Have you ever wondered?

[Clifford Mescher]

im not sure why anyone would decide to go into a woodworking shop where it could be some big guy playing with saws, and decided to hold them up. Id sooner think the criminal would opt for a senior citizen leaving her apt to go do food shopping.

I think Id be more suprised if someone walked into my shop/garage and offered to pay me for a build. I think Id hit the floor faster than if someone fired a shot at me.

That's assuming the criminals are actually thinking Clifford

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

As far as a gun is concerned that would work nicely as well, but storing it in your woodworking apron, that is ridiculous.

And they make such a mess.

However a 22 would serve nicely. Triple tap (semi auto) to the lungs and you'll have time to place the next one carefully.

[Dusty Fuller]

I think what the rural folks may be concerned about is that if someone finds your shop, it is perhaps more likely that they didn't just stumble upon it. That's just a guess though. I figure that the more people you have, the more that they walk around just looking at stuff, and you may get a few of those. I get a few wanderers, though most of them turn around and/or leave me alone when they see the truck with "law enforcement" decals and the blue lights (I live/work on a state park). I have night duty usually 3-4 nights a week, in which case I'm in uniform with all the gear (Glock 22, pepper spray, ASP baton). When I'm not on-duty, I'll have my Glock 27. Its just standard fare, not paranoia, because there's always a chance I'll need to respond to something even if I'm not on-duty. Then there's the chisels....

[Karl Brogger]

I have to agree with John, this is what our second amendment rights are for.

I agree with John as well. But this is not why the Second Amendment exists. It is there so you can protect your self from the state. An armed citizenry can overthrow a tyranical and corrupt government. Being able to put 240g hollow points into some piece of crap who wants to take what is yours is just a benifit.

[Rob Damon]

I would rather not use them. Especially if the intruder turns out to be a couple kids.

We live out in the county and there are no street lights and an unlit 20' alley way behind the shop that I am building. I know when I retire that I will be working out there pretty late.

Although the neighborhood we are in is 99% crime free, it is not to say it will stay that way. So to protect the shop when I am away, there is a security system and CCTV, so the police can be alerted and we have video. The second thing we are going to do is put up a folding metal gate just inside the overhead garage door and just inside the personnel door.

This provide two functions. One is when I am not at home, and someone breaks in, the alarm will go off when the main door gets opened, the police will be alerted and the intruder is now faced with getting through a heavy steel gate before getting my toys. He has to make a decision, can I get through this gate before the cops show up. (And there is a county sheriff six houses down from ours.) The second function will be when I am in the shop, I can arm the alarm system and secure the gates. If the alarm gets set off, I will still have the steel gates between me and him, so I will have plenty of time to get back into the storage room and wait for the intruder with my friend Mr. Colt until the Police arrive.

It's all about layering defenses.

When I leave at night I can check the CCTV screen to see if anyone is about and walk comfortably to the house with Mr. Colt in hand.



Rob

[Andrew Derhammer]

Since i'd probably be at the lathe, grab the bowl gouge and throw it at him to stun him and then run to the wall for the pipe clamp and give 'em a good wack. It's been on my mind as there's been some break ins in surrounding neighborhoods.

[John Keeton]

But this is not why the Second Amendment exists. It is there so you can protect your self from the state. An armed citizenry can overthrow a tyranical and corrupt government. Being able to put 240g hollow points into some piece of crap who wants to take what is yours is just a benifit.

Precisely correct! And, well stated Karl.

[Ben Rafael]

Sounds like Rob is preparing to fight the 2nd battle of Yorktown.

[Rob Damon]

I think the second battle of Yorktown happened last year when the county raised real estate taxes......

Not to shift the subject, but on the lines of shop safety...

This forum requires real names and many folks add their real city,state. Many of these folks post real pictures of their real shops and their real (tools) toys and give pretty descriptive tours that shows windows and doors and potential entry points and such.

So I was going to post pics of my big shop in progress and my temp small shop and I got to thinking.

So the question I have is with this thought in mind, is it really a good idea in this day and age to be posting this kind of info on the web? Doesn't this give some of the creatures of night a sort of shopping list of oppurtunity?

How many of you have already posted shop tours and have had your shops broken into?

Just curious, I sure I am just being too paranoid.

Rob

[Karl Brogger]

Precisely correct! And, well stated Karl.

Its borderline scary how few people actually know that little factoid, and even scarier yet at how willing people are to become subjects instead of a citizens. Which is what you become when the Gov't no longer has anything to keep them in check and are allowed to exploit you to the fullest extent.


Rob, your being paranoid. I doubt, (I hope to not eat these words), that any meth/crack/heroin addict is shopping online for his next mark.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I'd just invite the miscreant to sit down a while and we'd have a little chat.
Me, on the shop stool - them on the router table...
Call it a little pre-prison-prep.

Its borderline scary how few people actually know that little factoid, and even scarier yet at how willing people are to become subjects instead of a citizens

Sad is how I view it, not scary.
People are people though I guess, and as such, they are going to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over.

So the question I have is with this thought in mind, is it really a good idea in this day and age to be posting this kind of info on the web? Doesn't this give some of the creatures of night a sort of shopping list of oppurtunity?

Excellent point.
I know in my case, I've posted a few times about what I have in the shop.
I doubt if many questions about the origin of tools are asked by buyers on CL or similar sales outlets.
The sterotype is that it's the crack heads/druggies, etc. that are behind it. All too often it turns out it's the kid down the street just looking for kicks &/or a thrilling You Tube video - or some thrill shots taken on the cell phone to impress his peers.

[Burt Alcantara]

I have a 357 hidden in my shop. Since I'm in the basement I'd hear anyone entering the house and going down the stairs.

If I'm in the basement, they would have to get past my wife, who works at home. She taught me how to use firearms so I doubt they'd get very far.

Burt

[Gary Herrmann]

I haven't consciously thought of this. Since my son was born, my guns are in a locked metal cabinet. I do intend to teach him how to safely use what I own. I also think about those bedframe mounted single pistol gun safes periodically.

My shop is in the basement. If I'm running power tools, I may not hear the person coming down the stairs. Lathe or handtools, I might.

However, consider how much you're concentrating when you're using a tool. Consider what that does to your awareness of your surroundings outside of your cut or whatever.

If someone enters the house, the dogs would let me know first, then my wife. I hope I'd have time to dial 911 while running to the cabinet.

If nobody is home and this person is in my basement, they're probably between me and the cabinet. If they're armed with a handgun, a gouge, hammer or anything else isn't going to do much other than get me shot, if the throw isn't perfect.

If the person is unarmed or has a knife, I'm hoping I would be working on some M&T joinery. I would then introduce them to one of my millwright chisels and a mallet.

Considering the way my mind works, this makes me wonder if I need to change the layout of my shop, or at least the distribution of some items.

Regardless, odds are I'm going to bleed in this situation. That said, I'm willing to do that for my family and my home. If we're fortunate, it won't come to that. But you never know until it happens.

[Craig Kershaw]

Whenever I work in my garage(its a stretch calling it a shop) my 95 lbs german shepherd Ginger is always with me. She's real good at barking at anything that happens along. Usually its just deer in the backyard, but she's chased off a few questionable characters over the years. Of course if it gets more serious my Austrian friend Mr. Glock is loaded with hollow points that my
retired police buddy gave me.

[Brian Peters]

I would avoid conflict these days. Depending on where you live you're more than likely going to get sued for a lot of money if you assault an intruder with your tools. Sounds crazy but it is the world we live in. But if I feared for my life or felt the intruder was that much of a threat I could think of plenty of tools that would keep him incapacitated until the cops came. I'm thinking a hammer in one hand pocket knife in the other would throw the intruder off. Statistically most thief's don't rob houses where they think conflict would be present. IE: if you're home he will just go onto the next house

But God help the guy that tries to steal my tools or anything in my house I have a big property. Lots of woods too.