] at [eos.ncsu.edu] (Henry E Schaffer) Newsgroups: rec.guns Subject: Gun Safe Plans - A Book Review Date: 4 Aug 1996 19:36:08 -0400 Gun Safe Plans Wamco, P.O.Box 205, Peralta, NM 87042 1990 $25 + $3 S&H 8 1/2 x 11 paper bound 1/4" thick (I didn't count the pages.) From the Cover: Horizontal Design Vertical Design Size for Your Needs Combination Lock and Multi-Lug Locking System Includes: Planning YOUR Safe Design Step-By-Step Instructions Material List Tool List Specific Welding Instructions For the Novice Weldor If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you either have enough guns and other stuff that you already need a safe, or that you'll reach that point in the foreseeable future. You can buy quality gun safes (and I recommend that every gun owner look into ways to lock up guns. This does more than save the cost of replacement, it also decreases the diversion of guns into criminal hands and the accidental use of these guns.) However many people find the cost of a quality safe out of their reach. There is another approach to obtaining a quality gun safe at a very reasonable cost, and that is constructing it yourself. The materials which go into a safe are not particularly expensive, except for the combination lock. (Although if you sum up all of the steel plate, it will add up to more than the lock costs.) When you purchase, you're paying for a lot of labor and shipping. While it seldom pays to make something yourself if it is a mass-market item, full size secure gun safes are not mass-market. Designing and constructing something like this would normally be impractical for anyone without a great deal of experience and skill. Even if you consider yourself to be handy with tools, perhaps you're not up to the design and construction of something like this. Imagine that you have a very knowledgeable and experienced friend who not only can plan, design and weld up a gun safe, but who also can tell you about it - and who will take the time to tell you about it in detail, and go through it step by step. Enough detail would be provided to discuss the tools you need, how to use them, and when to be particularly careful. For the hours that you would listen, you would take down copious notes, make many detailed drawings, and finally end up with a project guide you can use to guide you in building your own gun safe. Stop longing for this - it's available from WAMCO. Written by a man who does have this experience, but isn't a professional safe-builder. Perhaps the professionals can't or don't care to communicate this well, and so the good books are written by the skilled amateurs? (I also have in mind the wonderful series of "The Machinist's Bedside Reader" books by Guy Lautard.) The author doesn't have his name on the book but has been a participant on rec.guns and other internet groups. He is Bill Muckerheide who has BS and MS degrees in Nuclear Engineering. WAMCO can also help you to buy the hard to get supplies such as the combination lock, hinges, etc., including the newer S&G Electronic lock which is dimensioned to replace the older mechanical lock. (WAMCO is also involved in supplying dessicants for use in humidity control in containers such as guns safes - write for WAMCO details if you are interested in this.) Here's the Table of Contents, [my comments in brackets.] Section 1 Introduction and Overview [emphasis on safety] 2 Planning and Preparation [planning the safe size and weight, and planning the project, work area, materials and tools.] 3 Specific Welding Instructions [the start of the short course on welding - the rest is covered piece by piece when needed - and the project is designed to make the welding relatively easy] 4 Frame Bulding [the safe is made of a welded angle iron frame with steel plate sides welded on to the frame] 5 Plate Installation [planning, buying, preparing and welding the steel plate, including proper design of the door pocket, and hinge mounting strip] 6 Door and Locking Mechanism [design, fabrication, installation, testing and do it yourself "hardplate"] 7 Safe Back, Insulation and Exterior Paint [fire resistant insulation via the use of multiple layers of sheetrock, and the very practical procedure of doing all of the door and lock installation and testing before the safe back is installed - I bet you can figure out why this is such a good idea :-] 8 Interior, Outriggers and Hold-Down Bolts [very practical material, with good material on how to keep intruders from carrying your safe away] 9 Moving and Maintaining the Safe and Contents The author's constant concern for safety is obvious, and sometimes rises to the level of being amusing - for example page 5-6 has, "C_A_U_T_I_O_N: Remember to heed the previous CAUTION statements." To make your own safe this way, you have to be willing to work hard, to follow instructions and to think about what you're doing. If you do this, you can end up with a quality safe which fits your needs - and which is paid for largely out of 'sweat equity' rather than cold cash. If you need more information before buying this book, write to WAMCO and ask for their brochure. -- --henry schaffer [h--s] at [ncsu.edu]