Locking my toolbox always now...

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

I'm the equipment manager/mechanic at a golf course. This is my first professional mechanic position i've ever had, so its a new work enviornment for me. I own all/supply all my own tools. I have a craftsman ball bearing top chest and roller cabinet filled with my tools, all snap on, craftsman, sk, channelock, etc. Good stuff, not chinese garbage. Lately people have been "borrowing" some tools and not putting them back, leaving them in utility carts, etc. I've had it. My job requires me to go out on the course from time to time, sometimes for an indefinite period of time. I used to leave my box open and unlocked. No more. I dont care if I have to leave for five minutes, I'm locking it. Just wondering if anyone else does the same?

 

[nate379]

I don't even know where the keys to my box are.

 

[archirelic]

Hell, I keep my box and cart locked in my own garage...force of habit I suppose. If I worked in a professional setting, I'd sure as hell lock it whenever I stepped away!

 

[ZRX61]

I don't even know where the keys to my box are.

Keep mine in my gunsafe..

 

[filtered]

I'm not a pro, just a DIYer. I close up and lock the garage every time I leave. The tool box is locked every night after i'm done. No one touches my tools without my say so and that's my own family. If it were co-workers they'd have some busted fingers.

Lock up your stuff all the time or else people will start borrowing without returning.

 

[canuckian]

i'm the same way. toolbox, cart and garage are locked if I have to walk away so far that I can't see them. my shop's at home but it's nothing to get distracted talking to a neighbor on the other side of the house and for someone with wandering eyes and no conscience to grab a bunch of chrome and take off.

in a professional setting, i'd do the same thing. anybody with their grubby little fingers in my toolbox without my say-so walks away with at least a limp. simple as that.

 

[greasemonkey44]

i keep my stuff locked at work when im not there but if its during working hours i leave it open, but me or the other tech is in there
i were you id def lock it up

 

[JimDon]

I lock my three tiered tool box and my cart, and the metal cabinets with tools inside in my garage at home. We live in a very nice neighborhood. We have very nice and honest neighbors. But we also have some crumb bums who walk thru our neighborhood. We also have people drive thru who seem to take an extraordinary interest in the contents of garages with open doors. Also, one of our neighbors had things stolen out of his garage during the day, when he was home, but not in the garage, but the garage door was open. Just too many opportunistic thieves nowadays I guess. My advice is lock your box when you leave the building or garage. IMHO.
Cheers,
Jim Don

 

[wafrederick]

It is bad in the Detroit,Mi and Chicago,IL areas,mechanics have to lock their toolboxes up before any road test is done.Thieves steal tools if the toolbox is unlocked is the reason why when the mechanics have to lock up their toolboxes.

 

[PeteMoore]

Jesus, my stuff is never locked at home, the garage only gets locked if we're away for more than a day.

However, despite it being a nice little countryside community, we are rural enough that anyone found stealing could happily go missing and not be found for some time.

Luckily i never really spend time with the main doors open so noone really gets to see inside.

 

[dharma-bum]

I use my tools all day, everyday and whenever I'm out of eye shot, my cart gets locked. The production people in our factory would use a screwdriver to turn a metric socket head screw if they could jam it in there.
All The Best

 

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

It's not that I work with a bunch of theives or anything, just careless people that don't understand that I need my tools to do my job, and more importantly, I have a lot of money invested in them. What especially irked me is one of them borrowed my a 3/4 inch craftsman professional wrench from my set of USA made ones, and if they were to lose that, the new ones are Chinese made **** so replacing it with the exact same one would be impossible. I can tell you this though, they would be buying me a Snap On replacement when the truck shows up thats for sure.

 

[r6_cannibal]

When I used to do assembly I madethe new guy start locking his box. I told him that it was for everyone else's protection as much as his. Seems some people are a little quick to place blame on someone borrowing tools before they realize it was still in their cart and there were already a lot of hard feelings at that place

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

I work on the family farm, usually my box is unlocked, I just make sure everyone working understands that my tools aren't cheap, need to be taken care of, and better be returned in the same condition they left in.

It works pretty well, I might be losing a few tools a year but I try not to sweat the little stuff. Now If I were regularly having tools go missing or get damaged or abused I'd keep my box locked all the time, thankfully I can trust my coworkers and family to take care and it's not an issue.

 

[Rossco]

No more. I dont care if I have to leave for five minutes, I'm locking it. Just wondering if anyone else does the same?

Get it locked up partner .. If they dont respect your tools then they dont respect you .

Also you claim to be a manager .. have a word with them .. If anyone does it again .. have them in the office and issue a verbal warning .. Friends are friends but they are taking the Waaater.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I work as a golf course mechanic too. There are way too many fools walking around at any given time to take my eyes off my tools ever. They always seem to want to borrow something too.

Im the mean guy who does not let anyone borrow anything ever. They dont ask anymore.

My tool box goes in a locked room whenever I am not around.

 

[nonewmoney]

I lock my Snap on cart/box too, filled with tools that would be extremely pricey to replace... I actually think thats the weak end of my security setup....

I may be super **** (So are all of you! first step is admitting it), but I actually sunk a concrete anchor in my slab (Welded the stud ends) and I use a motorcycle cinch chain (covered in nylon so it doesn't scratch the paint) and wrap it around the castors and any area I can then finish it off with an uncuttable lock...

This is all in my garage since I'm a DIY'er... lol flame away...

 

[nate379]

Damn son!

Several of my neighbors and friends have the keys to my place and they are free to use the garage and all my tools provided they replace anything broken/used up and clean up. Never had a problem with it so far.

I'm not a pro, just a DIYer. I close up and lock the garage every time I leave. The tool box is locked every night after i'm done. No one touches my tools without my say so and that's my own family. If it were co-workers they'd have some busted fingers.

Lock up your stuff all the time or else people will start borrowing without returning.

 

[mofo62]

.


+1

My t. box goes in a locked, whenever i am not around...



V!

 

[justanengineer]

When I was still wrenching for a living people knew better. In AK I often had a handgun sitting in the top drawer, so crime and/or borrowing didnt happen. When I lived on the farm, everything was/still is open, but once again, guns prevent worries. Now, Im unarmed but the shop only has two doors and no windows. Thieves either have to have an opener, a key, or an axe to get in.

 

[paullie]

I lock my Snap on cart/box too, filled with tools that would be extremely pricey to replace... I actually think thats the weak end of my security setup....

I may be super **** (So are all of you! first step is admitting it), but I actually sunk a concrete anchor in my slab (Welded the stud ends) and I use a motorcycle cinch chain (covered in nylon so it doesn't scratch the paint) and wrap it around the castors and any area I can then finish it off with an uncuttable lock...

This is all in my garage since I'm a DIY'er... lol flame away...

no such thing

 

[Dust]

I don't lock up my box when going to lunch, but I lock it at the end of the day. However, sometimes I leave a few tools out simply out of laziness, but only the cheapies. My shop is pretty trustworthy and we have good security. I think I've only had one tool walk off in the three years I've worked here, and even then I think I might have just left it in a car.

 

[Old Donn]

Keep mine in my gunsafe..

So do I. Both are ALWAYS locked unless I'm getting something or putting it away. Like my old dad used to say, "Locks help keep honest men honest."

 

[cp8737]

i lock mine everynight, and my cart, if going out on service calls during the day my box gets locked then also.
the other technicians are really good nobody really borrows unless they have to, or without asking first. Still$, not worth the risk, best to lock it up

 

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

Get it locked up partner .. If they dont respect your tools then they dont respect you .

Also you claim to be a manager .. have a word with them .. If anyone does it again .. have them in the office and issue a verbal warning .. Friends are friends but they are taking the Waaater.

I am a manager...of golf carts, mowers, utility carts and other turf equipment, not people. Equipment Manager is just a fancy name they use in the golf course industry for "mechanic" I have no heirarchy over other employees, my superintendent does. I do however have control over my tools, and those suckers are going to be locked up whenver I'm not around.

 

[clouseau]

Let's face it, more than 99% of the population, male and female, wouldn't know the difference between a smart-*** Snap-On ratchet and a piece of **** they bought at the Dollar shop on the mall.

They just think tools are tools and because they don't need them to make a living they wouldn't think twice about borrowing a top-end screwdriver to prise open a tin of paint..... and wouldn't have a clue that it was important to put the thing back in your box staright away because, "Hey, you got a whole bunch of screwdrivers in there so why are you gonna bother about this one".

Reminds me of when I lent my expensive ergonomic ratchet screwdriver to a friend with a complete set of bits and then found it a month later in a corner of their place with all the bits all over the place and several missing because their kid had been playing with it..... they didn't give a damn and couldn't understand why I was so pissed about it!

If its a golf club, then borrow their driver or putter out of their bag and leave it lying around somewhere.....hell, they got a bunch of other clubs in their bag so what's the big deal about that one!!

edit: or even better use their driver to hammer in a nail..... it'll get the job done!!

 

[Wrenches of Death]

Hell, I keep my box and cart locked in my own garage...force of habit I suppose.

I do the same even now. One of my favorite sayings of my father was:

"That sumbitch would steal lightning and grab at thunder."

That pretty much describes a few of the people that I had the misfortune to work with over the years. As a result, I don't really trust anyone farting around with my tools when I'm not present. For that matter, I don 't really trust anyone messing with them while I'm there.

Lock 'er up!

WoD

 

[action fab]

Yup just had every tool I own stripped from my box last week. Cost me $41000 (That insurance isn't covering). They left the box because it is too big to load without a roll back. I know if it were locked I would only be missing my welder plasma cutter and all the parts they stoll from my customers rigs.

 

[crewchief888]

I don't even know where the keys to my box are.

me either

the only thing that i lock up is my service truck,
work boxes are unlocked, house boxes are unlocked.

the only time i have the garage door ope is when i'm in the garage, and theres usually a vehicle parked in the driveway blocking the view from the street.

only one time in the past 26+ years of wrenching have i worked anywhere with anyone with sticky fingers.
i like to believe he took my threat of bodily harm very seriously.
nothing of mine ended up missing, but quite a few things did end up on the MIA list.

 

[Hawk Thor]

My home tools (mostly woodworking and basic home maintenance) are kept in unlocked cabinets in our storage/dog room, since I do not have a garage or shop yet.

My socket sets, grinder, bottle jacks and stands and folding toolbox full of wrenches and other handtools are kept in the cruiser.

All my tools at work are on lock down. I have a large cabinet, large drawer and a folding toolbox that are all locked. I chain the toolbox to the feet on my station.

Even if I´m just a few feet away I lock it down. I always have the keys in a chestpocket and it doesn't take long to open the locks. I trust no-one.

 

[csargents1546]

I am lucky, the shop where I work, no one locks their toolbox. I only locked my box when I am on vacation, even then I leave a set of keys with one of the other techs. It is a bummer that a few people with no respect for other peoples property ruined it for the ones that do. It only takes one bad apple in the bunch to ruin it.

 

[Ratchet.]

I keep my box locked all the time when im not there, and its at my home at the moment (been out of the trade for a year or so, just away back..)

i did have issues with a thief in my first workplace, could never prove it though (i knew who it was and he was in a 'clique' with the garage owners son so couldn't do much) that was a good 10 years ago tho

it was always locked up when i was away on a test drive/on break etc,

saying that i don't like lending out tools at all, mainly cos of a few experiences with guys who couldn't care less about theirs yet alone another guys, in the odd occasions i had to borrow, i always make sure there clean when returned and put them back asap

 

[malibu101]

As far as locking my tools it goes both ways..................
At work I very often leave my pouch and other tools around and nobody bothers them or will ask/say if they borrow something. It's a close-knit group of guys and we work well together. They are secured overnight and weekends.
At home my boxes are locked anytime I'm not there using them. It keeps the wife and kids out of there and if sometime breaks in they have to deal with some big, heavy boxes instead of being able to open drawers to grab and go.
As far as the OP goes- I guess you found out you must keep your stuff secured. It does **** but think of it this way. I assume you don't leave large amounts of money laying around or in open drawers for people to possibly pick up. Your tools are no different.

 

[american lockpicker]

I keep all my tools secured.

 

[Honda guy]

Fortunately, everyone I work with is honest. Actually, I've never worked at a shop where I had to worry about theft. I do lock up my boxes at night & weekends though. One suggestion I can make, is to lay down the law on day one! Don't be shy about letting people know your "tool rules". I try not to be an *** about it, but I make it very clear how I expect my tools to be treated.

I used to work with a mechanic who had a way of helping people remember to bring back borrowed tools. If he had to go looking for a tool that was borrowed, he would take something from that person and hide it. It might be car keys, cell phone, a commonly used tool, or whatever. He'd just let that person go through the whole day, wracking their brain wondering where they could have left the "lost" item. Then, around quitting time he would kindly inform that person where he could find whatever it is he was looking for and proceded to give them a lecture about returning borrowed tools in a timely manner.
Taught 'em a lesson plus had a little entertainment watching 'em look for their stuff.

 

[trbomax]

Ive got 3 rollaway's,1 doesnt even have the lock cylinders in it,the other 2 I havent seen the keys for at least 20 yrs. I have never locked the shop,some nights (tonight actually) I dont even close the OH.All the vehicles and toys have the keys in them at all times. The only thing in the shop that stays locked is the gun safe.

 

[JMLoughrey]

I work in a shop with one other guy who's part time. I still lock my box. I don't trust that someone won't go In it. I do however hide the key an only him an I know its location.

someone did break into the box because they needed a drill. needless to say, they no longer work there when I watched the security tape. I guess that's the other nice thing, my shop is setup so you can see my box on camera. always under surveillance.

 

[bad_idea]

i work in ship repair. some theiving people in the yard, and the others are careless. if i turn my back on my jobox i lock it. i probably lock and unlock my box 15-50 times in a day depending on where the jobox is staged in relation to my worksite. locks keep honest people honest and keep careless people focused. i loan someone a wrench and tell them i put it in their hand, i want them to put it back in my hand when they are done. screw me once shame on you, screw me twice and i aint got no wrench next time.... get your own.

being new in the shop probably contributes alot to your problem. once you get a feel for who is careless and who is trustworthy, you can treat each person differently. best of all, make them get their own tools - is it your responsibility to supply the tools for the job? if so, the company needs to foot the bill - not you.