If you're looking for a safe place to hide something precious, the obvious choice would
be in a safe. And it's probably just as obvious, to the criminals who wanna steal your stuff.
Sometimes the best place to hide something, is where people least expect it. So in this
project we're making a super secret safe, that only you know about.
For this project you'll need one of these extra long, electrical gang boxes, made for
existing walls. You'll also need a blank wall plate, like this. Now search around your house
for a clean section of wall, and use a stud finder, to locate an area between the studs.
When you've found a spot that works, measure a height that matches the outlets nearby,
and add half and inch. Now line up the mark with the bottom left corner of the box, and
trace around the sides. This is where you'll need to cut into the wall. Go ahead and stick
an envelope under the markings, and select your cutting tool of choice. You can see that
when you begin cutting into the sheetrock, the envelope catches the dust, reducing the
mess that you'll have to clean up later. It's important to cut carefully, and with shallow
strokes, because there could be electrical wires behind the wall, and you don't want
to cut them by accident. When it's all cut out, you should find that your blue box pushes
in perfectly, and rests flat against the wall. When you adjust the screws in the corners,
you can see that it tightens the flaps at the back, securing the box tight to the wall.
At this point you can start loading your safe, with something important. Perhaps some stamps
you want to save? A set of spare keys maybe? ..what about emergency ammunition? Whatever
you put in there, when it's all tucked away, simply add the cover plate, and screw it together.
Chances are, no one will ever guess there's anything hidden inside. If you wanna go one
step further, try pushing some furniture in front of the cover, because out of sight,
means out of mind. Now, if the time comes where you need to open your safe, but you
don't have a screwdriver, no problem. Just use the prongs from a plug. The blades fit
perfectly into the screw-heads, allowing you full, and easy access. Now there are plenty
of modifications you can make to this thing. For example, if you plan on using this a lot,
and can't be bothered, with unscrewing it every time, try drilling out the screw holes
with a 9/64" drill bit. Then add a dab of super glue, to where the screws meet the cover
plate. This way the screws will be held fast in place, and now you can just line up the
holes, and press it together, in an instant. If you want this to blend better with the
surroundings, try adding an outlet to the front of the box, and a finishing plate over
that. Now your secret safe looks like all the other outlets in your house. Have you
got so much stuff that you need a bigger safe? Try upgrading, to a double-gang. This gives
you nearly twice the storage space, and installs just as easily as the others. As a final thought,
if you don't want to spend the $3 on materials, or cut holes in your walls, just look for
one of these cable jacks around the house. The cable's protected, there's plenty of space
inside, and it's a great place for hiding things, like your list of computer passwords.
Not only is this option free, but chances are, you've already got them all over the
house. Well now you know how to make an easy, secret safe, for hiding important stuff. If
you liked this project, perhaps you'll like some
of my others. Check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com