Gun Cabinet

Construction notes: This gun cabinet design comes from the Popular Mechanics website (free plans here) and is recommended for those with advanced woodworking skills, as the plans require you to rely on past woodworking technique experiences. This is my second build of this project.

All materials were available at my local Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The sides and back panels are oak plywood. The door frames and drawer fronts are solid oak. The drawer sides are select-grade pine.

The trim was custom cut on the router table according to the plan specs. The plans included a simple to follow outline for making dentil moldings. I am especially pleased with the quality dovetails from Porter Cable Dovetail Jig 4210. As noted in an earlier project, the more one uses it, the more confidence one gains, thus, better results.

The finish is a single coat of cherry stain and three coats of polyurethane (Clear Satin). The door contains 1/8” tempered glass. The lights are wired directly to one of the door hinges. Simply touch the hinge for multiple brightness levels.

The total cost of materials was right at $500. The construction took approximately 35 labor hours, less sanding, finish and hardware (another 20 hours).

Tools used: Tablesaw, router, dovetail jig, brad nail gun, bandsaw, miter saw, sander.

Additional thoughts and notes:
– Rather than using mechanical drawer guides called for in the plans, I chose to go hardware free and framed the drawer compartments with hardwood runners.
– Spending a little extra for solid pine vs. plywood for the dovetailed drawer sides is a good investment. From experience, it is worth the extra cost.
– I stained the dovetailed drawer fronts prior to connecting them to the sides. I like the contrast of the joint by staining the front and just giving the sides a clear coat of finish.