Need advice for toolbox toolcart

[NJHandyGuy]

I recently aquired space that i am sharing with a roofing company.

So far it has been a huge nightmare.

There is alot going on but they don't use the yard so i do and the garage space i do use is only mabe 4' by 2' by the bay door and i have my office.

Here is my ? I currently have a craftsman standup and a toolcart from hf

Not secure at all.

This moring i came in to find both wrench rolls (craftsman) gone. drawer completely empty. i told the owner he says he'll look into it.

I NEED advice is there an affordable toolbox($250-$300 TOPS) That is secure i cannot afford to move. but i cannot afford to replace tools either. please help.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

here is my current setup i NEED an upgrade but cheap

also anyone know a way to modify them if this doesn't work

 

[MotoDave]

They look like they have locks, are you using them?

You could always fab up a steel bar that you drop in front of the drawers with a padlock.

I cant say I'd put up with sharing space with known thieves.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

build a chainlink cage around your "space"?

 

[NJHandyGuy]

to answer the q's as far as the locks yes the ones that work i use no dice on the others

if you look closely i diamonded the freaking us general cart so the lock doesn't line up anymore

and the red boxes oin the bottom are from 1978 craftsman hoe owner series the drawers don't lock at all hence the theft

no for the chainlink cage 1 no welder and 2 i am not allowed to block the garage door and it's not designated space

 

[NWphotog]

Maybe a cart you could roll into the office when gone?

 

[timgr]

You can easily lock the drawers that go all the way across the front of the cabinet with a bar. I've seen this done somewhere ... maybe in the machine shop where I worked as a teen.

Use the loop part from a hasp and make a matching slot in the end of your, say, 1/4" x 1" or 1.5" bar. Bolt some kind of socket for the bottom of the bar at the bottom of the box (maybe another piece of bar with 1/4" spacers), bolt the hasp loop to the top of the cabinet, and lock the bar to the cabinet to block the drawers.

Not pretty, but one option.

 

[Gtamazing]

You could always fab up a steel bar that you drop in front of the drawers with a padlock.

I have done this in the past with a box that stayed at a jobsite. A few pieces of angle iron and some steel rod work well. But your kinda stuck without having a welder.

 

[dumper]

Knaack box on wheels- they come in assorted sizes, and used, they are cheap and very secure. You can probably fit your stuff in a Knaack 4824. When you are at work, just transfer stuff from the Knaack to your tool cart for use while you are there. I built sliding wooden trays in mine, so it is easy to find things.

 

[kursplat]

frickin' thievin'.....uuurrrggg. i had my whole box ripped off once. almost 25 years ago...i'm still pissed.

i've got some extra craftsman combo wrenches, not sure of the sizes. mix of metric and standard i think.
your's if you need them. no charge

 

[TheGrooveking]

Do the rod in front of the drawers. I worked at a shop were some of the lowlife dung chuggers would pry open the drawers, so I drilled two holes thru the top lid of my Snap on chest and bolted a piece of 2"x 2"x1/4" angle iron that was 2" wide to it that I had drilled a 3/4" hole thru. Did the same on the bottom of the Matco roller cabinet. Then took a piece of Thomson hardened 3/4" dia. rod and carbide drilled a hole thru it about 1-3/4" of the end. I then welded a 1" nut onto one end of the rod, so that it would slide thru the hole in the top piece of angle iron and I could put a padlock thru it.

I then drilled a 3/4" dia hole into the floor and installed a anchor with a piece of chain welded to it that was long enough to come up thru the bottom drawer by 6 inches. I then fabbed a piece of 12 ga sheet metal that was 6" high into a rectangle that was 16" x 14". I then used a holesawed a 1-1/2" hole thru the bottom of the roller cabinet and the bottom drawer about 4" from the back.

With that I placed the sheet metal skirt over the anchor/chain and then rolled the rollercab over the skirt and using a magnetic pickup tool I pulled the chain up into the bottom drawer. That is why I drilled the hole near the back, so the bottom drawer could open 6" and place that hole of the center hole in the cab, this gave me access for my hands. Once I had the chain into the drawer I slide a piece of 3/8" rod that I bent into J shape thru a link of chain, thus locking the roller cabinet to the floor, and the skirt kept anyone from getting to the chain/anchor.

My Matco intermediate and SnapOn chest I riveted to each other and to the cabinet via their sheetmetal lips using stainless rivets - 3/16" diameter, about 15 on each. It was strong enough you could lift all three pieces via the handles of the chest if you could lift tham much weight.

So I didn't worry too much about someone getting into my box or taking it. I realize that a guy with a torch would make short work of the skirt/chain/rod/padlock, but we kept the torch head locked in a locked steel cabient on the tank cart. It ***** to have to do it, but at least you'll sleep a little better.Total cost of the materials was probably less than $50.

As to the owner of the other company, I would tell him what is missing and the value of it, give him one week to make good or else you'll call the police. With that they'll know you won't take it in the shorts and not do something about it. He has to know it was one of his guys, or else he would of been complaining that someone had broken in the place by know.

TheGrooveking

 

[blue dog]

Search cl for a knaack box like this. I have been placing this thing and another just like it on jobs for a long time. We bolt it to a wall at the job with 2 5/8 lags from inside the box.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

talked to the roofing company owner he had a MEETING with his staff no one fessed up. he told everyone he's not buying lunch friday and everyone is having $10 come out of there check.

Convinently they found there way onto the bed of my truck last niught when i was doing paper work.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

everyone on cl i looked for of the knack boxes is going for 6-800 i don't have that kind of scratch laying around right now hee i got rent due monday and just paid a $8900 fuel bill to hess

 

[The Rider]

Buy another HF tool cart and sell the non-locking one on CL?

 

[scott37300]

Glad you got your wrenches back. I don't know how big of a box you need but the knacks come in all different sizes. Home depot sells one for around 300-400 bucks that is decent sized. Your stuff would just be piled in there, maybe some plastic tool boxes to organise stuff would help and then set the tool boxes in the knack box?

Here is one for 259.00 that is 24"x48" and 24"tall, http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. You could fit a bunch of these cheap plastic tool boxes in it to keep things organised, http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. Here is another one, http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. It's a little smaller but it's only 179 bucks.

This is probably your best option for keeping things locked down. I worked in construction for a while and this is all we used. Never had any problems the whole time except for once a jobsite got hit. It was a big commercial site with probably a hundred of these boxes from all the trades and a few of them had the lock cylinders drilled out of the locks and then the lids will open up. But you have to really try to get in these and the are really heavy loaded so it's hard for someone to pick them up. I know it's not as convenient as opening a drawer and pulling out a wrench but at least you know your tools will be safe. Go to the depot and take a look at one and see what you think.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

i gotta be honest this seems like a pain in the ***. I HATE having to dig to look for tools
there are a s load of mechanics on this site nobody has never had anything walk off.

it's just aggrivating i never would have let the ink dry on the lease if i knew how many crack addicts work for him. no i am stuck for at least another 11 monthes

 

[nismomans13]

the only thing you're really gonna get in your price range is cman, knock offs or maybe a luckly craigslist find. and to be honest, no toolbox lock is gonna keep someone out who REALLY wants those tools. Snap on can talk all they want about security, there's always a way in when something is made of sheet metal.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

truly understandable but i need something better than what i got the wrenches were a crime of opportunity in my mind

 

[Shadowdog500]

How big is your office? Does the door lock? Would the tool boxes fit in there? I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving any box in that environment even if it were locked and secure to the ground.

Best of luck,

Chris

 

[dumper]

I know you don't live in Idaho, but just to show these Knaacks come up used at real good prices- this one new is over a grand, and its a big one. http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls/2035682908.html

 

[SteveL]

Security cameras! Only $300 from HF

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?category=&q=security+camera

Building owner might even split it with you. At least you will see who is taking your stuff and have proof.

 

[Concrete B]

Knaack is a high end brand, look at lowes or tractor supply for cheaper versions. I have a knaack 4824 and you'd be surprised how much you can get in there, and still have access to all your most common tools.

 

[DeadSock]

If you get security cameras, make sure you also hook up an electric fence charger

 

[eyeboltman]

You need more than the lock on the tool box ,i seen many tool boxes pry open with screwdrivers . Sorry you got rip off .I lost 3-4 wrenches older the years which i left out ,name on them still gone and I am still PISS off ! these was from people i know and work with in a large shop . Take care . I now mark my tools and paint a spot of yellow paint on them so I can see them from a distant we have 2 shifts and 30-40 guys , make it easily to pick them up . tool thieves should be tar and feather.

 

[patrickw10]

tools thieves should be hit 100 times in the nuts with what ever they stole.

 

[Gtamazing]

It seems like roofers are on the same moral level everywhere.

 

[thisflatearth]

NJ Craigslist Job boxes

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/2035855328.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/2023261569.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/1961885832.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/2035810991.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/2035625162.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/2034897258.html

 

[NJHandyGuy]

last one looks to be hf

 

[jeffk14]

last one looks to be hf

YYYep. And at double what a new one can be had for, assuming you buy on sale and use the 20% coupon.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

This might sound crazy but I know of one guy at a car audio installation place (talk about a bunch of crack heads....) that bought a gun safe at Walmart for around $400, added some shelves in it, bolted it to the floor with 3/4 dia anchors and used that for a toolbox. He never lost another tool.....

He left that job after a couple of years, took the safe home and used it for what it was designed for.

 

[scott37300]

i gotta be honest this seems like a pain in the ***. I HATE having to dig to look for tools
there are a s load of mechanics on this site nobody has never had anything walk off.

it's just aggrivating i never would have let the ink dry on the lease if i knew how many crack addicts work for him. no i am stuck for at least another 11 monthes

I understand it will be a pain to dig for tools(plastic tool boxes would help) but SAFE, ORGANIZED, and CHEAP is hard to find, you have to pick what's more important. Personally I would rather spend an extra 20 minutes a day finding tools that I at least know will be there.

Guess if you want something better than craftsman or similar in your price range and aren't interested in the job boxes you will just have to look REALLY hard and try and find something used.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

The working man solution is go to home cheapo and buy a giant padlock and hasp and bolt it up to your box, no welders,new boxes,wasted gas all you need is a cordless drill.
The guy that locks his big knaack to the wall is a great idea, but have been to many jobs were the box was simply cut open with a torch. In my experience with thieves is they always always come back at least once more to get what they could not take the first time

 

[redman43]

Something like this may be grounds for getting out of the lease. Personally, I'd forget trying to secure the tools because lets face it anybody that wants your tools that bad will get them. It's time to start thinking about how to get to a different location.

 

[mtkst19]

locks keep honest people honest. if someone wants in on your **** they will.

cheap method-- lock what you have via the stock cabinet lock. if you don't have a key, go to hardware store and get new locks for under 10 bucks. if box is to mangled, put a latch on it and pad lock.

outside of that, start hunting classified for boxes. what is your budget to spend? that will help a lot.

 

[ZRX61]

talked to the roofing company owner he had a MEETING with his staff no one fessed up. he told everyone he's not buying lunch friday and everyone is having $10 come out of there check.

Convinently they found there way onto the bed of my truck last niught when i was doing paper work.

It's amazing what peer pressure will accomplish, see which one quits at the end of the week...