Armory Sponsor
Posted: 5/6/2014 11:31:38 PM EDT
|
My Fort Knoxx safe should be coming in a few weeks. It's 6 ft tall but I want to put it on a pedestal mount. Fort Knoxx sells one but I figured I could make one myself cheaper and match the carpet. I used 4x4's around the perimeter and then two 4x4's across the middle 1/3's. On top is a 1/2" sheet of plywood. I'll leave the top plywood and just attach carpet around the sides since that's all you see.
The safe is 1700 pounds. Does this sound strong enough? |
|
Sounds over-built to me.
The wood doesn't have to take any flexion or torsion -- just compression. I made mine with 2x4s -- perimeter and one cross piece. Works fine with 3000 + pounds on it. I did use 3/4 ply for top and bottom, but that shouldn't matter much. The hardest part of installing a safe is getting it started and getting it properly moved that last 1/4". In order to accomplish these two ends of the move, long bars are necessary. That means you will have to get something under the safe at the very end of the move. If the base is the exact, same size as the safe, this may be difficult to accomplish. Carpeting the top provides a little bit of space for getting a bar between the base and the safe. This will be especially important when time comes to move the safe. A pedestal makes the safe so much easier to use because you don't have to bend way the hell over to put guns on the floor of the safe. You'll be glad you built one. |
|
I set safes and vault doors weighing tens of thousands of pounds on 4x4s, so the weight is not an issue. When it comes to placing a safe, long, multiple runs of wood beneath them make them difficult to level. You're better off placing four smaller 4x4 blocks at each corner, leveling the safe, and trimming around it.
|
|
I got the Fort Knox pedestal. It ended up being a dance stage in the kids playroom.
It's a relatively underwhelming 2x4 and plywood frame. Only minimal cross support. I ended up putting my safe on the concrete as it's the only way I feel it could be securely anchored. You could run anchors through the pedestal, but a crew could make short work of destroying the wood and therefore being able to rock the safe anchors out. Also, shimming the pedestal is a challenge. If your set on raising the safe up and anchoring it, I'd form up a rectangle and fill it with concrete that is perfectly level. |
| I assumed the spot where its going is level. I might not know until its sitting there and it looks crooked. Maybe I'll rethink this. I like the idea of four blocks on the corners and then attaching trim to that. Would it be better to make the pedestal the same dimension as the safe or like an inch bigger all a round? |
|
The blocks are actually a great idea. Wish I would have thought of that!
Using blocks will allow you to get the pallet jack under the safe when you want to move it again. It also eliminates pooping around with dowels between the pedestal and safe at the end of the move. And, it make long bars unnecessary at the start and finish of the operation. Wish I would have thought of that. |
Armory Sponsor