Lock em all up every day or what?

[TheCarbideRat]

Just interested in how many of us lock up all or some of our tools / equipment on a daily basis at the workplace.

I lock up everything [9 locks] each day when I leave work, sometimes even when I leave for lunch... amazingly very few tools have sprouted legs.

On the downside it takes 15 - 20 minutes to do it. For lunch I do a 5 minute deal.

 

[Stick Figure]

work boxes get locked every night, for lunch depending on who is staying behind. The home boxes i don't lock now, but i would like to get in a better habit of cleaning up all of my stuff and locking it up on a as use basis.

 

[mrshaun]

lock them lock them lock them. 14 shops were hit in this area in the last 6 months. one got cleaned out. others have just lost small amounts due to the fact the boxes were locked.

 

[ears]

I work alone so I only lock them when I am not coming in the next day. I have shelves and boxes full of junk tools in the shop for my boss to borrow if he needs them. I keep my good tools in a truck body that makes up the back wall of my shop I lock it every day. My boss has a key but knows I dont want anyone in there but him and one other guy. Works ok, nothing gets stolen stupid things still irk me, like sanding trucks in the shop instead of outside, or leaving a mess. His shop though.

 

[Chris83]

I don't lock up my boxes at all. the most I ever do is close the lid if I am going away on holidays. Its a small shop with 3 other guys and I open and close everyday.

 

[MattT]

Everywhere but one place I've worked if you didn't keep a close eye on tools and lock 'em up when you left they'd grow legs. That one place I could trust everyone got broke into and I lost about $1,000 worth of powertools

 

[Goinlow]

I lock my box everyday after work. Going to lunch no (it's a small shop and trust me if anyone were gonna steal **** it'd be from bosses box not mine). My boss never locks his box,it's open 24/7 and he's got allll kinds of tools in it.

 

[tonydanzah]

i lock them up if i walk from on side of the garage to the other.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

< It figures it's a Canadian who is the first non-locker to show up here, whats the problem up there, no crooks?

Seriously, you guys are lucky if you live with such trust, I envy you.
I get it that you are the opener/closer but just the same:

 

[Chris83]

< It figures it's a Canadian who is the first non-locker to show up here, whats the problem up there, no crooks?

Seriously, you guys are lucky if you live with such trust, I envy you.
I get it that you are the opener/closer but just the same:

Might help that the shop I work for does lots of work for the local police

 

[Kevin54]

I never used to in our department until a few people on second shift managed to acquire keys to get into the Toolroom and a few items came up missing. So it is locked all the time now.

 

[arkangel06]

When I leave work my box gets locked

 

[wreckercologist]

I didn't used to, but do now.

A former coworker of mine was a real mental case. He was so nutty, the boss wouldn't give him a key to the shop (and for good reason). So, he called another coworker to let him into the shop on weekends. After a few weeks of putting away my tools on Friday, and the having to go find them on Monday, I started locking my box. That problem went away, but another appeared. He became agressive and threatening, but eventually quit. I still lock my boxes. If anyone broke into the shop, he's the first SOB I'd go look for.

I wouldn't have cared if he borrowed stuff, if he just returned it, but he never did. Then the SOB has the nuts to get in my face when I open up his box to get my own tools back. If it wasn't for the fact that I like my job, and need my job, I'd have stomped that piece of white trash into the cracks in the shop floor. What a jerk......

Funny thing is, he was always saying how honest and trustworthy he was. After he left, shop tools, gas, shop supplies all quit disappearing.

It costs nothing to lock a toolbox, so I say keep 'em locked.

 

[krusty the clown]

when i worked at a dealership i locked up my tools regularly. i watched one day when the owner got into my box and took a hammer. now that i work at a small shop i NEVER lock it.

 

[Boost Creep]

i don't work in a shop but i still lock up my boxes after i'm done. the way i see it, you can never can be too careful. i'm half tempted lately to put some d-rings or something on the poles in the barn to chain the boxes to

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I lock the box whenever i'm not around it, in a shop environment.

When i was going to lunch or whatever, i'd lock my box and leave my friend the keys, so if he needed anything he could go ahead and take it. I never once worried about him doing anything he shouldnt, it was the other people in the place that i didn't want going near it. More than once i found the boss trying to open it (couldn't figure out Lock 'n' Roll..) to get things.

In another place i worked, if i wasn't using my tools and was next to the box (It was alongside my bay.) then it was locked. When i went to lunch, it was locked. There was a guy there who i didn't trust in the slightest. He was ultimately sacked for stealing ~£4-worth of parking vouchers from a customer's car.

At home, when not in use, i keep the box locked and everything tidied away. If i'm not working on something it's locked. We live in a gated "community" of only a few houses, everyone knows each other and get along. No one here would touch anyone else's stuff. I often run into the house to grab something and leave the box open and the garage door up, when i stop for lunch i leave everything as it is and close the garage door.

Only one time, i had a car in the garage with the ***-end sticking out so i couldn't put the door down. Had tools everywhere, but left everything as it was. Came back and my friend had put a sticker on my toolbox, nothing else was touched!

i don't work in a shop but i still lock up my boxes after i'm done. the way i see it, you can never can be too careful. i'm half tempted lately to put some d-rings or something on the poles in the barn to chain the boxes to

I plan to set a ground anchor into the garage floor and have a steel plate and eyebolt attached to the box. Then i'll secure it with a short chain. Hopefully the steel plate and eyebolt will be welded to the bottom of the box. Having a short chain will mean that the box won't even be able to move, so no chance of getting an angle grinder in there, and chain tough enough that bolt cutters won't cut it.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

Moose I like your chain idea.

I have 2 roll cabs chained together at the wheels.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

Here is the way I see it, you value your tools correct? And you would be heartbroken if they were to come up missing one day right? Isnt it much easyer to lock the box than have to pay for all your beloved tools again? even if you lived in the best possible neighbor hood in "perfectville" and nobody stole life was great I would still lock your box. because what if its just an honest mistake. Bob needed a ____ and your box was open and bob knew that you had _____ so Bob said "well ill just borrow it for this one job and ill put it back no biggie." Bob gets done with his job and thanks to your ____ he did a great job, its the end of Bobs shift and he has your ____ in your pocket and takes it home or sticks it in his toolbox where it is forgoten about for at least a day or possibly forever or it gets left somewhere (like in a wing ) and when your tool marked with your name causes a bunch of harm someone is going to be mad. Depending on where you work you could be sued or worse for something you didnt do. Do yourself a favor. Lock the box. I know locks keep honest people honest but if the cops show up and see your toolbox forced open you will have a stronger case later down the road

HOPE THIS HELPS
Sean Scott

 

[Fubar]

When I worked at other places it really depended on who worked there, times the building would be open (gas stations, private repair, etc) and who had access (again, gas stations with the public walking through, etc).

My own place is alarmed, but I still lock everything up at night and tell my help to do the same. We live in a small town so the risk is small but for the few minutes it takes to do that minimizes what can be taken in the small window of time between entering the building (tripping the alarm) and having to get out before getting caught (I'm a half mile from the police station and live less than that). Thievery from the inside is a different story.

I know of places (and have worked at) that anything that isn't nailed down is fair game. So if you aren't vigilant about locking up even at lunch, you'd be out big time. The smaller (read=private) repair shops weren't bad for that, but it also depends on who hangs around and how much after-hour work goes on. My place is small and most all the customers are friends and acquaintances so I don't have to worry about somebody taking something off a workbench. Although I have to add I'm in a high land value (beach coast) area that is a peninsula so you really don't have that type of crime problems here.

 

[CHRIS_GSXR1K]

i worked in a shop where i only locked the box at night, but now that i have the box at home and i have more tools i lock it all the time...crazy huh, i dont trust anybody when im spending that kinda money on snap-on and mac toold

 

[GN4WHLN]

I don't work in a shop, but I lock my boxes because my son can't seem to put things back. I've had a few things go missing that I suspect he borrowed and left somewhere. I bought him his own set of tools that are commensuarate with his skill level and I have noticed he is on top of keeping them put away.

 

[gearbuilder]

At work I lock my boxes at the end of my shift. At home I used to lock everything but now that the kids have moved out I don't have to. They weren't good at putting things back.

Jamie

 

[billymade]

Lock your tools.... when you get in this habit; its amazing when you unlock your box and low, behold... everything will still be there! Things stay put, when they are not available to others to take; no one is going to appreciate the time, money, effort or enjoyment of the tools you own. Its a power trip to have the tool you need for the job at hand! Eliminate the possibility of being disappointed with things getting lost, stolen, borrowed or whatever "reason" tools are gone and not there anymore. If you can stop the possibility of things disappearing, DO IT; I have a challenge enough in keeping track of all my tools on my own much less getting "help" from other taking my stuff... locking takes just a second, the feeling of loss and nausea from a stolen tool can last a long, long, time!

 

[TheGrooveking]

My father used to blame my brother and I when we were taking his tools and not putting back. The fact was we watched dad and he would just leave his tools all over the place, he leave them laying next to the boat, on the driveway in the garage. Finally one day I was mowing the lawn an ran over a 1/2" ratchet (Indestro) I thought WTF? Well sure enough we found out that on top of dad's forgetfulness our lab was picking up anything shiny and running around the back yard!

TheGrooveking

 

[TheGrooveking]

Lock your tools.... when you get in this habit; its amazing when you unlock your box and low, behold... everything will still be there! Things stay put, when they are not available to others to take; no one is going to appreciate the time, money, effort or enjoyment of the tools you own. Its a power trip to have the tool you need for the job at hand! Eliminate the possibility of being disappointed with things getting lost, stolen, borrowed or whatever "reason" tools are gone and not there anymore. If you can stop the possibility of things disappearing, DO IT; I have a challenge enough in keeping track of all my tools on my own much less getting "help" from other taking my stuff... locking takes just a second, the feeling of loss and nausea from a stolen tool can last a long, long, time!

+1, I have 3 roller cabs and 3 chest at work, 2 weeks ago I forgot to lock my Kennedy machinist's chest, sure enough my Mitutoyo 6" scale and centering head came up missing. I clearly remember one maintenance guy watching me use it about a month ago and asking what it was, I even showed him how it works. He of course claims he doesn't have it, so lesson learned and it only cost me $74.

TheGrooveking

 

[Toolhorder]

I only lock them at the end of the day and unlock every morning. I keep all my air/cordless tools in my drawer on my tool cart and this week I went to use my 1/4 snappy ratchet and some a55 hole coworker took off the air fitting and replaced it with a fitting that won't plug into shop air hoses in our shop. It was a joke but annoyed me. I asked when he had time to do that and he said when I was at lunch. I think I'm going to start locking at lunch now.

 

[Major Ramifications]

I don't lock things at home. Where I used to work we locked everything in the test shop because the cleaning crew would steal things in the evening.

 

[Az Scooter]

We used to have a mechanic for a company I worked for. He was an amazing mechanic, probably the second best I have ever met. He had all of his tools in some of the rattiest old Craftsmen tool boxes you could find. The slides were all retrofitted Snap on's, and every tool inside was a truck brand.
One night someone came and almost cleaned out the shop. In fact, there were only two tool boxes left. Those two old, ratty looking craftsmen boxes. Funny thing, if they would have stolen them, they would have had more value than all of the snap on boxes.

 

[Thump_rrr]

I have a service truck and yes I lock the doors to it but that's about it.
At home there is nobody but me that goes into the garage so there is no need to lock up my tools.
There are no locks on my outside garage doors just garage door openers and an alarm system.

 

[ZRX61]

At work I'll leave where I need em if I'm not done using them by the end of day. There's just 2 of us so If I can't find somehting it ain't like I don't know who used it....

 

[nolatoolguy]

I live in a small town an i drive a service truck passer buys see the gun rack in my truck and dont touch nothin

so i rarely lock my tool boxes just shut them

The whole towns like that we watch out for eachother i mean its a 2 way street i watch your back you watch mine

 

[Nik_95Cobra]

I have a shelving cage that's bolted to the floor around my boxes and a wall behind them, in addition to two heavy bars that go across the front of the cage that also locks via 4 padlocks to the inside back of front the cage posts. During the day when I'm around but might not be right next to my boxes I keep them locked so that when customers who can't read and don't understand what an office is walk into the work bays can't get into them or take anything. Amazing how some people or some tool dealers feel comfortable enough to walk into a business and look in peoples tool boxes without asking.

 

[crewchief888]

at a couple of dealerships i worked at, i didint lock my boxes, couple others i was at, i locked them if i walked away for 2 minutes.
ive always kept my service trucks locked up at night, and i lock my truck if i cant see it. ive had some of my customers station a "guard" near the truck to keep an eye on it , and me.
my boxes at home aint locked, i have no idea where the keys are, and some dont have keys or locks.
ive had tools walk away at work, i found several wrenches of mine 1 1/8 -1 1/2 laying outside in the rain, along with some parts one morning. i kept quiet until i found out who took them, then walked in the office and confronted them. by the time the aregument was over, the company president was involved, and asked me nicely not to beat the guys *** on company time, and informed that employee that if he ever picked up atool that didnt belong to him again, he'd be fired on the spot.

i made my point i guess.

 

[TheCarbideRat]

Nik 95Cobra I'd like very much to see a pic of your setup. sounds interesting.

 

[welderwink]

i only need a small portable at work, but i keep it locked when i cant see it and unlocked when i can. someone could honestly pick it up and walk out with it but thats not so much of my concern as is someone borrowing something and then "forgetting" to put it back. heck my auto darkening welding hood is right next to the portable. no one touches other peoples stuff tho without asking, as it should be.

 

[p1mlb03]

Just in the last few months I have tried to get in the habit of locking my boxes when I'm not in my shop. Started locking my (home) shop too, way too much money ******* in tools and equipment not to secure it. I have found since I have been locking up, I tend to make sure all the tools are back in the box so they are secured. Like others have said, when you unlock the box next time and open the drawer, low and behold the tool you want is right there.

 

[Deafautotech]

i keep mine locked everyday even if i have to go over bady shop which it is down the street... i had few pranks happens in my toolboxes like open the drawer and it is full of foam balls in, other time i found the my snap on box was full of green tapes... so i just lock it and go where i need to go.. BUT every time when my toolboxes locked, techs have to wait for me to arrive then ask me for the tool... right now i have 31mm deep wright impact socket missing... i think i did pull it out but cant remember where did i put it on.. i was used it to pull the Focus's rear brake nuts to pull the drums out... i did asked every techs at my work if they see it or have mine.. they said they did not have it even THEY NEVER SEE OR USE 31MM....

 

[Nik_95Cobra]

Nik 95Cobra I'd like very much to see a pic of your setup. sounds interesting.

This is the only one I have of them showing it all locked up and it's kind of hard to see in the pic since the boxes are black as well as the bars, but the green bars are the shelving cage and the two black bars running in front of the boxes are the ones I lock to it. The top bar stays removed during the day, and the bottom one stays on to where it's low enough to open my bottom drawers but at the same time you can't roll the boxes away.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

i keep mine locked everyday even if i have to go over bady shop which it is down the street... i had few pranks happens in my toolboxes like open the drawer and it is full of foam balls in, other time i found the my snap on box was full of green tapes... so i just lock it and go where i need to go.. BUT every time when my toolboxes locked, techs have to wait for me to arrive then ask me for the tool... right now i have 31mm deep wright impact socket missing... i think i did pull it out but cant remember where did i put it on.. i was used it to pull the Focus's rear brake nuts to pull the drums out... i did asked every techs at my work if they see it or have mine.. they said they did not have it even THEY NEVER SEE OR USE 31MM....

31mm? ********, that's obscure. I actually have that in both shallow and deep, but i don't recall ever using them. I've only used a 30mm on Focus hub nuts.

 

[Deafautotech]

31mm? ********, that's obscure. I actually have that in both shallow and deep, but i don't recall ever using them. I've only used a 30mm on Focus hub nuts.

i did tried to use 30mm socket but the nut have small metal sheet on it which wont let 30mm socket fit in. so i bought 31mm socket from member who sell wright tool..