I have been wondering lately what other woodworkers have done for security at their shops. Currently I have door locks to keep the honest people out and a very loud but friendly black Lab to let me know when someone is around. My shop is a separate building from the house with some nice glass for light, 2 garage doors, and 2 man doors. I was thinking of getting the widows laminated with a security film to keep out the amateur thieves since anyone that is serious will likely get in any how. Has any one went a step further to an alarm system, monitored or not? At the moment I don’t think I need much more, since I live on a busy highway and have nosy neighbors, but in a few years my treelines will grow up and then more privacy follows ie safety for theives. anyone out there had much problem with theft? I have not had probems at home but have experienced many times on the jobsites.
Replies
I have been robbed a couple times and each time it makes me unhappy. I finally put in a monitored security system. I live four or five miles from town so wondered how long it would take before the police would come. The thing misfired several months ago so I went in the house to call the security office to tell them not to call the police. When I stepped outside, there was a highway patrol. He laughingly asked my wife if I was the robber.
The system monitors glass breakage, movement and smoke. I also have a camera that would transmit pictures from the shop to the house if it were hooked up. A motion light assures that the camera has enough light to operate. There is a control board in both the house and the barn so I can set the system from either place. BTW the shop is in the barn. This is fun so feel free to ask questions.
just wondering what was taken, hand tools, power tools or anything they could carry? Were the culprits caught? Nothing makes me madder than whensomeone steals tools from someone how needs them to make a living. On a side note has anyone found any stolen tools at an internet sale site or newspaper ads?
In a way, it was kind of interesting because I left the house about eight in the morning checking to make sure the doors were locked. I was some times gone for all day or some times for only five minutes - so the thief could not have known my routine. My son came home at noon and noticed the 315 JD tractor was gone and called me. I called the police and went home and noticed that two weed eaters were also missing. The funny thing is that I had a brand new hedge trimmer (never used) located between the weed eaters and the tractor. It was still there.
The doors were not damaged and you couldn't see any tracks. The insurance paid something like a thousand dollars but unlike most items you own, the tractor had actually inflated a couple thousand dollars so to get a comparable tractor, the net loss to me was a couple thousand. Even if the insurance paid it all doesn't make it right in my mind.
Some years later I had some business at a repair shop, noticed a tractor in his yard and commented on it. The mechanic said it wasn't his; it was being held by the police as this 70 year old man had been caught stealing tractors, mainly JD's in a three state area and reselling them. Figured he had gotten upwards of a hundred of them. At the time I had replaced the things that were lost and didn't pursue the issue. I have been robbed a couple other times. Galls me to this day.
The pawn shops in Houston are FILLED with stolen tools, guns, cameras, TVs etc, etc, etc.
They are nothing but fence operations and should all be put out of business.
Once, while looking for my stolen guns, I saw a jack hammer for sale in a pawn shop. Now who the @#*+@# pawns their jack hammer????
"Now who the @#*+@# pawns their jack hammer????"Someone who has migrated to a smoother hammer? Those jacks can really rattle a fella. ;-)
Could be, Ralph, could be...
When I was a little kid, (a LONG time ago), they tore up the street in front of my house. In my young mind there could never be a better job in the world than running a jack hammer, (with the possible exception of driving the roller). I watched that guy dance around with that breaker for hours.
The summer between high school and the army I got my coveted job. The new wore off in about 15 minutes.
Be careful what you wish for, you might get it...
Regards,
Fred
When I was a little kid, I watched a fellow working on the telephone pole.I told my Mom I wanter to be an "alley poler climber".Never attained that goal.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
It is really hard to beat a good set of security bars for the windows and steel security doors to help keep out most thieves. Use a better quality deadbolt on the door (double cylinder) and make sure that it can't be unlocked by a slimjim against the bolt. All that an alarm system will do is two things: tell the thief that he has probably two minutes before he needs to be gone; and it will tell you that you need to come and check/secure your property after it was broken into. An alarm system will help to limit your losses. If the phone lines are easily assessable then they will be easy to cut, i.e. no alarm. I highly recommend that if the overhead doors use a door opener that you rewire the outlets so that they are controlled by a light switch with a red power indicator. This will protect you from stray radio signals that may activate an opener. I have seen this happen twice at my shop. Also make sure that you change the controller codes since those openers were installed, some manufacturers use the same code for all of their openers. If you use a remote switch for your dust collector then treat it the same way; also any foot switch activated tools as any stray animals (cats) that may get locked in overnight can also step on that switch turning the machine on to run until found by you the next day or the fire department responding to the call.
Edited 12/10/2009 3:31 am by BigK <!-- BIGK23 -->
Edited 12/13/2009 4:55 am by BigK
I was broken into (House not Shop) and installed an alarm system. I had it extended to by detached garage / shop. The shop doors are wired and a glass breakage detector is installed. The original installation had the glass breakage detector on all the time but I was working in the shop and the saw set the alarm off. The company re programmed the glass breaker so that it will turn off with the rest of the sensors.
I'm not sure how common it is but my system comes with three modes off, away and stay. Off is what you would expect and away turns all the sensors on. The stay mode is for where you are home and want to set the door sensors (and in my case the glass breakage sensor). If during the night someone tries to break in the alarm will still go off. The motion sensors are turned off in this mode so we can still move about the house.
I think this is a good idea
We have the monitored alarm system, that has a really loud siren. I don't have to worry about a long police response time, you walk out my back door and it's about a hundred ft across the parking lot to the back door of the police station. If they are there at the time? We have security bars on the window at the back of the building and a overhead door that has secondary locking system of my own design. Then front has two doors to pass through, both locked. Sort of like a Sallyport.
If they do gain entry the first line of defense is a large Golden Retriever who is rather protective. I never realized how good of watch dog Golden make, I wouldn't challenge him. If you get past the locks, security system, dog you then have to deal with a 12 Ga. Mossburg Pump Action Shotgun with a pissed off Marine at the trigger. My wife says she sleeps well at night.
Taigert
"If they do gain entry the first line of defense is a large Golden Retriever who is rather protective."
LOL! I can see it now -- "Golden Retriever "fetches" crook!"Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
the first line of defense is a large Golden Retriever who is rather protective?? LOL....
My long passed on Golden would have greeted the intreuder with a lick on the face and guided him/her to the treasures!
Mine woulda "guided" the intruder to his stash of lacrosse balls, and dropped one or two on the fellon's foot, wagged his tail and barked until said miscreant engaged in an hours-long game of "You Toss It, I Bring It Back, Repeat."Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Mike,
His favorite game he'll play fetch all day, if he has someone to play it with, a added bonus he's not gun shy and knows what to do after the shot gun goes off!
Only all day? Heck, mine woulda gone a week or two if'n you'd let him! He once dug up a nest of yellow jackets looking for a ball he was convinced they's stolen from him. His face swelled up like a balloon from all the stings. He never even noticed -- "Must . . . . Fetch . . . . Ball!"
My current pack consists of a pointer and a rescue hound mix. The pointer pays no attention to loud noises, his work being done by the time the shot goes off. The hound heads for the hills -- I thought he was gonna crawl out of his skin last 4th of July.
View ImageMike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
Mike,
I always thought Goldens were just big baby's. Well they are with friends and family, or as long as you have one of his toys in hand. I was concerned about how protective he is and spoke to a buddy of mine who is a Vet. He told me that he is a typical Male. As long as he knows you or your properly introduced he's fine. When it comes to kids he is just the way you would expect a Golden to be.
He's having a tough time with our son growing up. For one thing Rob has more activities that take him away from home, like when he doesn't get off the school bus. Then there is that we now let Rob stay up later, the dog is ready for bed at 9 not ten. He will try to get Rob off to bed at Nine, it's like the dog wears a watch. Now he tries for a few minutes and if Rob doesn't head for his room to at least do homework or watch TV he'll curl up at the wives feet. Rob went back to Seattle for two months last summer and the poor dog was lost for nearly all of the first month. Every night he would go sleep in his bed at the foot of Robs bed. The wife said she couldn't handle the poor dog sleeping with such a lonely look on his face so the dogs bed was moved to the foot of our bed. But he would still lay in the door way to Robs room and pout. We aren't sure what happens when Rob goes of to University?
Dogs are just like having another child, at least ours have been.
Taigert
Yeah, Goldens are born clock watchers! Mine used to have an allergy that caused him to lick under his front legs 'till he was raw. Vet wanted to put him on steroids to prevent it, but that's nasty stuff for long-term use. We solved the problem by getting him to wear a T-shirt indoors. He got so he loved that thing, and would demand it to sleep in. On evenings when we were entertaining, he'd let everybody know when bedtime rolled around. He'd go dig out his "jammies", drop them on the floor in front of someone, and whine and carry on until they put it on him. He would continue to drop doggy hints to the guests until they left.
"he'll curl up at the wives feet"You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. I've never been able to handle more than one wife. At a time. ;-)Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
My system also has among others, three modes - unarmed, away and stay. Actually the unarmed mode is not truly off as the heat and smoke detection are still active. I presume yours is also that way also. If a fire would happen to start unnoticed in the house while I am in the barn or vise versa, I want to know about it.
Do you have a control box in your shop. That is handy as you can arm or unarm it from either entry. We put one in as an afterthought. The system saves a little on insurance premiums but not as much as one would hope. I would like to have a louder siren at the barn as it is very well insulated and if I am in the shop when it goes off I can barely hear it.
Edited 12/10/2009 10:57 am ET by Tinkerer3
My smoke detection is not connected to the alarm system because of some unrelated problems. I only have one control panel in the house but I do have a wireless control similar to a car alarm on my keychain. I can turn the system on and off from this.
The day I set off the glass detector I was using my band saw and I was wearing hearing protection. When I turned the bandsaw off and removed the hearing protection I heard the alarm going off. I usually have a minute to call the police and give them a code word to tell them it's ok. I was able to shut the alarm off with the wireless remote right away but the police were driving in as I was heading to the house. I don't know how long the alarm had been going but it must have been a few minutes. I live in small town and the police are pretty friendly. When they received word they remembered that my address had recently been broken into. They. I was working on the bandsaw for maybe five minutes so they got here pretty quick
I have one siren in the house and one on the outside. The alarm company was able to reconfigured the system remotely and I don't think I will have that problem in the future. I guess there are always a few things to get squared away with any new installation.
We were burglarized several years ago - house, not shop. When I called the police I discovered the difference between 'robbery' and 'burglary': the former involves violence against an individual, the later, theft from premises, if I remember correctly.
I installed motion detectors at all entry points to the house.One step or a hand movement sets things off. That means I don't have to lock doors, check that windows are all the way down, etc.
If the space is violated (when the system is armed with a 4 digit code) an alarm inside and one on the roof goes off. My BIL, a volunteer fireman, suggested the inside alarm. He told me they are so loud, you can't hear yourself think and want 'out'. The exterior alarm is connected to a strobe light on the roof so everyone is aware of the location of the problem
Frosty
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”
Milton Friedman
I installed a monitored security system in my house as well as my shop. It has contacts on the doors and windows, motion detectors and glass break detectors. The system is partitioned (house and shop can be turned on separately). Monitoring works on the phone line with a cellular back unit (if the phone line is cut the cell unit will still report). I also have the noisyest rat terrier in the world.
Installation cost was cheap since i owned the security company. I sold the company in April and retired. Now I can make saw dust when I want.
No theft here in many years. I HAVE A 2X2 Oak square on iron straps that probably could keep a Draggon out except for fire.. And I still have a 8 guage goose gun that my grandfather left to me....
No.. I would NOT kill a common theif into my work shop.. Inside my house, proper, a very different matter!
I agree that a monitored alarm system with an appropriate array of sensors is well worth the money. I also like the idea of video surveillance, assuming it's of high-enough resolution that the intruder can be identified. Some just show a fuzzy figure moving about. Not helpful if it takes police too long to respond.
Before installing a system, it's a good idea to verify that your local police will actually respond. Some police departments have elected not to respond to alarm calls due to excessive false alarms, staff cutbacks, etc. In some areas, private security contractors may be a backup option.
Most alarm companies give you stickers for windows, doors, etc., which can be a deterrent, as well.
Some caution is required when selecting an alarm company, however. Not all are reliable, or even reputable. Talk to others in your area to get their recommendations.
If nothing else, signs might be helpful. Something like, "Beware of Watch Python. Intruders will be crushed, then eaten." ;-)
My computer skills are about as pooor as my gouge sharpening skills so I am going to try to reply to all the ideas at once.
The large timber braces behind infrequently used doors is definitely something I will have to do soon. As a builder I did manage to buy a few security stickers off our installer today with a coffee and got them stuck on today. The security bars are something I was definitely thinking about before but was unsure of the looks ie I have always thought that if it looks to well protected the thieves will think there must be really good stuff in there and try harder. But I suppose if the doors are locked solid and the windows barred they really can try their hardest.
There is definitely no arguing the benefit of a good SMART dog such as a lab, retriever or any other smart breed. My last lab would let the neighbors play ball or give him a tummy rub when we were home, but the moment we left they were scared to put their arms over the fence. I suspect like other posters that some dogs can tell time because my wife would always be able to tell when I was almost home from work since the dog would wake up from his 8 hr nap in the corner to go wait by the door.
Off topic I just ggot a laptop and wireless in my shop setup from a guy on the volunteer fire dept with me, I love the internet in the shop (so many questions easily answered now on knots without going to the house!), but either my hands grew or this ***** keyboard is to small!
The other thing I was wondering before I got mad at my keyboard was has anyone ever tried a infrared caMERA like the ones bow hunters use at a likely access point?
Most of the hunting-oriented infrared cameras are pretty low-resolution - perhaps too low for actual identification. But, it's worth looking into. If triggered by a motion sensor, that could also trigger an infrared light source. Also, some of the video surveillance systems actually take stills every few seconds, rather than full-motion video, which doesn't help ID the intruder.
Most of what has been posted I agree with. The single exception is that an alarm doesn't deter. We had an exterior glass door that had some 'cheap' tools within view. The more expensive tools were two feet away, out of sight from the door. The burglar kicked in another (non-glass) door and set off the alarm, ran down to the cheap tools that he could see and left. He must have seen the others, but the two sirens expedited his departure.
Never recovered the two tools; however, the good stuff remained in the shop. That was 1988 and there haven't been any more break-ins.
My understanding is that "smart burglar" is an oxymoron. If they were smart, they'd specialize in safes at financial institutions, or work on Wall Street. Most burglars, I suspect, are drug addicts, which further erodes the idea of them being smart.You raise a good point about doors. Most door jams are surprisingly fragile. One swift kick and the burglar or home invader is in. Is it paranoid to reinforce the jams with steel? Maybe, maybe not. Sad that we even have to think about it, though.
If you want to make the door and jam stronger, read this.
http://www.thenationallocksmith.com/public.asp?2"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Good reference, notwithstanding the underlying "hire a locksmith" message. ;-)My son recently sent me pictures of murals a fellow does on the sides of ugly buildings, making them appear to be wonderful architecture, bridge spans, and the like. That sparked the idea of having my house painted to look like a vacant lot, so burglars would just pass me by. ;-)
"like a vacant lot"
You might risk someone trying to install a manufactured home on it or the city giving you a fine for uncut weeds. Of course, given the nature of close inspection by brilliant appraisers, you might get your property taxes cut. :)
I never said that an alarm wouldn't deter a thief, but that it will tell him that he only probably has a couple of minutes before the police may arrive. Most seasoned thieves know how to bypass all but the most expensive alarm systems. It always amazes me how many buildings that have alarm systems yet the phone lines are easily accessible (naked phone wire attached to the side of that structure) to cut. Read my recent post about covering your windows when you are not there.
Edited 12/13/2009 5:10 am by BigK
Absolutely! That was what (I think) saved my other tools. Also I have no exterior phone terminal block. As you mention, the tactic of cutting the phone lines entering the building has been used several times with success in this area. Also agreed that nothing of value should be left within sight of the outside. I was just being lazy before the break-in.My shop has several sky lights that can be removed with a screw gun and a square drive. (Not sure how many thieves carry ladders around.) To detect anyone making an easy roof entry, I put motion detectors in the shop. The dust has to be blown off every once in a while and I "walk test" them occasionally.
With regards to my post #8 in this thread, I put a switch in the exterior phone block housing. If the box cover is opened, the contact is broken and the alarm goes off.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Your skylights are/should be sealed to the curbs by more then screws. I am thinking that perhaps a bead of silicone which makes removal fairly difficult. I think that most idiots would probably break them out like any other window. The last idiot that I had at my shop, trying to steal a snowblower that he did not get in his first attempt 10 days prior, had used (and dropped in the mud when startled) the exact tools he needed to try again: a pair of wire cutters for the chain-link fence, and a sledge hammer for the chain and lock or eye bolt used to secure that machine. Apparently he came back and scouted before trying a second time.
Thanks. That's a good idea.
Well, I have them fooled regarding the phone line. We have a naked phone line that comes in right at the back door. What the would be thief doesn't know is that the security system is connected to the cable that is underground. Now, I wish the police station was a block away.
Hey Skandic, I forgot something else that is actually rather important. You need to cover your windows, etc. when you are not there in the shop. An idiot(thief) generally will not break into somewhere just to see if there is something worth stealing. They have to know that there is something that is worth the effort and risk of breaking in to make it worth their while.
I have a theory that most thieves are lazy; they either are unable to or are unwilling to do what is neccessary to find work. If that theory holds true then if you put enough hindrances or obstacles in front of a thief then he will go down the street to steal from someone else where it is easier. More obstacles means that breaking into your property will take longer, and time is not a thief's friend.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled