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If you’re anything like me, you like being able to combine multiple interests into one project. For me and this particular project, it’s woodworking, guns, and technology!

I’ve only built one other concealment piece and while it still showed off the rustic wood goodness, it was more of a geometric art design:

With that first build, I used standard cabinet hinges and a hidden magnetic latch. You may be familiar with these kinds of latches for certain cabinet doors (especially if you have little ones in the house). They’re great for keeping kids out of places they shouldn’t be in, and keeping them from opening things they shouldn’t be opening. You can also get creative and hide the opening magnet within some other home decor item so only you know where it is.

Fast forward to the new build and I tried a couple different things on this one. First thing you’ll notice right off the bat is the very recognizable “Don’t Tread On Me” Gadsden Flag image:

At first glance it might appear that the image is just a decal, but I used my Shapeoko CNC to run a v-carve toolpath to cut away the image. Using rustic wood for the surface, I was a little concerned that it might splinter and chip some of the delicate details of the image but it was all good! Every cut was crisp and clean. Using a nice sharp 60-degree v-bit and a 30-degree v-bit, setting the machine to the correct speeds and feeds is very important when it comes to the success of a cnc project. Here are links to those v-bits:

After the cnc carved the image, it was great, but the carving revealed different shades of the wood and I didn’t like how it looked. I applied the spray lacquer clear coat and while I knew the finish would darken the wood, it darkened some of the carved areas so much that they got lost. You couldn’t see the text and it just looked weird. My wife suggested I paint the carved areas white and my response was “are you crazy? that’s gonna take forever!” LOL!!! Realizing I had no other choice, I grabbed a cup of coffee, threw Wild Hogs in the DVD player and hunkered down with a couple very small paintbrushes and some white paint. By the end of the movie, the paint job was complete and my wife kicked her feet up with a grin and said “see? I told you it would look good!“

Something else I did differently this time was use an RFID lock. RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification. There’s not a lot of slack when installing this unit so you need to make sure you get things lined up pretty well, and once you do, this lock is STRONG! Then you simply wave your key card or fob over the unit and clickety clack…it unlocks! It has a surprisingly thick limit (not sure if that’s the proper terminology or not) and what I mean is the key still reads through a pretty thick wall. The thickness of this lid was 1 inch and according to the specs, it can still do thicker.

Here’s a link to the RFID lock I used in case you’re interested in using one for a project of your own:

I also used a different cabinet hinge on this build. I’m not familiar with every single kind of hinge on the market, and I still think there might be a better option but I wanted the lid to open in such a way that it didn’t rub the frame as it opened. I wanted the lid to sit as tight and flush as I could with as little a gap as possible. A standard cabinet hinge didn’t allow enough clearance without having a very noticeable gap, so I opted for a hinge like these Blum hinges that had a 170-degree swing:

Like I said, I still think there’s got to be a hinge that suits a project like this even better. But until I find it, I like the 170-degree swing option.

Since I liked them so much the first time, I used another pair of Keeper tactical magnets. I like these because they’re PLENTY strong and can easily hold a firearm of just about any weight, and the firearm is still easy to pull off from the magnet if you need to grab it quickly. These magnets also have a plastic/rubber material cover to give your firearm a little extra protection from scratches.

Of course, these magnets aren’t just for guns. They’re also great for spare mags (loaded or unloaded), knives….obviously anything made of steel. Here’s a link the Keeper magnets if you want to get some:

If you’re looking for a creative option to hide an emergency pewpew you might want to consider some of the items in this blog entry! Of course, I’m always interested in a custom commission so feel free to reach out and we can throw around some ideas for a one-of-a-kind piece…for your piece. Get it?

I encourage every American to get educated about firearms and the safe use and handling of firearms. It’s our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. You have the right to protect yourself. Not familiar with firearms? Never shot a gun? Contact your local shooting range and/or gun shop for lots of great info on firearms and firearm training. There are always classes available for everybody from newbies to intermediate to advanced shooters. Here are a few shooting ranges you can check out:

North County Shooting Center
( www.northcountyshootingcenter.com )

Poway Weapons & Gear Range
( www.pwgrange.com )

Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises
( www.raahauges.com )

San Luis Obispo Sportsman’s Association
( www.slosa.org )

P2K Sports
( www.p2krange.com )

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