Hey guys,

I'm taking delivery of an Amsec BF6030 on Tuesday, a local moving company will be bringing it in and down into my basement in a tricky installation.  The basement has a fully structural floor that is supported on wooden joists that are lagged into cladded steel i-beams that run down the length of the basement sub-floor and are supported by steel caseins that drop into the soil under the home down to the bedrock.

In other words I don't think the weight of 1000 lb RSC + 200 lbs of guns and other goodies will be a problem but I will pay attention to placing the RSC at a wall and spacing it over a couple of beams.

So here's my question.  I would like to build a wooden riser platform to place the RSC on and make it a little easier to load and unload the safe.  This also makes it easier for me to make sure that the RSC install location is planned ahead of time rather than futzing around when the delivery guys are here.

My plan is to cut plywood sheets and use them to sandwich 2x6 (or 2x4) lumber frame as well as 2x6 inserts for structural support.  I would then take the whole thing and lag it to the i-joists and then screw the safe onto the platform once the delivery guys place it for me.

If I'm feeling particularly festive perhaps I clad the platform in carpet remnants.

Any concerns about such a platform supporting the indicated weight?  Any better way of doing this?  Anyone have the bolt locations for the 30x26 footprint of the BF6030 so that I can make sure my lumber is spaced correctly to get the anchor holes into the lumber?

Thanks for all the expert advice floating around here.

Make and locate your riser platform just guessing when the bolts will drop to avoid your joists, place safe on the riser and make any final position adjustments drilling pilot holes with a long cable install bit if needed to insure you have it all in the right spot. Drill holes for the largest thread rod (1/2 inch?) you can use with mounting holes, below floor cut/place/construction adheasve glue/screw into joists some 2x8-2x10 horizontal reinforcement boards that will that the thread-rod will and also go through. These will be flat against the underneath the plywood subfloor, and then structually tied into the joists. If you screw or lag these in good to the joists, use the thread rod and good bolts w cut stop washers, this will never go anywhere without the floor and joists being cut. No seperate anchoring of the riser is needed, if you move you just need four little pieces of carpet?/wood plugs? to cover bolt holes in your floor. You want to be even more secure, encase with more wood the bolts under the subfloor when you are done. Did this with my BF6032. Good Luck.

Sounds fine, but, if it was me I would build the frame out of 4 X 6 or even 6 x 6 timbers which are widely available HD/Lowes.

Mine weighs 850 or so empty. It ain't empty. I had to place a 2x6 across several joists and a basement Jack holding it up.

I went to work and noticed it seemed farther from the wall at the top than the bottom. I measured it over a couple of days and found it was actually leaning more and more.

I put the jack under it and straightened it up over the next week or so.

Thanks.  Hopefully reinforcement will not be a problem as both of the locations I am looking at will have it either straddling or very close to the steel i-beam.  Here's a picture of the underside of the subfloor for reference, as you can see the subfloor is over dirt with a moisture barrier.  There wouldn't be the ability to use a jack or anything else like that to support the weight.  If weight was a problem I would have to reinforce between the wooden beams and spread the load more to the i-beam.

That's a pretty good idea ... I had a lot of 2x4 and 2x6 laying around so thought I would scrape a few bucks off of the price but I will see what a timber would cost.  I can probably have them cut a single one for me there and have it provide more than enough material for the frame.

Are there any particulars with plywood for this type of installation that you would recommend?

Wow, it looks like you've really thought this out! :)

My only issue with doing it like you recommend that I can think of is that a pretty smart person could get under the basement floor and cut the bolts and make removing the safe a snap.  I think that if I anchor it from the top into the beams I might actually be better off since I would use hex head bolts that could only be removed when the safe is open.... if you have more info though that might change my mind please let me know.

Also.... if anyone here happens to have a BF6030 I would love to have the measurements of the bolt pattern so I can do this work over the weekend in anticipation of the safe arriving.

Regarding your 'cut the bolts/nuts off' from the crawl space... As I wrote:

"You want to be even more secure, encase with more wood the bolts under the subfloor when you are done."

What I mean is if you really think someone is going to take that time and find the place.. In a full unfinished basement yes more likely... Then box in the bolts /bolt points with lumber so you cannot get to them... You want to insure that... Spade drill a Countersink/pocket in a 2x6+ for the bolt heads... Get your board cut so it can go ontop and all fits good... Then slather the whole thing with liquid nails/construction adhesive and then sandwich the board ontop the face the bolts are mounted to.. Screw/nail the heck out of it and after it dries you will not get that apart and the bolts will never rotate if you need to remove it from the top, but the rod will back out of the bolts Overbuilt.. Maybe.. But concern resolved. :)

Not an expert but I would think thicker would be better and maybe exterior or structural?  

Link with ply info

No thief is going through that much trouble for guns.  If you're storing anything more valuable than guns in a gunsafe, it's time to buy a real safe and let a pro install it.  Alarm your house and safe as well, so that some meth head with a sawzall doesn't wreck your house or safe trying to get in and steal your guns.

I installed a low platform for a 1200lb safe on a second floor.  The platform was made of 2 1" plywood panels glued together  and cut so that they would cross three floor trusses (one double).  The safe alone would only have spanned  two.  I screwed the platform to the trusses with dozens of 3" deck screws.  The safe covers the platform and protects the screws.  I bored two bolt down holes (3/4") through the platform and floor (another 3/4 ply) using the template provided by the manufacturer.  Fortunately the bolt holes were between the rafters.  I used 4" bolts and large washers both in the safe and on the ceiling of the lower level to spread the pressure of the bolts.  Then I used two nuts on each bolt and liberally coated the threads with locktite red. Final step was to foam over the nuts as the ceiling was coated with insulating spray foam.  If I ever need to move the safe I will need to cut the bolt heads in the safe.  You would have to dig for the nuts through the foam and then they would be very difficult to break free.  I think the safe is secure for a wood floor installation.

Frame the box with 4x4's or 4x6 depending on your height requirements. Run a center piece if the safe is wider than 20", run two if its wider than 40".

Two pieces of 3/4" or 1" ply on the bottom (1" is hard to find, most places like HD and Lowes don't stock it) and a single piece on the top.

Cover with short nap carpet. The shorter the better, longer plush carpet makes it hard to slide the safe onto it and adjust position.

Take a look at where the holes are in the floor of the safe and mark out the spots to bolt through the base and floor. I would wait till the safe is in place then drill them through. If you make the holes first, it can be a pain trying to shift a big safe over 1/4" to line up holes!!

Once its in place, bolt it down and have a beer!!