Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message

Do you lock your tools up? What do you use?

Posted on 1/4/20 at 7:27 pm
Posted by BeepNode
Lafayette
Member since Feb 2014
10005 posts
Posted on 1/4/20 at 7:27 pm
I'm using our boat port that is attached to the garage as a "shop". It has a door lock on it but the windows would be super easy to get through. I'll add an alarm to the door and windows at some point, but I would also like a nice secure-ish place to keep some tools.

I'm looking to get a tool cart/box and then maybe attaching it to a floor anchor or to the wall somehow. Nick Cage type criminals would still be able to get it but it may deter casual thieves that are just looking for low hanging fruit.

It would mostly be for storing my cordless tools, batteries, and of course some socket sets and wrenches.

Something like this Craftsman 2000 series 5-draw Rolling Tool Cabinet

Or maybe a gun safe, or something else?
Posted by CheEngineer
Louisiana
Member since Aug 2019
4234 posts
Posted on 1/4/20 at 8:04 pm to
Not a lot of crime in my neighborhood so I don’t lock them up they are in a closed shop and we have a couple large dogs in the yard that go nuts if somebody walks down the street.

Edited to add I have a tool cart that I keep tools in that is similar but for storage not deter theft. Also you could by an engraving tool and mark in your initials that way you can get them back from the local pawn shops they will likely sell them to.
This post was edited on 1/4/20 at 8:09 pm
Posted by NYCAuburn
TD Platinum Membership/SECr Sheriff
Member since Feb 2011
57002 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 6:26 am to
Job box anchored to the ground with a high end padlock. They make some nicer ones with shelves also. You can put smaller hand carry tool boxes inside for the hand tools.

Posted by Clames
Member since Oct 2010
16537 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 12:23 pm to
I'd get a Knaack or Rigid jobsite box or cabinet. Regular little toolboxes like that are virtually zero protection against even a small prying attack. Look around at pawnshops and local ad listings, worth spending a few hundred more for something solid. Also, no high-end padlock will say Masterlock on it unless a locksmith has put a better cylinder in it. Look at Abus and others that offer high security lock cores and shackles.
Posted by AU1960
ALABAMA
Member since Oct 2008
3632 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 7:07 pm to
I keep my harbor freight 5 bit screwdriver in my night stand right behind my pistol.
You can never be too safe.
Posted by BayouBengal51
Forest Hill, Louisiana
Member since Nov 2006
6533 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 9:44 pm to
I have a couple of lockable tool drawer/chests that I keep the majority of my stuff in. Everything is in my workshop which is locked when I'm not home. I'm out in the country so not a lot of crime where I live. The rest of my stuff sits in cabinets that are not locked. I'm working on getting that changed in the future with new cabinets with locks on them.

My neighbors have clear lines of site to my shop and house, so no worries about someone sneaking into it unnoticed. And then there is Sampson, my neighbor's mastiff/boxer combo who has adopted me as his second owner.

Anything comes in my yard that shouldn't he lets the world know. Plus I have my own two dogs as well.
This post was edited on 1/6/20 at 9:45 pm
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
18893 posts
Posted on 1/7/20 at 12:44 pm to
There are two types of physical security.

The kind designed to deter a break in and if that fails to keep the casual thief from grabbing your stuff in a minute or two. This can be accomplished with good lighting, a dog and basic locks on a metal cabinet. Basically what other people in this thread posted. This is cheap and easy.

The other type is deterring a professional thief or an amateur who has an extended period and some tools to break in. This involves legitimate safes, monitored alarm and camera systems, etc. This is hard to design and expensive to install and maintain. You can often end up spending more on the security than what you are trying to protect is worth.

Go with option 1.

Also, cameras seem to be all the rage right now. People seem to forget that cameras don't stop anything. They just give you a view of it after the fact. Yes, it may help in getting the crook arrested but it won't get your stuff back.
Posted by fishfighter
RIP
Member since Apr 2008
40026 posts
Posted on 1/7/20 at 7:11 pm to
Don't lock up anything around these parts. If a neighbor needs a tool, have at it. Just how us country folks are. City folks need to lock down everything.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram