Had a recent commission for a presentation case in red oak for a 1911 pistol. The customer asked for a fully-lined, fitted case to accommodate a 5” 1911 with a single 7 round magazine.. This case features a keyed lock, walnut inserts in the lid, instead of splines, rail hinges, and a double-strength glass top. Polished with ultra-fine sandpaper and a couple of thin coats of tung oil. I consider this a “low profile” case, as it sits less than 2.75” high.

This piece was commissioned to display a trophy ring awarded to a college athlete. It is made in two parts, a small case with a removable back, and a base with an angled support. We used red oak, stained with English chestnut, and a blue flocked lining. The case may be displayed on the base, as shown, hung on a wall, set vertically on a shelf, or set horizontally on a table.

I had been wanting to show a little more variety in the basic fitted handgun case, so I recently had an opportunity to complete this one for a 1911 using solid black walnut.  As with a nearby example in red oak, this one features a lock, relocated to the front, though the solid lid still slides to the right.  The outside dimensions remain approximately 13” x 10” x 3”, with interior measurements of 7.5” x 10.5” x 2”.  Final finish is a thin coat of rubbed teak oil.

This is a small shadow box built to display a special belt buckle.  The case is solid walnut, about 6 ½” by 8”, approximately 2 ¼” deep.  It is hinged in brass and the “latch” is a couple of pair of magnets in the lid and case side rails, opposite the hinges.  The box is trimmed with black-white-black guitar purfling and edged in rosewood.  It is designed to be either wall-hung, or displayed standing upright or laying on its back, as it is shown here.  The buckle is mounted on a block to stand away from the back.  The block is attached with a single, centered, wood screw to permit rotational adjustment to level the buckle.  This design could be easily adapted to a display case for a favorite handgun.

Recently returned to the wood shop to make this walnut presentation case for a 4” Model 64. The exterior is similar to another walnut case shown nearby, but for the interior I used the old style partitioned compartments with spaces for the revolver, cleaning tools, and a couple of loads of cartridges. The case is lined with deep red velvet and is fitted with a mortise lock and rail hinges.

This piece is made of radiata pine, which is a pretty nice material if you’re wanting to practice techniques without butchering really expensive hardwoods. Which I did. The knife and sheath are also projects, but my interest was in the mortises for the hinges and lock. The color is due to multiple coats of a mahogany leather dye, finished with teak oil. The case is fully lined with velvet and partitioned, as you can see. I routed the top to give it a little visual and tactile interest, but it’s pretty much a traditional display case or shadow box, depending on your interest.

This case is a pretty standard 6”x 9” suitable for a variety of modern handguns. I used mahogany to frame the top and side panels with tooled leather, antiqued to achieve a burgundy finish. The case features stop hinges, a keyed lock, and is lined with red velvet.

I was experimenting with a little different style of base and lid, so I used clear pine instead of hardwood. When the design turned out alright, I was curious to see how a lacquer or enamel finish might work. This was the result. The case is lined, and is now used to store a Bible that’s been in the family since 1957.

This piece was made to display an heirloom Colt revolver in a wall-mounted case. It is constructed with oiled mahogany, splined with red oak, and lined with blue flocking. It features a removable back, and simple post supports for the revolver. An envelope is attached to the back containing a 1959 letter of provenance from the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co., Inc, Hartford 15, Connecticut, USA, written in response to an inquiry by the owner. According to the letter, the revolver was originally shipped in 1905, to Sears, Roebuck, and Co. in Chicago. The ammunition box, like the revolver, is somewhat the worse for wear, dating from the mid-1930s. Postage for that 1959 letter was four cents.

This case, which was built several years ago, was repurposed from housing an army colt to housing an ad hoc set of 1911s. All of the pistols are mil-spec, with not a single beavertail in the lot of them. Muzzle to tang clearances were tight, but all four fit in the configuration shown. The box is red oak, and the lining is indigo upholstery velvet. The finish is a thin coat of boiled linseed oil, and the case was provided with a keyed mortise lock.

This is a detail of a walnut shadow box made to display a special belt buckle. I’ve been using splines recently to assure a strong bond for the mitered corners, and even more recently, have been using small magnets instead of locks, for display cases with glass tops. This case also features a green flocked lining.

Finally got the sliding lid design for this model just about right.  Fitted for full-size GI model cocked or uncocked.  Stained with aged oak stain, desk lock installed.  The lock engages a small mortise on the underside of the lid.  There's a little routing at the corners to separate the vertical corner pieces from the horizontal side pieces, and a little rounding over on the top and bottom edges, otherwise it's all as plain as it can be. 

This is a variation of the basic hinged case.  The top is paneled and uses the more robust lock that I prefer.  Though this is red oak I've stained it to resemble an English brown oak.

This was an early sliding lid design I made several years ago of walnut and lightly figured maple. I lined it with a variety of turquoise fabric, taupe leather, and foam tape. It was pretty ugly. I recently put in a new velvet lining that I like much better.

My wife found a place near our home that sells terrific pecans and also reclaimed lumber of varying species. I let him talk me into buying some spalted pecan and this was my first attempt to use it in a small case. I made an inset panel for the top and bottom, and used regular miters on the sides. The hinges are mortised rail hinges and the lock is mortised as well. I like pecan as a material, and have a couple of other pieces made with it. I’m not sure about spalting, however. Each piece is incontrovertibly unique, but the patterns can change dramatically with only minuscule changes in thickness, so what you see initially may not be what you wind up with.

This is the interior of the sliding lid design.  The lock is visible on the right side.  There are pockets for the handgun and for two magazines.  The fabric lining is draped over a foam nest and held in place by the snug fit around the perimeter of the foam.  I have the muzzle pointing left because the safety and slide lock lever are on the left, permitting the gun to lay flat on its right side.  This design lends itself to a glass top, but a lock would require modifying the slide rails to encroach on the interior perhaps a quarter inch on the sides.