Wondering About "Book Safes"

Single Six · May 8, 2011, 08:51 PM

The other day I was in a local Arts And Crafts store with my wife [hey, she goes with me to the gun shows, so fair is fair :barf:]. While browsing their wares, I came across something I've heard of before but never given much thought to: "Book Safes", or more specifically, those hollow lock boxes disguised to look very much like a large hard cover book. Does anyone here on TFL use these for handgun storage? More to the point, are there any owners of these items who have had their homes burglarized, but managed to fool the thieves with this "hide in plain sight" approach? Thanks as always for any and all responses.

Edward429451 · May 8, 2011, 09:52 PM

I made my own a long time ago with an exacto knife, a ruler and glue. (glue the inside.) Don't choose books that look like they'd be a good read, they'll be picked up. Use boring books, old medical books.

NWdude83 · May 8, 2011, 09:54 PM

Arent books a dead giveaway now-a-days with everyone using e-readers?

Single Six · May 8, 2011, 10:05 PM

NWdude: In my house, it shouldn't be a dead giveaway...I have LOTS of books, but NO e-readers [or cell phones, or i-pads, etc...]. Heck, my wife is the only reason we even have a computer in the house, and it took her about 16 years of pestering me to get one before she finally gave up and just bought it herself!

egor20 · May 8, 2011, 10:48 PM

Between the Wife and I, we stopped counting at 1,200 Hardbound books, the thieves will have a field day looking for guns in them

BTW we have a lot of "Gun Books", but no "Guns in Books"

The wife does have a Kindle, I"m still a Troglodyte.

MADISON · May 18, 2011, 02:54 PM

Back about 1963 I was in the Air Force. The allowed no personal weapons.
I ox cutterfound a book the right size and a box cutter. When I finished the
annual barricks inspection did not find the gun.

aarondhgraham · May 18, 2011, 03:10 PM

But instead of carving out the paper,,,
I took the paper completely out and replaced it with wood,,,
I cut out the shape of the gun with a router and glued the book spine to the wood.

I was actually a bit proud of the job,,,
I made it for a friend who had just bought a Ruger Single Six.

It's really a lot easier than it sounds.

My Dad tried another way of doing it,,,
He opened the hard cover and clamped 3/16" plywood sheets on both sides of the pages.

Then he was able to use a router to cut the silhouette shape into the paper pages for a real nice clean cut.

He varnished he edges of the paper pages together to hold them in place,,,
If I remember correctly he also varnished the inside cut edges as well.

Fun project if you have a few tools and some spare time.

The book he used cracked me up,,,
It was a very old law book.

Aarond

May 8, 2011, 08:51 PM	#1
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	Wondering About "Book Safes" The other day I was in a local Arts And Crafts store with my wife [hey, she goes with me to the gun shows, so fair is fair :barf:]. While browsing their wares, I came across something I've heard of before but never given much thought to: "Book Safes", or more specifically, those hollow lock boxes disguised to look very much like a large hard cover book. Does anyone here on TFL use these for handgun storage? More to the point, are there any owners of these items who have had their homes burglarized, but managed to fool the thieves with this "hide in plain sight" approach? Thanks as always for any and all responses. __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

May 8, 2011, 10:05 PM	#4
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	NWdude: In my house, it shouldn't be a dead giveaway...I have LOTS of books, but NO e-readers [or cell phones, or i-pads, etc...]. Heck, my wife is the only reason we even have a computer in the house, and it took her about 16 years of pestering me to get one before she finally gave up and just bought it herself! __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."

May 8, 2011, 10:48 PM	#5
egor20 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,824	NWdude Between the Wife and I, we stopped counting at 1,200 Hardbound books, the thieves will have a field day looking for guns in them BTW we have a lot of "Gun Books", but no "Guns in Books" The wife does have a Kindle, I"m still a Troglodyte. __________________ Chief stall mucker and grain chef Country don't mean dumb. Steven King. The Stand

May 18, 2011, 02:54 PM	#6
MADISON Senior Member Join Date: January 1, 2000 Location: Roanoke, Virginia Posts: 2,678	A book safe? Back about 1963 I was in the Air Force. The allowed no personal weapons. I ox cutterfound a book the right size and a box cutter. When I finished the annual barricks inspection did not find the gun.

May 18, 2011, 03:10 PM	#7
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	I made one once,,, But instead of carving out the paper,,, I took the paper completely out and replaced it with wood,,, I cut out the shape of the gun with a router and glued the book spine to the wood. I was actually a bit proud of the job,,, I made it for a friend who had just bought a Ruger Single Six. It's really a lot easier than it sounds. My Dad tried another way of doing it,,, He opened the hard cover and clamped 3/16" plywood sheets on both sides of the pages. Then he was able to use a router to cut the silhouette shape into the paper pages for a real nice clean cut. He varnished he edges of the paper pages together to hold them in place,,, If I remember correctly he also varnished the inside cut edges as well. Fun project if you have a few tools and some spare time. The book he used cracked me up,,, It was a very old law book. Aarond __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

May 8, 2011, 09:52 PM	#2
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I made my own a long time ago with an exacto knife, a ruler and glue. (glue the inside.) Don't choose books that look like they'd be a good read, they'll be picked up. Use boring books, old medical books.

May 8, 2011, 09:54 PM	#3
NWdude83 Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2008 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 351	Arent books a dead giveaway now-a-days with everyone using e-readers?