Bolting tools to concrete floor

[Andrew Nemeth]

So, I have an interesting problem. I need to bolt my tools down in the new shop I am building becuase the warehouse is not in the best part of town. The space should be big enough that I should not have to move my tools but I am unsure of the best way to secure them. Should I bolt directly to the concrete floor or add a rubber bushing for some damping between the tool base and the concrete floor?

Thanks again,
Andrew

[Richard McComas]

So, I have an interesting problem. I need to bolt my tools down in the new shop I am building becuase the warehouse is not in the best part of town. The space should be big enough that I should not have to move my tools but I am unsure of the best way to secure them. Should I bolt directly to the concrete floor or add a rubber bushing for some damping between the tool base and the concrete floor?

Thanks again,
AndrewI just installed/setup my new band saw. The owner manually specifically states " do not fix the machine solidly to the floor. In effect It goes on to say that if you must bolt it to the floor don't tighten the blots down solidly. Has to do with vibration.

[Richard Wolf]

Use hockey pucks, and don't over tighten.

Richard

[Jeff Nolan]

you definitely need some vibration dampening. The hockey puck suggestion is a good one, had not heard of that before, but picking up an old tire from a tire shop (they have to pay to dispose of them so you can get all you want for free) and cutting some pads out works well.

Don't tighten torque the nuts down and when you are done it is a good idea to spot weld the nuts to the stud... otherwise your security measure could well be the equivalent of leaving a door unlocked.


So, I have an interesting problem. I need to bolt my tools down in the new shop I am building becuase the warehouse is not in the best part of town. The space should be big enough that I should not have to move my tools but I am unsure of the best way to secure them. Should I bolt directly to the concrete floor or add a rubber bushing for some damping between the tool base and the concrete floor?

Thanks again,
Andrew

[Glen Butler]

Does a 600 lb tool really vibrate enough that it can't be bolted down tight? My planer instruction say to bolt it down tight.

[David DeCristoforo]

That must be some neighborhood! Whatever you do, don't leave your wrenches lying around...

[Peter Quinn]

They are going to steal your machines? That's a tough neighbor hood. No problem, just trade in everything you own for either Northfield or Yates American, and take home the keys to the fork lift. :eek:

Is it possible to anchor a chain to the floor and attach a chain to each machine that might be stolen, rather than physically connect the machines to the concrete with bolts?

I guess you can never leave a shaper set up over a weekend for fear of loosing the tooling?

[Darius Ferlas]

I'm not sure bolting machines to the floor is such a theft proof method, or the neighborhood is not that tough. If someone is determined/sophisticated enough to get a whack at heavy machinery then I think a good quality reciprocating saw with blades to match the saw. Not to give anyone ideas, but about 15 seconds with a small jackhammer around the bolts will free machines for a "move" too.

In late 1980's I did a contract work for a car shop in Brooklyn, NY. The contract called for 1/2" steel plates to be used as internal lining for 2 exterior walls. The plates were bolted into the 90% 12" cinder blocks. The roof was a 4" reinforced concrete over corrugated steel.

[Tim Livingston]

Make sure the surface you are bolting to is super flat otherwise when you do tighten it you will twist the machine frame. I suspect this is alot of the purpose behind the do not tighten warning. In the industrial world there is a bolt (s) in the floor then leveling nuts and then the hold down nuts and then the area in between gets grouted to minimize vibration. Anything I bolt to my floor will get down this way.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Jeep CJ-5 body mount bushings are perfect for this- its a rubber donut with a hole through it. Fairly Cheap and easier than hockey pucks, and intended to carry a heavy load.

You could also chain things to an embedded eyebolt, but make sure the tools that you would use to unhitch or unbolt the tools from the floor are locked up too. Don't leave a cutting torch or bolt cutters laying around.

Insurance is going to be the best possible protection you can have.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Get a dog. :)

I would suggest some sort of hook or eyebolt into the floor, and then some sort of chain or cable to the machine.

[Andrew Nemeth]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I will get a set of the CJ-5 bushings and try it out with one tool. I will also have to use leveling feet as the floor is not perfectly flat. I figure I can either silicone or grout the base in when I know that it is gonna stay put for a while.

Thanks again,
Andrew

[Jason White]

Use masonry expansion bolts. Something like this...

http://www.concretefasteners.com/anchors-fasteners/thunderstud-wedge/index.aspx

Just drill holes in the concrete, hammer these down, and fasten the base of your tools down using a nut.


So, I have an interesting problem. I need to bolt my tools down in the new shop I am building becuase the warehouse is not in the best part of town. The space should be big enough that I should not have to move my tools but I am unsure of the best way to secure them. Should I bolt directly to the concrete floor or add a rubber bushing for some damping between the tool base and the concrete floor?

Thanks again,
Andrew

[Jim Finn]

Fastening using a nut to a floor anchor is way to easy to remove. Just need a wrench. What we call a "Hit Anchor" will look harder to take apart. A hammer and chisel will remove them but it is not obvious how to do it like a simple nut on a stud is.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Who says that the tools must have the bolts/nuts tightened firmly to secure the tools?

Rent a hammer drill and drill holes for concrete lag bolts. Install extra long ones (you'll see why in a minute), then put the machine in place. Spin the nut on so it is just even with the top of the bolt but not tight...and TACK WELD the nut to the bolt, or double nut and weld the nuts together. If you have to move or remove the machine, just cut through the tack welds. I don't think that machine would wonder off.

I had a friend with a shop in a not-so great part of town and this is what he had done. He lost lots of parts and supplies over the years, but never lost a tool. He even went so far as to make workbench/tool box combos out of job boxes bolted to them to floor in the same way.

[Nolan White]

I'm not sure bolting machines to the floor is such a theft proof method, or the neighborhood is not that tough. If someone is determined/sophisticated enough to get a whack at heavy machinery then I think a good quality reciprocating saw with blades to match the saw. Not to give anyone ideas, but about 15 seconds with a small jackhammer around the bolts will free machines for a "move" too.

Agreed, locks/bolts only keep the honest honest. However we can certainly slow them down and possibly irritate them enough so they'll give up before taking everything.

Regardless of the size of the equipment, you'll want to consider putting it on an isolation pad of some type. Assuming this is an industrial steel building, tool vibration will resonant walls. Just what you need, more noise over the saws and it will draw the attention of the undesirables. That's two strikes.

[Mike Cruz]

If you can't find hockey pucks, go to a Souther States (or some sort of farmer's co-op) and pick up a rubber mat (used for stalls). They are 3 feet by 5 feet for about $40. You ought to be able to make cut outs for all your machines out of one pad. Or, if money isn't an issur, cut the pads to the footprint of your machine...

[Dave Gaul]

Sounds like way too much effort to me. I would just make sure the entry points are secure, even alarmed if you want. I would also check with your insurance company and ask what they suggest.
Like another has already said, if somebody wants it bad enough, they will get it!!
Another thing to consider, and this happens alot in the car stereo theif world, if they can't get it out quick enough, they will usually do something to damage it! I've heard many stories where a guy went to great lengths to make his car stereo theif-proof, and then someone broke in, and when they couldn't pull it out of the dash, they put a screwdriver through the thing and ruined it anyway!
So anchoring to the floor, installing eye bolts and chains... probably will just piss the theives off and they will likely to more damage rather than just taking the stuff!

[Ben Hatcher]

When you drill the floor for your bolts, go all the way through the slab. That way, if you ever need to move a machine you can simply pound the bolts into the ground instead of grinding them off.

[Cliff Holmes]

Back in the 80s I had a relative with some kind of industrial operation down in the bad part of town. Constantly being broken into, stuff stolen/damaged. So he got some buddies in the sheriff's office and EMS to "stage" an incident. First the cops showed up, then an ambulance came and carted out a body bag. The cops told curious onlookers that the owner had rigged various pieces of equipment with high-voltage electricity and had electrocuted a burglar. Word spread and he never had another break-in.

There have also been incidents of people doing this for real, last I remember was down in Miami.

Note for the terminally obtuse: I am NOT advocating you set up burglar traps.