Hidden Cabinet American Flag - Red Stripe

Any Southern Gentleman will tell you that he is proud to be an American. True American's work hard and know that freedom isn't free! So to show my support for our fellow American's out there; I have decided to dedicate my first DIY post to those who serve as our local heroes, American fire fighters.

This decorative subdued black and white color flag supports our fire fighters with a single red stripe in the middle. However, this red stripe could also be changed to blue (police), orange (EMS), etc.

To make this flag even cooler than what it is I have also added a hidden compartment behind the field of stars. This hidden compartment allows for a perfect hiding spot for a pistil or anything you would want to keep hidden in plain sight.

Tools you will need for this project include:

Tape Measure, Speed Square, Pencil, Safety Glasses, Hearing Protection, Sander, Brad Nail Gun, Circular Saw, Drill, Kreg Jig, and Clamps

Materials needed:

12' of 1x4 Common Board or a Knotty Pine

25' of 1x2 Common Board or a Knotty Pine

14" 1x12 Common Board or a Knotty Pine

Ebony Wood Stain

Kreg Self Tapping Screws

White Paint

50 Star Stencil

Stencil Paint

2 European Cabinet Hinges

Magnetic Child Safety Lock

Step 1: The Plan

I started this build by drawing on my computer how I wanted the flag to look and also how I wanted to add the hidden compartment. What I decided on is a 30" x 19" frame that used 13 strips of 1x2 for the stripes. With wood dimensions not being exactly as they are called the actual size of a 1x2 is 0.75" x 1.438" (give or take a little). So to give it some distancing between each stripe I made the overall height 19". I also knew that I would need to have support for the shorter stripes on the right side of the field of stars and I wanted to have a stop for the field of stars cabinet door, so I added two vertical 1x4 in the middle of the frame as soon in the image below.

I then laid out all of the stripes and the field of stars in my drawing leaving some spacing between the stripes to allow for irregularities in the wood. You will also see a gap underneath the field of stars so that the cabinet will not hit the red stripe when opening and closing. There are four lengths of stripes. A 16" and a 17" stripe is used to the right of the field of stars and a 30" and 31" is used on the lower section of the flag.

Step 2: The Build

I first started with the frame. By using 1x4 cut to the lengths shown above in the planning section I got my roughed out frame. I then used the Kreg tool to place two pocket holes at each end of the vertical 17.5" boards. I did not put any pocket holes in the 30" horizontal boards. By using clamps I screwed all vertical boards into the top and bottom 30" boards. I finished out my frame by placing the 12.5" horizontal board in the location shown in the plan.

Forgot to take a picture during the build here it is at the end.

My next step was cutting all of the stripes. This went relatively quickly and after cutting them all out I laid them out on the frame. As for an additional step I wanted to soften the look the stripes and the whole flag. So I used a round over bit on my router to cut the corners on all sides of each of the stripes. This probably isn't necessary, but I thought it add a little extra to the look.

 Next came the field of stars. I wanted to keep with solid look of the field so I used a 1x12 board to make this field. I cut the 1x12 to a 14" length to start with then made a second cut to create the final size of 10" x14". And again to add something extra I rounded off all top corners and edged with a round over bit. The last step in making the field of stars is attaching the European hinges. I used a 35mm cabinet hinge drill bit to drill two holes on the inside of door. When doing this keep in mind that you need a 3/4" overhang for the door.

Now that all my pieces are cut and smooth. I started the staining process with Ebony wood stain. I applied two coats of stain on each board before I assembled everything to make sure I did not miss any sides. After the stain dried I used a rough natural haired paint brush to apply an uneven coat of white paint on the needed stripes. I also did this to the one red stripe as well.

The last painting step was painting in the stars. By using a stencil that I bought online, I stenciled on a field of stars with different levels of paint brush loading. I wanted to create an uneven pattern of white on all of the stars.

Step 3: Assembly 

The final step in this whole process is assembling the flag. I used a brad nail gun to complete the assembly. There are two brad nails on each side of every stripe and an additional two nailed on the 30" and 31" stripes in the middle. The cabinet door was also screwed together with two soft closing hinges and as a final touch I used a magnetic child proof lock on the cabinet door.  

Added foam to the inside of the cabinet to hold pistal

Perfect for the bachelor pad!

Or the bedroom if you ask the wife really really nicely!