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The days of DIY aren’t dead yet. Here are two projects suitable any craftsman—aspiring or seasoned—can do on a rainy day. The gun rack is suitable for easy storage of rifles and shotguns during hunting season, and the rifle sling can be as simple or as intricate as you like.
How To Make Your Own Gun Rack
You can make this no-brainer rack in 30 minutes for $20.
Instructions
- Cut two 1-by-3-inch oak boards to 24 inches (two) and 18 inches (two).
- Position the 24-inch boards upright and the 18-inch boards at top and bottom, inside the longer boards.
- Drill pilot holes through each corner and screw the boards together on the horizontal plane with four construction screws.
- Drill ¼-inch-deep pilot holes for screw-in doorstops, which serve as pegs for the guns.
- Righties should stagger the left pegs 2 inches lower than the corresponding pegs on the right (and vice versa for lefties). This way, the guns hang on a slight upward angle.
- Screw in brass screw eyes on the top board; 16-inch separation is ideal to match most wall-stud gaps.
- Hang the gun rack (from wall studs) and display your firearms.
—Tom Carpenter
How to Make Your Own Rifle Sling
Instructions
- Cut a 1¹⁄₈-by-40-inch strip of 9- to 11-ounce leather (40 to 50 inches is fine—suit the length to your physique).
- Round both ends, and edge the sides with a No. 1 edger.
- Cut the leather and add a 1¹⁄₈-inch buckle 15 inches from one end.
- Taper and edge the tongue end, and punch seven holes on 1-inch centers.
- Measure 1½ inches from each end fold, and punch three small holes through both layers to form a triangle.
- Place a sling swivel on each folded end.
- Use ³⁄₁₆-inch-wide leather thongs to lace through your triangle holes, and you’re finished.
—Aram von Benedikt