Handmade Walnut Gun Cabinets.....

Cactus · Jan 1, 2006

Hi all. Have a question for the innovators among us. I'm a woodworker with a passion for custom gun cabinets, and I want to ask what you would design into your own cabinet if you were building it. Throw out any ideas you have, the wilder the better. I have 27 days to create a cabinet for a hunting show here in Grand Rapids and really want it to be something unique. I'm hoping to read something from all of you that I have not yet thought of building into the Extreme Cabinet. My own ideas are getting stale and I thought Id look for a fresh perspective.

These are some of the things I've done in the past...

* Customers deer rack mounted on flared back panel above top of cabinet

* Felt-covered push pin inset inside back wall of cabinet (hang tags or hunting patches)

* Mahogony/maple inlay compass pattern on back wall of cabinet behind the guns

* Elk antler for handle on front of cabinet

* wired for eyebeam security internally (eye beams do not penetrate glass, so the cabinet can have motion detection turned on inside and you can walk past without any problem)

* Panorama box for the base of the case to display small trophy (pheasant, etc.)

Hopefully my comments have sparked your imagination. If there's something truly custom that you would want to see in a cabinet I'd sure appreciate your thoughts.

Cactus Dave

Gator · Jan 1, 2006

LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-06 AT 09:17AM (MST)[p]Aspens scene(with muleys or elk in) on inside back of cabinet, so everytime you open it you are seeing the place you miss most.A place on top to hold Hunting DVD.

2_Point · Jan 1, 2006

I think you should do a steel liner in the gun box, with some kind of steel decoration bars over a glass door. Also, hidden, high-impact hinges. You could then cover the steel liner interior with what ever you want. I love a wood gun cabinet, but in today's world of liability, it would be nice to have a more secure gun cabinet, without getting a real safe.

eelgrass · Jan 1, 2006

It sounds like you build some absolutely beautiful gun cabinets!

Being a former licensed (contractor) cabinet maker myself, I once built a gun cabinet for a customer entirely out of curly Redwood. I'm sorry to this day that I never took any pictures of it. He moved to Oregon and I lost track of it.

Some type of light/heat source is good for keeping condensation down, but I'm sure you already do that.

Etched glass doors can be nice.

Of course some drawers underneath for ammo, binos, etc.(lockable)

I once put mirrors on the inside (both left and right sides) which gave it a feeling of being bigger.

Since I live in earthquake country I always put a leather strap across the notches where the barrels rest, to prevent them from falling forward. I'm sure there is a more attractive way to accomplish that but I never figured one out.

Post some pictures of the finished cabinet. That would be great! And good luck!

Steve

NVHUNTERER · Jan 1, 2006

I think one with a built-in flat panel tv screen and small dvd player to display digitized hunt pics or movies, also could design one with access from the ends and display the guns horizontally, and wood work on top to hang full shoulder mount from. A couple of full horns displayed on inside of glass coming in from each side. Etched glas with your favorites on it.
NVHUNTERER

clyde · Jan 1, 2006

maybe a rotating type of rack inside the cabinet that spins. have one for each type of gun. maybe with a remote control to rotate the rack and lighting inside the rotating bottom rack in each slot facing up the guns but pointing slightly in ward to only lighten up the guns itself. Green felt always looks nice for a backdrop in a wooden cabinet.

redrabbit · Jan 2, 2006

What about a wall case in which the guns are displayed horizontally to better show off their fine wood stocks? Use antler burrs for rifle supports. Sand blast the wood trim around the glass to show the grain. Panorama box underneath.

RR

Cactus · Jan 5, 2006

Thanks everyone for your comments. There were a lot of new things that I had not thought of before. Should make this next piece really exceptional. Although it might fit only a very few hunters' wallets I think I will try the flat screen display inside the cabinet with a continuous "slide show" of hunting photos. Hopefully it will catch someones eye at the show.

Appreciate your advice.

Cactus