small safe ideas...

[Jonnin]

my wife decided she wanted a small safe for her "junky" jewelry, and got one free off amazon (she made a *very large* medical expense on her amazon card netting several hundred bucks of free bonus money).    

 

And now I have to figure out a way to mount it.   Upstairs and at a reasonable height (4 feet or so off the floor).  It wont mount to a wall because the door to the safe would open straight up or down --- its designed to go "flat".   

 

All I can think of is to get a rugged nightstand type thing and bolt it to that, along with some effort to disguise/hide it.   But I am open to ideas. If I do the nightstand I may weigh it down and reinforce it so it can't be smashed -- they may still walk it out but I will make it as aggravating as I can.   Bolting to the floor... its a hardwood floor that 1) I would not care to damage "much" and 2) consists of many fairly small boards.  

 

Thoughts?   The safe itself... I am not even remotely a tool / hand's on guy nor a crook and *I* feel confident I could get the thing open in 30 min to an hour, so keep in mind what I am working with here, which is just an aggravation to slow down a grab and run burglar (and more important, she feels better having it than just a drawer full of stuff). 

Edited October 9, 2014 by Jonnin

[hipower]

Get a floor safe and put it inside that one. lol

 

Yes, I'm being a smartass. Sorry.

[sybo]

:rofl:

[runco]

Get one of the those hotel room safes, and just bolt it to the dresser top, or in a drawer.  These type of safes will stop a smash and grab, but will not stop the competent theif with time and a crowbar.  I also recommend, if installed in a drawer, use a cable in the rear and attach it to the entire dresser on the backside.  These type safes offer no fire protection whatsoever, but are very convenient to use though.

 

Here is an example of what I am suggesting: 

[URL=http://s963.photobucket.com/user/runco0318/media/hotelsafe_zps5d5da261.jpg.html][/URL]

[Jonnin]

the safe is already selected.   Putting it in a drawer is an idea, though, thanks.   I may look at that.  

 

If it burns we get a gold & potmetal ingot from the mess (if it gets that hot).   We will have far bigger problems if that happens. 

[JAB]

Is it one of the types that comes with a securing cable?  I have a security lockbox that I use to keep a couple of handguns and a couple of other things under the bed and it has such a cable, sort of like the handgun safes that are intended to use in cars..  Where I lived, before, I mounted an eye loop like you would use with a padlock hasp to the wall at the baseboard level with fairly long wood screws in a spot that would require moving the bed to get to it.  I used it to secure the cable.  Where I live, now, I just passed the cable around the bed frame in a manner that would require taking the bed apart to get it loose.  Not perfect and it wouldn't stop a determined thief (but then again, a $5,000 safe probably won't stop a determined thief given enough time) but I believe it would deter a 'grab and go'.

 

If you had a nightstand with multiple drawers and you put the safe in the bottom drawer with a cable that runs over/out the back of the drawer and is secured to an eye loop that is screwed to the baseboard or floor behind or under the night stand (with enough slack that the drawer can be opened and the safe accessed when needed) then that would probably be about as 'aggravating' to a grab and go burglar as you could get, I imagine.  I suppose you could also find some way to reinforce the bottom of the drawer and bolt the safe down in the drawer as well as using the cable (if it has a cable - or if there is some way you could add one.)

 

Of course, having seen your wife shoot, maybe you could just post a couple of her targets over the night stand with a sign reading, "Do you really want to steal this lady's jewelry?"

Edited October 10, 2014 by JAB

[tnguy]

We need a small safe for documents etc but have similar issue with location. I'm considering cutting a hole in the side of a closet and having the safe body be in the closet but the door be in the wall and concealable. Could just put the safe in the closet itself of course but that's not always the easiest to get to.

[A.J. Holst]

Ask her for help. It's for her stuff, she needs to access it, where does she want it placed?

I like the ideas of mounting in / to and existing piece of furniture. Maybe you could find one about 36" cubed. Drape with some kind of cover and it could replace and become a night / end / accent table.

[dawgdoc]

Is it like a drawer safe?  I have a night stand drawer safe with the door that opens up and it fits in a relatively normal-sized drawer.  I have to pull the drawer most of the way out in order to fully open the door.  It is bolted to the drawer, so it can be stolen with a little extra effort, but the drawer would slow down a smash and grab.

[Ray Z]

There is just something about the term " portable safe" that doesn't make sense to me.

[Jonnin]

yes, it can have a cable.

 

It is this, or virtually this, they have a bunch that are extremely similar -- 

 

http://www.gunsafes.com/GunVault-Multi-Deluxe-GV2000C-DLX.html

 

I did ask her input, she wants it to be in the bedroom & accessible (meaning 4-5 ft off the floor and can walk to it and use it)  but details are up to me.  Lower drawers are out, she cant bend and flex like that easily, etc. 

 

It would go in the typical middle "larger" drawer of a chest of drawers but its too tall for most others.  And it has to have the top clear.  And it is powered if she uses the keypad.  The keypad isn't necessary ...  she does not need in the dark instant access etc as no gun in it.  She may just use key for it.

 

The idea of making it into a nightstand with a cloth or something over it is also a good contender.   We have a spot between our chests of drawers where it could go for that. 

Edited October 11, 2014 by Jonnin

[glowdotGlock]

Sometimes in my opinion a the best safe is a good hidding place unless you are looking for fire protection too. Before I had a big safe for my guns I would put my pistols in their boxes and put them in the return air vent behind the filter. There are so many ways to hide stuff in your home where nobody will ever think to look. But you don't get the fire protection though.

[glowdotGlock]

I also used to put a couple long guns in the fold out bed in my sofa and fold it back into the couch.