Any one here ever built a safe door?

[Rivershot]

Sounds like you are a do-it-yourself guy but no need to reinvent the wheel.

Go buy a large vault on sale at Liberty, Dick’s or Tractor Supply.

Take a grinding wheel and cut the front sides, top and bottom edge, basically leaving yourself the complete front of the vault (1-piece, fully functioning threshold, jamb, hinges and door).

When opened, the door will lift off the hinges.

Take your door frame and weld maybe 5 hardened threaded rods on each side and maybe 3 across the top and bottom (Alternately you could just drill holes and use long hardened carriage bolts) these rods will go through your concrete opening and fasten your doorframe. Make sure the placement of your threaded rods won’t interfere with the vault door’s sliding lock rods.

Using some long 3” wide strips of 3/8 thick steel, weld up a “picture frame” that’s a mirror image of the vault door’s frame (this will be for the inside of your vault-room’s door) for the threaded rods to go through acting as a 1-piece washer and thereby sandwiching your new vault door around your concrete door opening. The nuts will be exposed on the inside of your vault.

Tighten bolts, hang the vault door back on its hinge-pins and you’re done.

Take a grinding wheel and cut the front sides, top and bottom edge, basically leaving yourself the complete front of the vault (1-piece, fully functioning threshold, jamb, hinges and door).

Or cut the back out and make it look like just another safe up against the wall.

 

[DADI03]

Make sure you use at least 3/4 plywood for the door.....

Crap i used 1/2 inch

 

[gh1950]

I have a friend who was able to build his house into the side of a hill, so he had poured concrete walls in the basement. Then he took one corner and built a safe room with rebar re-enforced block wall, filled with concrete.


He had a safe door built, from one of the safe manufacturers, if you got the money, they can build a door to your satisfaction. I don't think getting the door is a major project.

The room was so tight that he had to provide outside ventilation, which he did with a passive system built into the hillside.