Methods to keep your tools from walking
I was thinking of all the great ways I have seen folks use to keep track of their tools on jobs and to make sure they go home with the right owners. One of my favorites was the guy who cut his tape measure and reset the blade an inch in. You only “borrowed” his tape once. What are some of your favorite methods to keep your precious from growing legs?
Replies
Visitor's hard hats are pink.
Gabe
1. Cut one end of your cords so you have bare wires to plug in.
2. Paint every tool you have bright florescent orange (this has to be the favorite of all time).
3. Cut all you shovels, picks, broom handles real short.
4. Take all your tools put them in a cement mixer add sand. gravel a little water and rotate for one hour to take any 'new' look off them.
5. Take every guard and guide off your table saw smear tar on any place it might be picked up by.
6. Take all your squares, straight edges and bang the hell out of them so they are crooked and bent.
7. Paint over all the bubbles on your levels remove all but one bubble.
8. Buy the cheapest tools you can, no hammer should cost more that $3.49.
9. Don't have a tool box dump everything in a 45 gallon drum make sure the drum is marked 'danger toxic waste'.
10. Cut every second rung off your ladders, smear these with tar.
I could go on but your tools will probably get stolen anyway.
1. Live in a place where this sort of ssh!t does not occur; or,
2. Live in a place where this sort of ssh!t is not tolerated and the constables look the other way when baseball-bat corrective measures are employed....
Ahhh, wishful thinking....
Seriously, never leave portable tools on an unsecured site no matter how much of a PITA it is to pack 'em all back in the truck at quittin' time.
Big, semi-portable stuff needs to be chained together into a huge unweildy bundle so that even with a forklift it can't be moved. Use good chain, leave lots of slack, and DON'T leave the cutting torch on site, Duh!
Disable all motorized equipment by removing some small essential engine part when shutting down at night. Nothing more frustrating than realizing in the am that the thieves used your own forklift or backhoe to load your tools into their truck....
During the day, take the trouble to lock the truck each time you leave it unless it is within sight and you can get to it faster than a snatch-artist can get away.
Wrap coloured electrical tape in spirals on all extension cords near each end to avoid honest mistakes--a lot of them look the same. Stencil your name or the company name on all power tools for the same reasons.
On big sites, insist that the GC enforce perimeter security and carry a list of all your tools w/serial numbers in the truck.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
"Use good chain, leave lots of slack"I always heard that you were supposed to get the chain as tight as possible, I guess to limit the options that a thief has to cut/pry/burn etc. through it. Am I backwards?
Jon Blakemore
>> I always heard that you were supposed to get the chain as tight as possible ...My guess would be that's to keep it up off the ground so the bad guy can't just lay one handle of his bolt cutters on the ground and lean on the other one.
I think it's Bosch (maybe dewalt?) that has a new system which plants some sort of chip into each tool, which then sets off an alarm if somebody tries to leave the job site with the tool in hand. I suppose that would work for large job sites that are fenced in?
Just thought I would toss it out there...Justin Fink
FHB Editorial
I always heard that you were supposed to get the chain as tight as possible, I guess to limit the options that a thief has to cut/pry/burn etc. through it. Am I backwards?
The idea behind leaving a lot of slack is so that the entire bundle of chained-together tools/boxes/equipment cannot be lifted together without flopping all over the place, making it almost impossible to handle even if you have power-lifting equipment such as a forklift.
Also, in answer to Uncle Dunc's hypothesis: I have seen bolt-cutter jaws go to pieces on good-quality case-hardened chain; but some carborundum-coated rod saws will cut through it given enough time and patience. If a chain is slack, it's harder to saw through because you have to grip it in a vice or something first before you can saw effectively.Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I learned the hard way to lock my van during the day.
I was repairing a wrap-around front porch, and was working on the side away from the driveway, where I was parked.
I don't think I was ever out of sight of my van for more than 4-5 minutes at a time, but somehow some sleaze managed to get a Sawzall and a drill.
I didn't notice until i was packing up and realized that tools were missing.
Boy, was I pi**ed that night.
First and foremost, I keep a close eye on all of my tools....if they aint bein` used, or won`t be used within the next hour or so, they remain in the truck.
Secondly, all of my power tools have their own cases...either the ones they came in, or ones I`ve purchased for them. Not only does it help to protect from damage and organize, folks lookin to borrow are less likely to remove a tool from its case than they are to grab one just lieing around unattended.
All of my tool cases and tool boxes are emblazened with the company logo in neon orange spraypaint. Ladders as well. Heck, now that I think of it, even my garbage pails are. When someone walks onto one of my jobsites, there is no question as to who is doing the job, nor, who the tools belong to.
I make certain to know anyone who steps foot on the jobsite. If I`m siding a house and a landscaper shows up, I go over and introduce myself, find out where they`ll be working and how long they plan to be there. I let them know that if any of my things are in their way, to let me know and I`ll take care of it.
If I find someone somehow using one of my tools, I don`t mince words. I let them know I don`t apreciate it. I tell them I`m more than happy to let them borrow it, so long as they ask first.
Very rarely do I leave tools on the jobsite overnight.....any extra time spent packing them up at the end of the day is at least worth the peice of mind.
Probably, most importantly, I try to surround myself with fellow tradesmen with whom I`m comfortable working.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Since they emptied my van 50' from the bedroom window on the 6th, I am sleeping with my tools. I was all loaded up for a project. Nice score. They actually nailed the perp (too many people coming and going at his motel show room = anomaly = cop) but the good stuff was gone, including my Oxy bags, both saws, etc.
Did get my cords and some lesser stuff back. The customers were not too interested in the trim chest. Files and rasps are boring. Baby Senco compressor is gone to a better home. Need to do a car alarm.
Nowadays, I am loading up early in the AM and not leaving goodies overnight in the van. My stuff is organized into totes and chests and I only load what I need for the project. I used to carry a lot more - just in case.
"Prime six sides."
I have encountered a lot of carpenters who are resolute about not marking their stuff. Go figure. It's handy on the job to make sure stuff gets back to the owner.
I have my name with yellow or red paint pen on all the stuff so whatever side is up, my name is showing. Plus decorative bands of red/orange tree marking paint. The cases are all labeled with the contents on three sides so they read like books.
Photos are taken of each new item and filed away. The cost, date of purchase, S#, etc go on a spreadsheet. Makes it handy when you have a claim.
Having my name all over the stuff got me a call from Orange PD when they nailed the POS. The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
I mentioned in a thread not too long ago, that ever since my pickup got broken into, about a year ago, I started emptying its contents each evening. (Got me for a cordless drill, Skil wormdrive, Dewalt radio charger and a sawzall if I remember correctly. The bits and accessories stored inside the tool cases were the hardest to replace.)
I`m so much more organized because of it. I know where everything is and when something needs some maintenance.
Like you....only the tools I`ll be using each day get loaded into my truck in the AM.....I used to have a lot of those "just in case" tools bouncing around in the back of the truck. Half the time, I wouldn`t realize they were back there when the time came that I actually needed them.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
We have 30' shipping containers with shelving and ladder racks inside, wired for lights and power outlets so cordless tools can be charged overnight. There is a square metal box about 4x4x6 covering the padlock so it can't be cut or pried off.
I lot of the folks I run into engrave their name on everything; doesn't prevent outright thievery, but does help keep the tools sorted out. I just had someone return a 9" lineman's pliers to me which he had inadvertently picked up on the site.
I drive an unmarked van with privacy windows in the doors, which helps some in not standing out as a target for tool thieves. I always keep it locked.
Without fail, everything is packed up and returned to the van at the end of the day.
Around here, trailers (with flimsy locks) that are left on the street (or driveway) overnight are prime targets -- even in the best residential neighborhods.
I do cabinet installations and renovations stuff, so there is rarely a stream of strangers on the job site itself.
Big, mean, loose, hungry, well trained dogs that live in the truck.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
My philosophy is it is ok to borrow something once. If you need it a second time...Go Get Your Own!!!
Here in the cabinet shop, and this would also work onsite, we just nail it down.
Hard to steal when it can't be moved.
Landmines.
I’ve been lucky; I’ve never had much of consequence ripped off in twenty five years. No doubt it’s a character flaw on my part. I find humor in the desperation of the thief opposed to my own.
bag the sticky finger ones and pike them out front...
the message gets out real quick...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Some truth to thatlast time I had anything stolen - that I know of, it was an extension cord. Driving down the street later that week, I saw it used to plug in a vehicle in the yard of a kid who had been working for me. It was twenty below zero.I went over, coiled up my cord into the back of my truck, knocked on the door, and told him I didn't need him him any more because I liked to work with people I could trust, and Oh, By the way, it looks like you need to get your tires filled with air - must be the cold!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
did you consider stringing him up with it...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Enough fun just to watch the vehicle sit there three or four days on flat bottomed tires.Twas just valve stems is all. Funny how they can get stuck open in the extreme weather
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
He probably didn't get the tires filled up because he had not stolen a compressor yet.
LOL, and no cord to plug it into.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
http://www.cordsforless.com
They custom print your name and number all along the cord. I got them to sell me a bunch of 8' pieces with male ends and I wired them into all my saws.
Next time someone steals your saws I'll bet you'll find a short trail of cut off cords.
Keeps the "honest mistakes" down a bit.
Right on!Have a good day
Cliffy
Steve: This is one way of getting your tools back.
@@ Steve: This is one way of getting your tools back. Looks like a Glock. Looks like IPSC targets and some A,B hits.
What was the name of that drill - two in chest, one in head - Mozambique?Alas! Glocking some perp who is beating feet down the street with your Skill is a really Bad Career Move. Now, among the Arabs thieves get their hands cut off. Idea, that.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Depends on the jurisdiction. Some places the law abiding citizen chancing upon a crime in progress has an obligation to effect an arrest. If the only way to get the thief to stop is to shoot him in the back, then shooting him in the back is not only justifiable, it's laudable. And if you save the state the cost of trying and imprisoning him, so much the better. Or so I've been told.Needless to say, that's not the law in any US jurisdiction. But I'll bet there are neighborhoods even in the US where such a shooting would not be really rigorously investigated, despite the official state of the law.
To all,
what I strive for is-----
1) work alone
2) leave NOTHING on the job overnight---not saw horses, not ladders----NOTHING
3) All tools belong in lock boxes on the truck----and in turn are locked in a garage at night.
4) Due to Jim Blodgetts, nefarious theft of my sheet metal brake last year when I was parked at a Post Office--------I now padlock the brake to the trucks ladder rack when it is not in use.
Stephen
Don't bet your house and your freedom on that hope in this era of PC.
It is very hard to justify the use of deadly force where there is no clear and immediate threat of death or grave bodily harm to you or yours. The fact that the holes were in the back shows that the threat did not exist.
You will most likely have to raise money to pay a weasel to make those arguments in your behalf.
Good reading for anyone who carries - "In the Gravest Extreme" by Massad AyoobThe ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
i caught an episode of cops where a contractor guy had outfitted his huge-tow- behind-a-truck Ingersoll-Rand air compressor with a LOJACK. Some cops were patrolling with their LOJACK receiver on and picked up a signal. Tracked to some building with an over head door. Called the builder's owner, tracked down the contractor. Made the owner open up and the contractor drove off with his recovered a.c. whatever happened to the building's owner after the show we'll never know. he was just like "i don't know how that got in there." several people have the key or it's rented out or some other load of bull.
that's one expensive option.
if i had a trailer for towing tools and ladders around in, i would not leave it on the jobsite over night. cut the hitch/tongue lock and they drive off with all your tools and a trailer. take the wheels off, and set it on blocks. hook up a car alarm with a motion sensor. once it starts moving, the alarm goes off.
GPS technology.... almost like Northstar, i'm sure some outfit has to be offering GPS tracking services.
you can have your kids wear these GPS watches now and track where they go via the internet
You can have trailers now made with the removeable hitch
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
in the gut and hips...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
hey stan,
don't know who's shooting there, but... just some suggestions.
thumbs need to be pointed at the target, not crossed to retain the grip and contol muzzle flip of the gun. left thumb below the right, tucked in real tight.
looks like a glock... a non-polymer framed gun is heavier in the front end so less muzzle flip.
left hand and right hand work 70/30 to hold the gun, right hand should really be there to activate the trigger.
but anyway, back to the original topic.... i have cases for everything too. i chucked a carbide ball mill into a dremel and carved my driver's license number deeply into the thick porter cable cases. then used a cone shaped stone to engrave through the paint down to the bare metal of the tools themselves. same for the metal cases some tools came in.
i figured if anybody saw the cases they wouldn't even bother to look in 'em or steal 'em.
dad's garage gotten broken into a few years back. he has a big roll around tool box.
i figured it must have been just one guy who broke in, two guys could have leaned that box over onto the tailgate of a pick up.
so if i ever live out in the country, you can bet any roll around tool box of mine is going to chained or bolted to the wall
Stan,Is that the *other* wing to the stairshop? The payment collection wing?
Jon Blakemore
That's a tough question. The only answer if you're on an uncontrolled worksite where lots of people are coming and going is to take it all home with you at the end of the day. Or the next best thing- lock it all up in a bunch of Greenlee boxes, chain them all together with a big lifting sling, suspend them about 20' from grade with the crane, and disable the crane...this method is in popular use around here- you can see it from the highway...
On a controlled jobsite (i.e.a shop), there are more options. The obvious one is to not hire thieves...the other is to permit people to sign out tools for personal use, so they're not tempted to "borrow" them permanently. Permanent engraved identification works if you're trying to protect against thieves who want to sell the goods at pawn shops. Some people put in "tattle tape" systems like at the library...
My dad told a good joke about this particular topic:
A guy arrived at the exit gatehouse of a mill with a wheelbarrow full of sawdust. The guard poked around through the sawdust, found nothing, and let the guy pass. A week later, same guy with another wheelbarrow of sawdust. Thorough poking around reveals nothing- he has to let the guy go.
Next week, the same guy, same thing. After finding nothing in the sawdust yet again, the guard says to the guy, "I just KNOW you're stealing something, but what the h*ll is it! The guy replies, "Wheelbarrows!"