Folding Gun Rack #1: Drawings

Buck,
I think it will work fine. Anything to help honor our fallen heroes.
Tom

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Buck the plans look good. On the rack I made I used a bolt, washers, sleeve (conduit), and locknut for a pivot hinge. I used a modified leg support to lock in the open position, but your plan with the peg looks good; I can envision a rack made out of oak and nicely finished for indoor use like at gun shows.

If I can offer a tip, the easiest way I found to cut the appropriate angles for the legs, is to build the stand, without the angles, open it standing up on a flat surface ,like a table saw, and use a straight edge on the flat surface to mark the angle on all of the legs.
I used dado joints for the cross pieces to keep it strong and light.

Feel free to use, modify, share or build the gun rack design.
Buck, thank you for drawing up the plans, you saved me the trouble of taking them out of my head and putting them on paper to share on LJ.

-- Dave Idaho

A note here the actual rack portion for the rifles is tilted back 15 degrees. The support legs are angled and aligned to allow a “flat” configuration when not in use.

I added 3/4” cleats in each butt plate bay to help keep the rifles strait in the bays.

By the drawing I have all dados inset at 1/4” with three 1/4” dowels in each assembly, brads in the cleat assembly and choice of favorite exterior grade glue for all.

What a nifty idea…!

Assuming I correctly understand the use of this rack, how would it work to lengthen the sides of the rack (buttstock end) below the pivots so that the rifles are held higher off the ground? The props would then need to be longer too. I’m thinking that for all ”the boys (most old enough to be my Dad)”, bending over to pick up rifles nearly on the ground might not be their most favorite part of the ceremony… ...It’s just a thought. After all, the whole point of the rack is their convenience.

I would use carriage bolts and locknuts for the pivots, with metal sleeves to prevent the threads from chewing up the holes in the moving wood parts.

I’m also thinking that the dowel pins that the props hook onto need to be placed far enough toward the pivots so they clear the props (at their pivot ends) when folded flat, and spacer blocks will be needed between the rack sides and the folding legs so it can fold flat for storage with the props nesting between the legs and the rack sides. I think fender washers between wood parts at their pivot points might be good.

To keep the folded assembly flat together while standing in storage in a closet, I think an 8d nail on a short cord on each side could pin leg, prop and rack side together when folded flat, inserted through about an 1/8” hole drilled through all three parts while folded—but unnecessary if hung up upside down on a wall instead.

What would be the appropriate color & finish for this?

WoodWright ~ Good job filling in the blanks. In this configuration the front sling post is at or near pocket or belt buckle level, no stooping to retrieve the weapon. Just grab it up by the fore stock.