Standing Gunrack

Recently I was at a large outdoor sporting goods store looking at gun racks. Deciding that $100+ for something made out of plywood was ridiculous I went home and built my own from salvaged lumber. This is a standing or "deputy" style gun rack, my personal choice. All measurements are approximate.

Step 1: Saftey Warnings

you're all big boys, but a couple of things, I'm working with reclaimed lumber which deserves special consideration. This lumber is very old, it came out a 19th century house in Winter Park, that means the likelihood of the paint being lead based is high, so a respirator was worn at all times and I showered and laundered my clothes after working. Additionally the wood was closely inspected for nails and other hardware to prevent operator or machine damage. The paint was then removed using a surface planer.

Step 2: The Base and Barrel Rack

The base is simply a piece 28 inches long and 10 inches wide squared up. To make the barrel rack a piece 28 inches long was marked in 4 inches from the back and 4 inches apart. Holes were then drilled with a 2 1/2 inch hole saw at each mark. Drill halfway through and flip to prevent tear out. The barrel rack was then ripped down the center to form the half circles.

Additionally a 3 inch piece 28 inches long was cut to front the base.

Step 3: The Sides

Two pieces 36 inches long were ripped to the width of the base plus the front piece, approx. 10 3/4 inches A mark was then made 4 inches from the bottom along the front and 4 inched from the back along the top, the two marks were connected with a line and a cut made along that line. No good pictures but it's clear enough in the assembled photo.

Step 4: Temp Assemble

I used pocket screws to temporarily assemble the rack and check if it worked, if you look closely I had to shift the barrel rack back 3/4 of an inch and subsequently rip that dimension off the back

Step 5: Sand, Stain and Final Assembly

The rack is then disassembled, sanded, stained and sealed on all six sides and reassembled with glue and screws, I also added cleats to the base so the guns couldn't slide sideways. Be sure to check for square.