Newbie wants to build his own safe.

[globallockytoo]

I have an extensive electronics background, however, for locks and such, I'm not too familar and especially not too enthusiastic. All that I think about is if the battery or power goes out, what are you left with?

Thanks.

That is why many electronic models have a mechanical key overide back up.

It augers well for continuing to use (and rely on) quality mechanical options.

Aside, mechanical options are a more green (environmentally friendly) way too. Service and repair is often cheaper and requires less technical expertise (often).

[too-picky]

I like redundancy. It may not keep the part count low, but it often helps in the long run.

[too-picky]

Me again,

I've got some small steel plates. I figure it would be better and most instructive to build a small "test" safe first. The small safe will be roughly shoe-box sized. If it works, then it can easily be placed inside the larger safe and/or be bolted down and used elsewhere for smaller items.

I intend to use scrap steel and am mostly interested in preventing stupid criminals that use mostly brute-force from gaining access to certain items. Fire and humidity resistance will be secondary as I already have two small/cheap fireboxes. I'll post the dimensions after I gather up and measure the steel I have.

This project stems from the fact that anything I can afford at the stores, seems to be made from tin and what I ultimately want will likely need to be custom.

[3-in-1]

Not to discourage you but unless you have free access to the machining and jigging/welding table equipment generally considered necessary, you are likely to spend more money than you would buying a used money chest. I had a good friend who had a small shop making burglary safes with 1" and 1-1/2" plate doors and remember the equipment he had. 1/2" plate has for a very long time been considered at the low end for burglary protection but if it is well made could be sufficient for home use. Proper hinges and a close fit of the door are important as well as a good boltwork style. Reliance on the lock bolt alone is not adequate and even the cheapos out there have a boltwork.

[too-picky]

I've got a good portion of the welding setup I need, though I only have 240Vac. The bolt work and hinges are 99% of what I'm concerned with. Even if I buy some type of combination lock to affix, that would only be a small portion of the work. The welding of the square box will be, if anything, fun. The plate I'll be working with was originally 1/2", but with corrosion removal, it'll be down to 15/16".

More than half of this project will be for the purpose of learning. I've only done a little mechanical engineering and the lock-box sounds to me like a fun--though not likely profitable--project.

I'm thinking of going to a scrap yard and checking out motorcycle axles and such, to see if I might find a good stock that is already sized for the bolts. Eventually, I should find or discover something that'll be a good fit. Bearing steel is available too, but less likely to be available in a "standard size". But for this project, it might be easiest to use square stock in order to get the strength needed for the places most likely to be attacked.

So, no, you aren't being discouraging; and yes, I realize it might not be a good general quality safe, but it should far exceed the trashy looking ones I run across. Lastly, the learning experience will far outweigh many other considerations!

Thanks for the input!

[Bob Jim Bob]

Since you're already going to the junk yard and you're going to build it yourself, can you do something artistic like turning a transmission bell housing into a safe?

[too-picky]

Cool idea! For a small low-security safe, a differential housing would be cool: turn the drive-shaft for the combination, pull the axles out to pop open the inspection plate and retrieve the gold!

A transmission may be used similarly. The only thing I'd be cautious about is that cast iron is often used in automotive. The rear-end is usually stron steel, but engine block is cast and therefore very brittle. I'm not sure if the transmission is cast or not. You wouldn't want something that one solid smack with a sledge-hammer would shatter. Also, the inspection plate is often just thick tin. You'd have to build an inside door(?) or otherwise reinforce it to ensure even the most basic of security.

Lastly, these would most likely work in the garage to protect expensive tools from theft. Us married guys have the additional constraint that, ``You are NOT! bringing that in HERE!'' -

On that note, an old steel stove, oven, or similar item might provide another "hidden in plain sight" safe. You could even use a thermometer on the front for a hidden dial, then include the stove pipe to further the realism as well as tile the floor. This is an idea that I really like, and might be able to sell my wife on it too. But again, be cautious of cast iron, unless it is really, really, thick.

[2octops]

We've built a lot of safes and coin boxes for customers over the years. Some were quiet elaborate and expensive but some were rather simple and inexpensive to put together.

Some of my favorites that we ever made (and the hardest to get in to) were coin boxes for some car washes. They were simply steel tubes with the door recessed about 16" and a hockey puck type padlock on the lift out door. The tubes were encased in concrete pillars.

This is another example of a very easy safe to create and trust me, you're not going to just pick it up and walk away.



You should also look at how the contractors boxes made by Job Boxx are constructed. Simple padlocks to secure a large steel box, but the access to the cylinder highly restricts bypassing techniques.

[too-picky]

Very cool. Thank you much for the info.

I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, but now I'm not exactly sure. It'd be nice if I lived in an area where they made such thing and could work there for a while. I only know of one actual locksmith in this town and he doesn't seem to be extremely busy, but I don't know for sure.

The trashcan safe is a nice idea, but it would almost have to be relegated to the garage, or some such.

I'll look at the Job Boxx stuff. I certainly want several ideas on the mechanism(s).

[2octops]

We've mounted those safe heads in all types of things that you would never imagine was really a safe.

Convenience stores are notorious for having a stand alone island display that has something like fruit or bread stacked on it. Those are popular places that can be filled with concrete and a safe head. Just lay a piece of plywood on top and stack whatever you want on it. Same can be done with a coffee table or end table inside the house. We've even built them inside nonworking, garage refrigerators and soda machines. It just looks like something that it's not. "Security by obscurity." I've even seen them set up as bed frames with a mattress tossed on top in a spare bedroom.

As long as your floor will support it, you can hide a safe on it.

[too-picky]

Cool concept, even though thieves are reported to be able to find them quickly. But if you can slow them down, much the better.

After thinking about it, I think I'm going to stick mostly to my original idea(s), but now I've got some additions. Essentially I'm I can build a safe within a safe for a little extra security. It isn't going to be ultra-high security, but it will need to be highly tweeker-proof. But this will take two to three years to save up for, plan, and implement.

(A year or two ago the police arrested two people walking down the road in the middle of the night with a safe. This area is pretty bad for theft, but they don't seem to be all that smart.)

In the mean time, I can practice my welding techniques and work on how to build the door, bolts, etc. on smaller versions.