How To Make A Book Safe At Home

By Author: Hank Coleman
Total Articles: 4762
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A book safe is an excellent and inexpensive way to hide valuables and family keepsakes away from thieves. It providing a hidden compartment safe that thieves will not bother looking for when they are in a home.

The majority of burglaries are very quick in and out of a victim’s home within minutes. They search the obvious places then move on. An indiscriminant book, sitting on a shelf with several others, does not present an obvious hiding place. Here is a quick, inexpensive and easy way to make a book safe.

Materials Required To Build A Book Safe:
Hardback book: Second book stores are full of great books that will make an ideal book safe. You want to select a book that is at least 1 inch thick, preferably more. Choose a book that will blend in with the style of books on your shelf and avoid titles that might attract inquisitive eyes e.g. a mundane, uninteresting title such as "A History of the English Language" as opposed to "The Joy of Sex". You might find a large dictionary book safe as a great option.
Zip Dry Glue or a Hot Glue gun
Saran wrap (food storage plastic wrap)
...
... Piece of cardboard same size as the book cover
Felt or card board for the inner lining
Pencil or Pen
Ruler
Drill with small drill bit
A piece of 1” x 2” wood about6 inches longer then the book you have for your book safe
Very sharp wood chisel
Craft Knife or Box Cutter with a good stock of sharp blades

How To Build A Book Safe At Home
1. Start by opening the book to a point about a quarter of the way through the book. Wrap these pages, together with the Hard front cover, with Saran wrap †put a couple of layers evenly around and seal tight. You also want to wrap the rear cover as well; to protect it as you work.

2. Place a piece of cardboard between the back cover and the last page. This is to stop you accidentally drilling or cutting into the back cover when you are cutting out the book safe compartment.

3. Some people prefer now to glue all of the remaining pages together by coating the outside of the pages with the glue, however, this may cause warping of the book even when the book is placed under pressure to dry.

4. A better method, although requiring a lot more care, is to cut your book safe compartment out and then line it with a felt of cardboard box which, when glued in to the hole, holds the pages together.

5. On the first page of the unwrapped section (where your book safe compartment will start) draw the outline of your compartment using a ruler and pencil. Make sure that you leave at least an inch margin from each of the page.

6. Place the piece of 1 x 2 wood on the book and pressing down firmly (you may want to get a friend to help) drill a hole down to the protective cardboard (before the back page) at each corner of your marked out book safe compartment.

7. Hold the book firmly so the pages line up neatly and begin cutting along the drawn line with the Craft knife. Cut only a quarter to half an inch of pages at a time to keep the edges of the book safe neat.

8. Remove the cut out pages from the center of the book and use the chisel to make the edges smooth and the corners neat for a really professional book safe finish.

9. Draw an outline on the bottom page of the cut out section with your pencil. Then open the book to that page and cut out the next quarter to half inch of pages. Continue this until you reach the inside of the book’s back cover.

10. Line the inside of the back cover with a piece of felt that has been cut to fit the opening you’ve cut for your book safe compartment. After gluing the felt in place, run a line of hot glue of the inside corners of the hole you’ve created in your book safe. Finish by gluing strips of felt to the sides of the book safe’s hole.

11. Glue the last page to the back cover so everything stays stable and let it dry by setting your book on a flat surface then put a heavy object, such as a bunch of heavy books, on top. This will prevent any warping and make your Book safe blend into your bookcase nicely.
About Author:
Hank Coleman is the founder of the personal finance blog, Money Q