How do you prevent theft/break-ins at your shop?

[Nathan Conner]

I'm cleaning up the last of the mess from the addition of a built-in DC/Compressor closet in the shop, and I'm looking around before I shut off the lights.

There are a LOT of expensive tools in there. And a lot of stuff that's really got a lot of meaning to me - "ancestral tools", as it were. And...well...we live in a fairly rural area, but some neighbors just had their house broken in to by tweakers looking for stuff to make a quick buck. Someone with a pry bar could get through my steel shop door, and the shop's a good 50 yards from the house.

Other than "WARNING: LOOSE SNAKES!" on the door...how do you prevent theft? We don't want a security light for obvious waste/light pollution issues, but...an alarm? Motion-detecting lights? Full blown shop security system?

Granted, most of the big stuff I think is fairly safe. Trying to lug a PM2k away on your back would cause a racket, but the hand tools...a few trips through the woods, and I'm out thousands. Festool stuff - it's light and can grow legs. We have good insurance, and fairly recent "shop video" where I have gone through the shop for an hour with the HD camcorder and recorded every serial number, make, model I could find, along with long shots inside each drawer of every tool box, cabinet and cubby. That's mostly for "after-the-fact" theft, though. I'd rather prevent it.

As a theft deterrent, is etching a good idea? Is it feasible to do yourself? (Not etch yourself, do the work yourself...ouch!) Cold stamping some sort of ID number into things? Buying a cheap engraver and trying to write fuzzy ID numbers into iron doesn't sound like a great deal of fun.

So...what do YOU do?

(As an aside, it occurs to me that someone nefarious could actually use this data. I don't mean, "Which door has an alarm on it and what's the code?" I mean, in general, what do you do to feel safe, and has it worked?)

[Denny Rice]

I did go to the expense of purchasing an alarm system for my shop. I found a very good used system on ebay about 5 yrs ago, it came with the orginial manual and door sensors, window sensors, motion senors,ect... I had to go to Radio Shack and purchase wiring for the system but the system came complete. If you decide to go this route make sure you check with your city / county officials as I live in the city and was required to purchase a permit for the alarm system which has to be renewed every 2 years.

[Bill Huber]

If you have a big shop and good old junkyard dog will do very well.

My home shop is just locked and has bars on the only window in it.

My dad had a really big shop for the backhoe and dump trucks and all of that stuff. He had a dog that stayed in the shop at night, never was broke into. Now the building next door was hit a few times but never dad's shop.

[Fyrman Dave]

There are a number of things that you can do to make your shop (or house) more secure. Keeping shrubs that are close to the shop, etc trimmed up to reduce hiding places, add lighting, whether motion activated or not, dogs are controversial as to their actual worth and balancing them with liability. I personally like them for added security.
See if you have a "Farm Watch" or "Neighborhood Watch" organization in your county, they can provide lots of tips and may even come out for a security consult at no cost. Check with your Sheriffs Dept.

[M Toupin]

Here's a free tip about thieves; they don't like attention, noise or anything with teeth!

A dog with a big bark and the bigger the better is the best solution. The down side is the matinenance... you have to feed it and it leaves little presents all over you have to clean up. A more user friendly solution is a good motion light system and a very loud alarm.

Don't waste your money on a monitored alarm, especially a silent one. The only thing monitored alarms do is give you a false sense of security. The dirty truth about alarm companies is most don't call the police directly. Most alarm activations are accidental so the alarm company tries to call you so see if you set it off by accident. When they don't get a response on your home phone they might even call your cell phone. As a last resort they call the police. 30 minute elapsed times are common and I've seen over 4 hours. If your alarm has constant false alarms they are even more hesitant to call police.

Thieves are in and out in less than 5 min, usually under 3. Even if your monitored alarm Co manages to call the police within 5 min, the dispatcher has take the phone call, get the information and call the officer via radio. 2-3 min at the minimum. We're up to about 8 min now. The officer has to then drive to your house which is going to take him at least 5min if you're real lucky. Probably more, especially if you're in a rural area were your response time might be gauged on a calendar. Did I mention 99.9% of all alarms are false? Here's another secret, LE won't run lights and siren to your alarm. there's just too many false alarms to jeopardize the public running lights and siren to what in all likelihood is a false activation. It's hard to explain to a family why you killed mom and dad responding to a false alarm, not to mention expensive to pay off the law suit. Back on track, locally, in a metropolitan area, our LE response times are 4 -6 min average. So you're up to 15 min or so since your alarm activated (on a good day) usually much longer. Did I mention thieves are in and out in less than 5 min? The bottom line is all you accomplish is spending a lot of money for your monthly alarm fee just to find out your stuff is missing. Granted, some times things work out perfect and LE actually catches someone, but you can chalk that up to dumb luck and a LE being in the right place at the right time. Don't even think it's the norm, this ain't TV and the cops don't solve every case in 30 min. IF you're lucky the report will be done in 30 min.

A good inventory with serial numbers is much more useful.

Mike

[Matt Meiser]

I have a full security system tied into the house's system. I set it every time I lock up, even if I'm planning to go out later. Its a separate partition from the house, so it is armed even when we are home when I'm not out there. My shop is also very visible to our next door neighbors.

[Chip Lindley]

Thieves go for the easy ones first. Lighting would be the first deterrent. The bill for a sodium light is cheap compared to tool replacement, not to mention the damage of a break in. A big dog is also cheap insurance. An alarm system that turns on lights and noise will scare the tweakers away. Motion sensor lights are a good cheap investment. In a secluded rural area, any deterrent is better than none. "Warning stickers" and foil tape on your doors and windows will make thieves wary, even if the system is not installed. Just don't make it easy for thieves!

[Rick Fisher]

+1 on the motion lights.

An alarm system which is attached to a horn is a good idea. Theives wont know if the police are on the way but a horn which is too loud to tolerate in the shop would make them nervous.

[Johnny Kleso]

Sears at one time sold signs and stickers along with alarm systems, I aways thought that a sign on your front lawn and some at your doors was a good cheap way to scar crooks away..

a blinking red light in the shop
or just a motion detector alarm which could be just the box type you just plug in and have so long to turn it off before it sounds, to a full blown alarm system

[Kurt Forbes]

Live next door to 2 federal agents :)
One of them stays at home most of the time doing research for background investigations.

[scott spencer]

I try to keep in shape and give really dirty looks to anyone who drives by that I don't know. ...that and having a house full of people that keep the house functioning nearly 24/7 doesn't hurt either! :D

[Todd Hoppe]

Have you thought of adding, in addition to an alarm and lights, a "tool crib" for the expensive stuff? If its under lock and key, and most certainly won't take the time to break into a locked closet while the alarm is going off...

[Bob Childress]

I put in a motion sensor alarm in my shop which sets off a LOUD alarm horn. Also, have motion sensor lights in the front of the shop. (A separate shop, but only about 50 feet from the house.)

[James Reichman]

Motion lights work well. A locked gate to the property helps. I have a dog with a doggie door so he has access to the property.
On a side note. I was going to post this as a thread but this is a similar topic. I had a machine for sale on CL a couple of weeks ago. Just my phone # listed as contact info. Guy calls ask very little about the machine? Say whats your address I say well you can meet me and I will show you how to get to my shop. But I need YOUR DRIVERS LISCENSE and another ID with the same address on it before you see my shop. Never heard from him again. I never have done that before. But I just said it, the guy sounded shady. Just talking to him I got a bad vibe and he had NO IDEA what the machine does. I think I might have dodged a bullitt

[Nathan Conner]

That is exactly what I was talking about, James. I've had countless people out from Craigslist in the past couple of years. Our place is hard to find, and quite a way from the city, so you have to really want to come out...most likely 9/10 who come out couldn't find it again.

But one thing that concerns me, aside from the local random thieves, is the folks from Craigslist who may or may not have bad intentions.

This reminds me of a CL visit from a couple of years ago. I had a bad day with the metal machining - broke several nice end mills trying to mill up a little brass engine, so, with only a couple of thousand invested in the metal equipment, but with a full complement of machining tools, threw the whole lot of mill/lathe/saws/handtools/metal on CL for, I think, $4500 late one night.

Within minutes (around 10pm), I got a call from a guy who said, "I have cash, I HAVE to do it tonight, I'll be there in a bit." Sounded like a nice enough young guy, so I gave him directions. 2 HOURS later he called and said he was 1/2 way there, would be about another hour. At about 2 or 3am, this huge new diesel dually truck with a long flatbed rolled on to our property. I was stunned when 5 or 6 guys got out, all over 6'4", full of mohawks and tattoos and piercings, and we all sorta stood there for a minute in the dead silence and moonlight - wasn't a word spoken. I thought to myself, "Self...this is it. They're going to leave me for dead and take everything. I just hope my wife can get to a neighbors while I'm making noise." I started taking slow deep breaths to get the muscles ready to start swinging and at least make a showing of myself...

Then one of them stepped forward and stuck his hand out, "I'm Todd...can we see the stuff?" That sort of broke the horrid tension, and I said, "Dude. What the <beep>?" They laughed a bit as Todd told the story and we walked down to the shop. Turns out they were a professional paintball team with some property a few hours away. They were leaving the next morning on another tour of the country, and had decided that instead of selling their ideas (new gun designs, trigger setups, equipment) to the paintball manufacturers, where they made 5%, they would, instead, sell actual mockups to the companies, where they made more like 25%. Apparently they'd made well over 200k that year alone just on the ideas.

We spent a couple hours digging through the shop, with them holding up tools (hammers, hacksaws, screwdrivers, straightedges) and asking, "What's this? How much?" before throwing them on the trailer. They just kept peeling $100 bills off of their rolls and handing them over, as they loaded up half my shop. They left near dawn with a trailer full of tools I didn't want. Turned out they were all REALLY nice, very honest guys, but it could have seriously gone so much worse. It was a lesson on what most certainly could go wrong.

So, that brings me back to the shop. I wonder about inviting anyone I don't know out here. Unfortunately, way too many people have come out for me to ever keep track of them. I have names/numbers in email, but I doubt the police are going to track down 100+ people who've been out here in the past few years and ask them if they stole stuff. Maybe I'll start meeting people in town.

Anyhow. Great suggestions thus far. We do have a couple of dogs - both of whom would bite if we weren't around. We have gates to the house, and the shop is up a long, steep, grassy slope that requires 4x4, skill and knowledge to get up to. But I think a security system is in order. A few hundred dollars on lights, alarms and a keypad would be a great investment. Luckily there are no windows in the shop, with only a single steel overhead door and a single steel entry door, and it doesn't look like much from the outside. So you'd have to know me or the shop to know that it's worthwhile to bust in.

I like the idea of a lock box for the expensiver stuff, too. I could put some shelves in that closet and add one heck of a large hasp/lock to the solid-core door. Maybe with a klaxon blaring and lights on, someone wouldn't take the time to try to break into that.

And, as someone suggested, I'll talk to my insurance guy - maybe have him out for a visit, as it's been awhile since we updated the policy - I think the last photos he has ($50k on contents for the shop, I think) are several years old.

[Mike Heidrick]

My solution - all equipment is 500+ lbs pretty much and a few 1000+ lbs. Also my wife is a lead tech at a central station and we get GE systems to demo!

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Security System

[Marlin Williams]

The basic stuff works best.

1: Light. Motion lights help as people don;t like to be seen.

2: A basic loud alarm. One that ahs a remote to arm and disarm. Just don;t do to many false alarms or nobody will ever come.

3: Don't leave your shop open and/or show it off. As already said people go for easy places and if they know you have alot of small stuff worth money then you are now on their path.

[Matt Meiser]

Pretty much whenever I sell something I Craigslist I move it from my shop up to the attached garage. We also have stickers from our alarm company on most windows and doors and there is a VERY loud siren inside the shop that would certainly fray the nerves of most common criminals. That's what I worry about being in a rural area.

But if someone really wants your stuff they are going to get it and there's not much you can do besides taking reasonable precautions and having good insurance.

[Jacob Reverb]

In addition to all the good advice others have offered...

If you like to shoot, consider installing a berm on the property and engaging in a little target practice from time to time.

Can't hurt if the tweakers know you like to shoot...also makes a heck of an impression if you catch somebody on the property at 1 a.m. by turning a flashlight onto the back of his head and quietly telling him to "stop" from 8 feet away with a 12 gauge! :eek:

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

turn the lights off when not there.

Lock the place.

Don't leave tell tale signs of what's inside laying around the place.

Think about visibility at the various entry points like windows and doors. If there's a nice private spot where a window or door can be pried open with no exposure to any one watching put bars on that access point or a steel door in a steel frame.

Install better locks. Ask your locksmith what the Department of State uses.

Buy or build a safe that's so heavy no one will take it and put your valuable stuff in that.

Put a couple of highly aggressive turf oriented dogs on a run around the shop all the time.


Or you could do what I do: Pay for good insurance.

[Rod Sheridan]

My woodworking shop is in the basement, so if anybody shows up who can carry my General 650 up the stairs, well, that's somebody I'd hold the door open for so he doesn't break that on the way out.

My garage is full of vintage motorcycles, and related tools and shop equipment.

Fortunately I live in an urban area where the potential thieves would be looking for more current, saleable stuff.

That said I lock the door, don't leave it open when I'm in there to reduce the "curb appeal" of the garage contents.

Like Cliff, I also have good insurance, and pay extra to have the tools/machinery covered.

Being Canadian, I don't have the defend yourself with the gun option, and in my opinion it's not worth being shot to save a router, that's what stores and insurance policies are for.

So, take reasonable precautions, have a good insurance plan, and let them take what they want, after all, they're just possesions.

Regards, Rod.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

See my avatar. 'nuff said! :) [on a more somber note - that's an old pic....we've since lost both Rudy and Chase....]

Seriously though....I was chatting with a cop one time about it. he said no one would ever break into our house - and sometimes big dogs are not necessary. ANY dog can bite.....and if your neighbor doesn't have one, it's a better target.

[Ben Davis]

ADT has a pretty cheap set up for one door and 2 or 3 windows... just a couple of hundred bucks. Monitoring service is like $20- $30 a month. If you're already talking hundreds in lights alone, you're in the ADT ball park for their basic simple install.

ben

[Neal Clayton]

a funny story, semi related...during hurricane there was an old police precinct that had about a 7500 pound safe outside the building, they were remodeling it before the storm, and had paid a crew to get the safe out, but not haul it off, they were going to sell it to a guy who restores and resells them.

the guy comes out, looks at the safe, and explains that he can't haul it off, his hoist on the truck isn't strong enough to lift it. he'll have to bigger one to lift it on monday (this is a friday). "no problem" the contractor working on the precinct building says, but "do you really wanna leave it outside? someone might steal it".

to which the guy laughs, of course, saying that if anyone could steal that thing more power to them.

well, this guy comes back on monday and sure enough the safe is gone. from the looks of the security film, about 10 crackheads with ~18 winn dixie carts stole the thing. one of them brought along a (probably also stolen) sawzall and cut a couple of bars off of a nearby wrought iron fence to make pry/wedge bars with. with that and a few lengths of rope they managed to get it up on the carts, and when a cart broke or buckled they'd pry it up, and slide another one in, and go another block.

lesson: don't ever count out a determined drug addict, if there's a fix, there's a way. that table saw might be too big for you, but not necessarily for them, especially when 4 people could carry it on each corner.

[Harry Goodwin]

Just a few. I have motion detector tied in with the house.
I have motion lights outside.
I never show my shop to people I don't know.. Particularly workers around
the house doing other things.
I only open the door to the street when absolutely necessary.
I pull the plug on ovewhead door.
I have alarm on entrance door.
I put a large padlock thru the track on the overhead door so it can't be raised.
I pay my insurance.
Harry

[Ross Ellis]

1. Install metal bars on entry door--the kind that cant be kicked in or pryed open.

2. A lock or vise grips in a garage door track will do wonders.

[Lee Schierer]

For a few dollars you can install motion activated switches on your shop lights. You can also have a special circuit that blinks the lights and sounds a horn. Thieves don't like the lights coming on and don't like noise since they don't know what else they might have triggered. Put reasonable locks on the doors of detached buildings and have a good list/photo record of your tools. Pay your insurance company for replacement insurance and if a thief takes your old tools you get new ones.

If you get a false alarm, change your set up as it may have been a test by a thief checking to see how long it takes for anyone to notice.

My mother has ADT on her house. The alarm company first calls my sister who lives closer then me. They also call the police. I live 20-25 minutes away and have beat the police there several times. We've had several false alarms and a couple we couldn't figure out, so far it has detered any thieves.

[Larry Fox]

80+# boxer with a head the size of your average halloween pumpkin and a poor disposition towards strangers.

[Dan Bussiere]

I have a fenced in area with a locking gate.
Motion sensing exterior lights.
Motion sensing internal alarm system with very loud horn that sits next to my bedroom window.
I don't list things on Craigs list or Ebay.
And last, but not least, my 2 German Shephards who sleep out there don't take kindly to strangers.

Funny, but I've never had a problem.;)

[Tom Hargrove]

Years ago, I was an investigator for an insurance company, and I worked on many theft claims, both residential and commercial. There are lots of great comments and observations above. Here are some comments and observations based on my experience:

I never investigated a theft where there was at least one dog on the premises.
If you make it more difficult to steal from you than the next guy, they will steal from the next guy.
Burglars steal only what they are comfortable stealing. They don't like cameras, dogs, lights, or anything that makes noise. Motion sensor lights work great. Cameras also seem to work well, even if they are fake.
A great lock on a weak door is a waste of money. Burglars don't pick locks, they usually break the easiest thing they can find to get in.
Burglars are usually gone before the police get there, even if you have an alarm that notifies a service or is directly hooked up to the police department. I would not spend the money on an alarm reporting service. I would use it to buy more tools or more insurance.
If no one knows you have nice stuff, they won't show up to steal it.
If they break into your house and take lots of nice stuff, they may come back in a year or so since they realize you will replace it with the insurance money. Therefore, be sure to make security changes after a break-in.
No matter what precautions are taken, a determined thief will overcome anything you can do.
Make sure you have sufficient insurance to replace your stuff. If you make money (or try to make money . . .) with your tools, your home owners insurance will provide limited coverage. Insurance coverage varies significantly by state, and by insurance company. You should read your policy and discuss your situation with your insurance agent to be sure you have the right protection.
I have a large dog, I leave lights on, and I have a great insurance policy.

[glenn bradley]

I got enough of a discount on my homeowner's insurance by having an online alarm service to cover 90% of the cost. Don't accept out of hand assurances from your insurance folks. Remember, their job is to give you as little of your money back as possible. Be sure you know and understand what is covered and to what extent. In addition to that, I have:

- Motion detector lights
- Heavy outside doors with good deadbolts and alarm sensors
- Extra internal locking mechanism on the roll up door
- Pictures of more expensive items showing my "mark" on them for future recovery
- A total and complete lack of hesitation to hospitalize someone I catch, if there is a valid excuse, they can tell me after they are released

[Steve Perez]

I purchased a securtiy alarm at the Home Security Store online and installed it myself. It is wireless and depending on range you may have to add range extenders. Easy install and not very expensive. Internal batteries last a long time and everything is tamper proof. I programmed mine to call my cell phone, but could also program any phone number including police. No additional monitoring fees. I also armored up the phone system too to reduce the chance of phone line cutting. An alternative to that is an alarm that uses cell phone technology so the would be thiefs cant simply cut the line.

The nice thing about a self install is you can get a basic system, then add on to it. Thats what i am doing. I have door/window sensors, motion sensors, and glass breaking sensors. As well as multiple key pads and sirens. You really can do it your self. Installing is super easy, programming is a little challenging at first. But I never had previous experience with alarms.

I had what seemed to be an attempted break in before I installed the alarm. But thankfully they did not break in, only broke the window. Three weeks ago, my next door neighbor had a break in. Sad to say, but tis the season for break ins. Knock on wood ... it wont happen to any of us. Sadly it will happen to someone. Many of our tools really are like family now, they just cant be replaced. Especially generational tools.

You can never stop a burglary but you can make it a little harder for them and maybe youll persuade them to go somewhere else.

[Lucas Bittick]

. I thought to myself, "Self...this is it. They're going to leave me for dead and take everything...

Then one of them stepped forward and stuck his hand out, "I'm Todd...can we see the stuff?" That sort of broke the horrid tension, and I said, "Dude. What the <beep>?"

GREAT story!

[Dave Lehnert]

I have always been concerned with Sawmillcreek. :eek:

With the use of your real name why would you run the risk of posting "Hey look everyone. I got new Festool everything in my shop"
What you are saying in fact is, I got it, come and get it. Because with the Internet you can find anyone and where they live.
I am sure this is true for most but not all. My shop is not located at my house or does not have an address of any kind.

The one reason I do not like the use of real names on here. But sure a lot do not use a real name anyway.

Anyway Just have a shop like mine with Harbor Freight junk and they will feel sorry for you. LOL!!!!

[Ben Rafael]

I have always been concerned with Sawmillcreek. :eek:

With the use of your real name why would you run the risk of posting "Hey look everyone. I got new Festool everything in my shop"
What you are saying in fact is, I got it, come and get it. Because with the Internet you can find anyone and where they live.
I am sure this is true for most but not all. My shop is not located at my house or does not have an address of any kind.

The one reason I do not like the use of real names on here. But sure a lot do not use a real name anyway.

Anyway Just have a shop like mine with Harbor Freight junk and they will feel sorry for you. LOL!!!!

I've been using some other guys name. But I got used to it and decided to keep it. I dont know what name he is using.


I believe in the Get Smart school of prevention. Instead of just locking my shop, I have it locked, within a yard that has a double locked 8 foot high fence and a dog in the yard. You need to get by 3 things to get the goodies. Plus if I notice someone making it past the fence they will not be able to tell their friends about it.

[Tim Anderson]

I've got motion detection lights and also a cuddeback. It's a motion activated camera that can take pics and/or vid that I have hidden near the shop. It gets a pic of everyone that approaches the shop (delivery men, neighbors, wild critters etc.). Once a month I replace the batteries and exchange the flash card. Cheaper than an alarm system and I have their picture.

[Don Bullock]

I have a nosey neighbor who's a light sleeper. His bedroom is less that 10 yards from my new shop. No, I won't be working loudly late at night.;):D

[Dave Lehnert]

I've got motion detection lights and also a cuddeback. It's a motion activated camera that can take pics and/or vid that I have hidden near the shop. It gets a pic of everyone that approaches the shop (delivery men, neighbors, wild critters etc.). Once a month I replace the batteries and exchange the flash card. Cheaper than an alarm system and I have their picture.

You know, thats not a half bad idea. Thanks!

[Mark Grotenhuis]

Can anyone tell me what the insurance policy for their shop cost? I have homeowners insurance but I really don't think they would cover my tools. I've never brought it up with my agent. I'm afraid to know how much more my rates would go up. I do have heavy locks, a motion light off the back, and a wife who knows how to use my shotgun if I'm not there.

[Don Bullock]

Can anyone tell me what the insurance policy for their shop cost? ...

I just checked with my agent. My new shop and tools are covered under my regular home policy, but after I get the tools in I'll be checking to see if they are "fully insured" at replacement value.

[Matt Meiser]

Mark, my insurance agent (Michigan Farm Bureau) checked into that for me and said my homeowners insurance was adequate. It probably depends a lot on the type of coverage you have. Some options will pay out X dollars based on the value. Ours is a replacement cost policy which in theory means they pay whatever it costs. The agent is responsible for estimating what that value and we get charged accordingly. They had a problem with this and a few bad-apples got in trouble because agents were underestimating to undercut the rates offered by others but the good agents are able to figure it out fairly.

Another thing my agent explained is that the odds of loosing both my shop (which is about 80' from the house) and the house as a result of the same disaster are incredibly low. That helps keep the rates down too.

My family has been using this agent for over 30 years now and he's never steered us wrong.

I think we got a 10% discount on our insurance for having a monitored alarm system for fire and burglary.

Interesting topic since our neighborhood had a rash of thefts Thursday. Seems a group of "heroin addicts" (the paper's description) drove up from Toledo to look for houses to burglarize. Apparently they were knocking on doors to see if anyone was home before breaking in, so I'd suspect they were passing by houses with alarm signs too. It was during the day even. I wondered why the cops were driving down my road the other day. Anyway, they broke into one occupied house and the homeowner chased them and got their license number. They were stupid enough to be driving their own vehicle and were found at home and arrested along with a bunch of identifiable loot.

[jim oakes]

Leave a radio or TV on loud with a 24 hour station. A thief may knock but would think " is someone asleep in there and not hearing the knock".

[Lucas Bittick]

Has anyone's shop actually been broken into?

Of course, shops should be locked up and secured. I am just wondering if the perception of risk (because of the monetary value of tools) actually matches the real rate of theft.

It seems to me that a typical thief will be more interested in my flatscreen TV and my wife's jewelry than a collection of wood planes or a 500 lb. table saw. Why? Those things have a wider market for resale and are simply easier to steal.

I am willing to bet that if a person's shop is not secure, then the rest of his/her property is not secure either-- meaning that other household property is at a higher risk for theft than shop tools. Given a choice, I highly doubt that shop stuff would be a thief's first choice of contraband.

[Matt Meiser]

There have been a number of posts in the past from people who have had stuff stolen. They probably aren't going to take your 500lb table saw, but handheld power tools and smaller tools like miter saws and the like are.

[AL Ursich]

I like the digital IR motion camera idea.... I have been looking at that. I like the one with the IR Flash....

I have the Radio Shack Reporter, a RF battery IR motion detectors around the property and driveway with a 1500 ft range. The batteries last a year. I got a Car Alarm Add On RF Pager Transmitter. It uses a car antenna and when triggered activated the pocket pager. I get about a mile of range on our property so if I am out for a walk I know someone is in the driveway. The pager gets 3 zones, red, orange, and green so with 4 detectors going to one Reporter then one zone on my pager I have options. The 2 way Car pagers are the latest so I bought a bunch of the OLD one way units on eBay. More than one pocket pager will work with any transmitter, so we all have one.

We sell Christmas Trees so it comes in handy to know we have a customer. The dogs help too.

Also have little B&W Video cameras around the driveways so I now why the beeper went off while in the shop.

Radio Shack has a new version of the reporter that when triggered sends voice to the receiver and lets you push the button and talk to the Thief.... Works for gates and great for inside your shop or above the door.... Same deal.... 4 transmitters can talk to 1 receiver so the extra receivers can be in different rooms and especially the bedroom.

Using a hidden on off switch to deactivate the reporters in the shop.

I don't have all the answers... But I am trying to make my shop less of a target....

I got a PO BOX to put on my Business Cards so my Home Address is not out there....

I could still do more.... I listen to the Scanner and Break In's are on the rise.... We even had someone cutting fire wood on our property the other day.

AL

[Dennis Thornton]

A few years ago I read an interview with a professional burglar. He basically discounted alarm systems, locks, fences, bars, etc. The one thing he didn't was a dog. He said that if the "target" had a dog, it wasn't the "target" any more. Dogs make noise, are difficult to impossible to quiet, wake at any sound, and they bite.

His advice - If you don't want your stuff taken, get a dog.

[Louis Rucci]

Keeping things secure is never an easy or inexpensive option. My son's going to install a security system for me as that's his job. He's going to use equipment clients give up after they've upgraded to a better system.

You may want to check with some local security companies and see if you can get "second" hand stuff that may not break the budget and give you "piece of mind".

[Rob Damon]

Leave a radio or TV on loud with a 24 hour station. A thief may knock but would think " is someone asleep in there and not hearing the knock".


Better yet, get a recorder and record a day long of wood working, you know, tools starting/stopping, dust collector going, radio going in the background, dog barking, you talking to yourself...

Burn it to an Audio CDR and put it in a cd player with "replay" selected and turn it on when you leave the shop. Anybody snooping around will hear you "working in your shop" and will move on to another oppurtunity. :)

Rob

[John Keeton]

Two rules -
1. Never discuss online my security situation.
2. Shoot to kill anyone that intrudes my home and surroundings - and everyone in town knows I would do it.

[David Shleifer]

My dad has a friend who was a DEA agent for years. He concurs that you can't stop a determined thief. You can only make it more difficult.

Interestingly, he told us about a study done in the prison some years ago asking criminals (these folks are in jail) what the scariest thing they can encounter when they break into a house. By an extremely wide margin they chose housewives with shotguns. Shotguns are unlikely to miss, and housewives are likely to be scared enough to pull the trigger even if they don't intend to.

A relative of mine had a similar question as to how to protect his gun collection. In the end, he had a steal door fastened to a cement bunker in the basement. The bunker was originally intended as a tornado bunker, so its kinda tough to get in to, unless you have a key to the door.

[Wayne Cannon]

When I lived near Sacramento, the sheriff's department gave a seminar on protecting your home against theft. The focus was on residences, but should apply mostly to a shop, as well. Here are their points (as best I can remember them):


Most thefts occur between 2 pm and 6 pm when kids are out of school, but before their parents get home -- not at night as you would first expect. The majority of theft is for money for drugs, but it's also something for a kick to relive the boredom.
An obvious and visible neighborhood watch program (e.g., a sign in everyone's yard saying "I watch my neighbor and report everything unusual") is very effective. Thieves usually count on neighbors to not say anything -- at least not until it's too late.
Most thefts are thefts of opportunity -- a door left open with the interior visible while the owner grabs a bite to eat or makes a quick trip to the store.
Eliminate temptation. Use high windows or ordinary-looking window shades to keep otherwise-tempting objects out of sight. If it looks like a fortress, it can be tempting just because there obviously must be something of value inside.
Make it difficult to case your place without being very visible -- i.e., as already mentioned, remove shrubs, etc., near windows and provide lighting.
Alarm bells and sirens don't stop most thieves, because thieves usually strike when you are away and people (neighbors) have become so immune to hearing alarms that they wait too long to report them.
Pressure mats buried outside of windows and under door mats were the most useful early alarm, followed by door and window switches and glass breakage detection.
Fake alarm stickers/signs and foil tape on windows work, as long as they aren't obviously fake.
You can't stop a determined thief. You can only stop thefts of opportunity (by removing the temptation) and make your place less attractive to hit than your neighbors'.

Me? I don't do anything except have high windows, sturdy locks on the doors, motion-sensitive lights (put there for my own convenience at night), and "ScareCrow" motion-detector impluse sprinklers by the windows (put there to help the deer find my neighbors' plantings more appealing!).

[Bob Slater]

My shop is in a rough part of Toronto with some drug addicts in the vicinity. My first thing is to keep a low profile. That means never having doors open . Not using certain tools at certain hours if they are in ear hearing distance. I have a double door with multiple locks in the back and bars over the non see through window(Used fogged window film) . The front steel door has two locks, but two garage doors on the front , whioch you can run a sawzall through in a mater of seconds. . I have a monitored alarm system that works on a Cellular network. I live 8 minutes away. I just installed a video camera last week so at least I can see if anybody is waiting for me when I leave often after midnight. I enjoy making the place as bunker like as possible. I got a real Gloat going on my monitoring system. I bought three LCD portable DVD players on Ebay for $5.00 total. The DVD doesn't work on two of them, but the video input works on all three. SO I have one monitor over the front door. One in my small office, and one in the main workroom. The camera was also from Ebay and is a real well made armoured Sony dome camera .

[Sonny Edmonds]

But mostly the dogs. They go off long before an alarm would.
And you learn what bark means trouble.
I've watched people back off the porch when the frenzy charges up barking.
Besides, they are the greatest friends you could ever find. :D

And nobody ever cleaned me out like my first wife did. But hey, I have all nice better stuff now. :rolleyes:
Think I should thank her?
Naw...

[jim oakes]

Interestingly, he told us about a study done in the prison some years ago asking criminals (these folks are in jail) what the scariest thing they can encounter when they break into a house. By an extremely wide margin they chose housewives with shotguns. Shotguns are unlikely to miss, and housewives are likely to be scared enough to pull the trigger even if they don't intend to.



I would be willing to rent mine and the double barrel. I think she would be very good at this. If she sees this post ,I may find out.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

Insure the heck out of it! After 3 uninsured break ins, I got very expensive business insurance and never had another problem....so, instead of a loss from theft, I had a loss from paying high insurance premiums...about the same over a 5 year period....

Doug

[michael flay]

357 magnum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Joe Von Kaenel]

I connected the barn to our home security system. If running wires is a problem there are a lot of very good wireless systems available. I also have motion sensing lights. A lot of security companies will give you a free system if you use their monitoring. Just a security company sign and stickers will deter many thieves because it's not worth the trouble.


Joe

[Jason Abel]

A man after my own heart.

.45ACP and if they actually get away we have the AR-15 for their drive down the road.