Fireside Lodge Cedar Gun Cabinet

I was excited when I found these gun cabinets.  They are made by a Minnesota company (and I live in Minnesota).  They are manufactured by a company called Fireside Furniture Company in a northern town called Pequot Lakes, which is about 150 miles north of the Twin Cities.

These cabinets are very unique.  While many wood gun cabinets are very beautiful with perfect wood and finishes, this company makes all kinds of furniture out of real imperfect logs in both cedar, hickory and even old barn wood.  It gives them a rustic feel that is definitely very masculine.

The company cuts their cedar logs in the middle of winter in Northern Minnesota (think almost in Canada).  They delimb the log, but leave it otherwise intact with the bark on it.  While many other companies would almost immediately cut the logs into usable lumber and kiln dry the wood, Fireside Lodge actually lets the logs air dry for at least two summers.  This time allows the bark to naturally fall off the logs, allowing the company to “hand peel” each log as needed.

Drying it slowly and naturally retains all the character of this beautiful wood including knots, worm holes, woodpecker holes and even holes from beetles.  You are left with a much more natural and rustic piece of wood that has much more character than a simple piece of oak.  Using the Northern White cedar results in now 2 pieces of furniture looking the same.  With different knots and even color, you have a truly unique cabinet.  Additionally, cedar has a much lower moisture content than other traditional woods like pine and oak.  This results in a much more stable finished product.

The hickory wood is kiln dried, but still retains much of it natural defects.  It is purchased by the company from a tree farm in the Midwest.  The hickory has a  darker color than the cedar, almost like walnut.  After choosing the material, you can keep the cabinet natural or have it stained 1 of 2 colors for additional options.

Each gun cabinet is also clear-coated with a lacquer to increase the durability and stabilize the wood.  Most models have a locking upper and lower doors/drawers.  Some of the models come with lighting in the upper cabinet to showcase your gun collection.  They feature hidden European cabinet hinges for a simpler look.  Best of all, each gun cabinet is hand made.  They are available in 8 or 12 gun versions.  While they are much more expensive than your traditional wooden gun cabinet, they will appeal to someone that is looking for a truly unique piece or maybe someone that needs a cabinet that will fit with the decor of their Northern Minnesota lake cabin.

These cabinets are available at www.GunSafes.com.  Gunsafes.com will ship for free on all order over $50 (huge savings).  They come fully assembled and weigh a hefty 175-200 pounds.  Also be prepared to spend about $1800-$2700 depending upon the size and wood material that you decide to go with (hickory is more expensive than cedar).