Thread: How to keep you garage workshop safe

Originally Posted by sam63

I do most of my woodworking in my garage with a roller door, which is as safe as the lock on the roller door. I'd like to find out what type of safety measures other woodies in similar situation use in order to prevent break-ins.

First thing is leave the metropolitian area, do a seachange this reduces the risk expedientally , then fit an alarm system (works for me) and maybe if you're still that worried a set of mesh doors just behind the roller door.

For my workshops' security I just rely on 2 roller doors, an alarm (battery backed), 2 serious border collies(well they take themselves seriously and they do both have a track record on thwarting burglars and undesirables, so I suppose they have the right) and the really terrifying obstacles my 2 nosey aggressive foghorn like kids

For me it just make sure to have curtains on the windows (Outta sight outta mind) Lock everything up...................and hope for the Best!!!

I got a m8 who's a mechanic and he said once you got a decent tool set make sure it added to your home and content insurance.theives are that good these days if they want it they'll get it!

Besides if you do anything like bounce a 4 be 2 of a thiefs head .YOU'LL GO TO JAIL these days...............may as well give em a cuppa n thank em for the new kitted out tool set that insurance will pay for after its stolen !!!!

urgesheeeeeeeeeesssssssshhhhhhhhhh Life's Unfair!!!..................I need some Pancakes!!!

REgards Lou

Invited my GIO assessor to visit my shed, view/list contents, increased house contents cover by $14,000.00, cost extra $12.00 per year.

Sam,
a quick, cheap and easy way to dramatically improve security on a roller door is to fit some serious hasp and staples (hasp on bottom of door, staple on floor). Either use cup head bolts through the door, with the rounded head on the outside, or use normal bolts with welded or doubled up nuts on the inside to stop them being undone on the outside. If you do this any burglars will need to do some fairly noisy things to the door before they can get in.

Mick

Thats a good question. Insurance is all well and good, but its a hassle until you have your tools back. Im not a tradeperson, but I think life would suck until the insurance coughed up, and how quick are the bastards when theft is involved? Not very.

If you house has an alarm, have it rigged to the carport. If you dont have one, there are companies around that will give you one for free if you have your house monitored for 12 months. Cost's around $40 a month and well worth it for peace of mind in my opinion. Alarms are almost a requirement for house insurance these days anyway.

I reckon Mick has hit it on the head. Lock the door down properly when your finished. And park your car in the way.

J!

Sam - well I don't live in a metro area but I still take security seriously. I use an alarm system which is hooked to the house system when I am away. Within the shed it has TWO VERY LOUD sirens, each with different sounds. Any thief who set if off would have to be stone deaf or would quickly become violently ill if he/she was in the shed for too long. I'll take the risk on being sued for deafening somebody. Can't do more.
With most modern 'tin sheds' I am more concerned with how easy it would be to remove the tin from either walls or roof rather than forcing the door. You don't mention whether your garage is a 'tin shed' or a brick building.
When we lived on the farm I just kept the sheds locked. So many of our neighbours never locked their sheds I reckoned most thieves would go for the easy target. I was proved right on more than one occasion. You can adopt some of the same principal by making sure that any thief knows that your garage is alarmed. Most casual thieves don't have the skills to disable alarms. Of course, serious professionals will get past anything.
Cheers

Geoff is correct in saying that there is no way to stop someone who really wants to get in to get in. The basic idea with security is make it difficult enought that the would be thief breaks in next door because it's easier.

A mate of mine works for a Locksmith Wholesaler and I've got some serious padlocks for three doors into my shed. The best security I have is two boxers who look the part and bark loudly when anyone comes on to the property. Insurance works for me.

Thanks for all replies everyone. Unfortunately I live in a small appartment block with 6 units. Although the grage is big enough for me to do my hobby, I am not sure if it will allow me to take some of the safety measures that you recommend such as having few dogs around. As most of you already know, living in the city comes with certain limitations e.g. keeping the noise level absolute minimum, which forces me to use more and more hand tools, which I quite enjoy. Therefore, the things I can do as safety measures should not require strata permission. On more thing though. I have got few machinery such a drill press, and a sander. If I bolt these to the concrete floor, would that deter burglars even if they break in?

Sam

The sign "Caution Bees" and the hive between the house and shed has protected me from everthing from charity collectors to thieves with the added benefits of fresh honey and wax.

Ross

Originally Posted by sam63

If I bolt these to the concrete floor, would that deter burglars even if they break in?

unless the bastard is a pro - bolting stuff down works pretty well.. they generally only want the easily pawned stuff like power tools - mark this stuff with your drivers liscence and your halfway there... of course you need to hide your spanners....

Sam,
I would have thought that getting permission (if it's required) to fit extra locks to a garage door wouldn't be an impossibility, although with some of the politics that you no doubt get in body corporates it may seem that way . The locks would hardly be visible and certainly not noticed, especially if you were to paint them the same colour as the door. If you peen over the bolt heads after you dynabolt, or better still weld them then thieves will need to take a grinder to them.

Another option for the door, should the body corporate be difficult, would be to bolt a large staple or eyebolt to the inside of the door (if you use cuphead bolts and paint them to match the door no one will notice) and then fit an eyebolt to the floor. Use a length of chain and loop it through the eye in the door, shut the door behind you leaving just enough gap to reach in and padlock the chain to the eye in the floor and then close and lock the door with the standard lock. For further security bolt a large angle iron shroud to the floor in front of the eyebolt. This will mean that you'll need to reach around this to lock and unlock the padlock and should make getting boltcutters onto the chain or lock impossible.

Bolting the machines down may be limiting if working with longer lengths etc. Another possibility is to use a large eyebolt chemsetted into the slab and then chain the machines to this, using good qulaity chain.


Mick

laughin my @rse off Ross....conjures images of Homer J Simpsons' classic line, goes a little something like
"What are you gonna do? Sick your dogs on me? Or your bees? Or dogs with bees in their mouth so when they bark they shoot killer bees at me"

Mick

Just for my own interest could you please explain what Chemsetting is:confused??? and how to go bout it???

REgards Lou

Lou,
"Chemset" is a proprietry product name for a epoxy glue by Ramset. Just like everybody refers to expansion anchors as "dynabolts" (also from Ramset) most people refer to the glue systems as "chemset" but it comes in different brands as well.
There's a few different systems:
Glass capsules. Thes have a smaller capsule inside them with the hardener for the epoxy. You drill your hole, blow out the dust push in the capsule and then drive in your stud, spinning it slowly with a drill to mix the epoxy. The ground glass adds to the grit in the epoxy to give extra "tooth".

Liquid in tins. Just like "normal" epoxy, but formulated especially for this application. Mixes 2:1 from memory. Drill holes, blow out dust, mix epoxy adding some cement powder, tip in hole (only works where you can pour the stuff in the hole, no good for vertical or overhead) push in stud.

Injection systems. There's a few variations of these, a few that just fit in a standard caulking gun, but most of them have purpose made dual cartridge or even co-axial cartridge guns. These are a thickened epoxy with styrenes and grit. There's a screw on spout with an internal mixing spiral. You drill and clean all your holes, pump in the goo and hammer in your studs.

You need to work very quickly with all of these as they go off very quickly. When doing multiple holes with the two latter systems it's best to work with two people, one to apply the epoxy and the other to fit the studs. Otherwise you'll find yourself with a burning hot tin of mix and a stud stuck half in a hole. Hasn't happened to me, but I've been close.

Mick