
Extra Useful Gun Cabinet 
A GUN cabinet passable as furni- 
ture but at the same time rugged 
enough to take care of the guns 
on long trips by auto or baggage car 
can be made at home. It need not 
cost, outside of work, more than five 
or six dollars. The value of such a 
cabinet lies in the fact that at the time 
when the guns are most exposed to 
damage and most inconvenient to take 
eare of this piece of sportsman’s furni- 
ture will take care of them. 
The lumber needed for a four gun 
cabinet will be: 2 pieces clear ‘yellow 
pine, %x12x50 inch 
(back and front of 
cabinet); 2 pieces 
clear yellow pine, % 
x9x50 inch (sides of 
cabinet) ; 2 pieces oak 
%4,x8x12 inch (ends, 
top and bottom cabi- 
net); 3 pieces white 
pine 1x2x12 inch (in- 
side cleats); 3 pieces 
white pine 1x2x7 inch 
(spacing blocks); 3 
pieces white pine 1x 
2x13 (outside cleats). 
The hardware: % 
dozen No. 9, 2 inch wood screws (for 
“string piece’); 4 dozen No. 6, 1% 
inch wood screws; 2 dozen No. 6, 1 inch 
wood screws. Tacks and brads. Hasp 
to slide from inside by outside knob and 
padlock. 
24 gauge sheet copper as follows: 3 
strips 2x13 inches; 4 strips 2x9 inches; 
6 corners; 1 inch plain copper. 
For covering: 144 yard double filled 
canvas, 72 inches wide; % lb. tube of 
prepared glue; 1 pint of good varnish. 
In addition to the above, 4 feet of 
good belt lacing three-eighths inch wide. 
The tools needed are hammer, saw, 
square, gimlet for screw holes, % inch 
bit, screw driver and brushes for glue 
and varnish. 
Begin by putting the ends, back and 
side pieces together with screws so that 
you have a box, minus the lid which will 
be like Figure 1. 
From this drawing it will be seen that 
the back piece is first screwed to the 
back ends and the side pieces then 
screwed onto both ends and back. When 
completed it will be found that the side 
pieces give an inside measurement of 
8% inches, whereas the ends give only 
eight. It is important to observe this 
as the strength of the cabinet depends 
upon this feature. 
Now stand the box on one end and 
set your guns inside, muzzles leaning 
against the back and butt plates spaced 
as you want them afterwards. Mark 
the outlines of the butt plates on the 
floor of the cabinet; and four inches 
below the front sight of your shortest 
rifle draw a straight line across the 

Figure 1 
back. This last mark is to fix the loca- 
tion of the “string piece’ which is to 
be used for holding the muzzles of the 
guns in position. ; 
As ‘your three butt spacing blocks 
are 2 inches wide it will be necessary 
in case your guns have shotgun butts 
to trim the blocks a little; on the other 
hand if all have rifle butts then it may 
be necessary to piece them out with 
thin strips. The marks outlining the 
butt plates will show what has to be 
done. When the blocks have been pieced 
or shaved to fit, screw them solidly to 
the bottom of the cabinet so that their 
front ends leave a clear space of an 
inch out to the front edge of the bot- 
tom. Into this space along the ends of 
the spacing blocks, put one of the inside 
cleats; its edge resting on the bottom 
of the cabinet, its inner side resting 
against the butt spacing blocks, and the 
outer side just flush with the edge of 
the bottom and % inch in from the 
edges of the side pieces. Having placed 
x * 
the cleat in this position screw it solidly 
to the butt spacing blocks and then 
screw the sides and bottom to it, driv- 
ing the last screws from the outside of 
the cabinet. 
The next thing in order is the “string 
piece.” Take another of the inside 
cleats and bore four pairs of % inch 
holes in it, spacing the pairs as you 
want the muzzles spaced in the cabinet. 
The holes ought to be half an inch apart 
and bored through the flat of the cleat. 
Having bored and cleaned out the holes, 
cut your belt lacing into four pieces 
and loop each one through a pair of the 
holes in the cleat. 
Now with the loop 
side to the back and 
strings dangling free 
from the front, screw 
the “string piece” to 
the back of the cabi- 
net along the line 
marked for it, using 
three of your half 
dozen 2 inch screws. 
As the back of the 
cabinet is only % 
inch in thickness and 
the string piece an 
inch, and the whole 
strain of the guns put upon it is obvi- 
ously too great for the slight hold that 
could be had with screws from the in- 
side, and anyhow the 2 inch screws will 
go clear through and project % inch, 
it is necessary to back it with an out- 
side cleat on the back of the cabinet. 
Put this on with three of the 2 inch 
screws which will go through the back 
and into the “string piece.” Then, of 
course, screw the outside cleat to the 
side pieces with 1% inch screws. Now 
fasten the side pieces to the ends of 
the inside cleat, ie, to the “string 
piece” with screws driven in from the 
outside and you have all the rigidity 
and strength needed. A “string piece” 
put in this way and the guns securely 
tied to it will not give way. 
You are now ready for the front of 
the cabinet. Take the remaining in- 
side cleat and draw a straight line 
down the middle of it on either of the 
flat sides. Measure off 25 inches from 
the outer edge of the bottom of the 
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