Maintenance

Tool box locks: what they are for, and what to do when one fails

A chest lock is not a security device. It is a transit latch and a deterrent, and the useful thing to know is how to replace one before you need to.

Three jobs, and only one of them is about theft. First, it stops drawers rolling open when the box is moved, which on a loaded cabinet on a sloped garage floor is a genuine hazard rather than an inconvenience. Second, it is a visible deterrent - a locked box takes longer and looks harder, which is most of what a deterrent does. Third, it keeps children and casual visitors out of a box full of sharp and expensive things.

What it is not is a barrier to anyone determined. The sheet steel around the cylinder is 0.0359 to 0.0478 inches thick - thinner than a dime - and a lock is only as strong as what it is mounted in. Anyone framing a tool chest lock as security is selling you something.

Most tool storage uses one of two cylinder types. A barrel lock takes a flat key and is the cheaper of the two. A tubular lock takes a round key with pins arranged in a circle, is a bit harder to pick, and is what most mid-range and better cabinets use. Both are replaceable, and both are held in by a clip or a nut on the inside of the panel.

Both types carry a code, usually stamped on the face of the cylinder or on the original key. That code is what a key cutter needs, and it is the single most useful piece of information about your box that you do not currently have written down.

1. 1Find the code. On the cylinder face, on the original key, or in the manual. Manufacturers publish key code series for their cabinets and a locksmith will recognize the format.
2. 2Order from the manufacturer or a locksmith. Both cut to code. The manufacturer is usually cheaper and slower; a locksmith is the reverse.
3. 3If there is no code, replace the cylinder. Universal barrel and tubular cylinders are cheap, and swapping one is a screwdriver job from inside the drawer opening.
4. 4Only drill as a last resort, and expect to replace the cylinder afterwards regardless.

The common failure is not the cylinder, it is the linkage: a rod or bar that runs down the inside of the cabinet and engages catches on each drawer. If the key turns freely but the drawers still lock, or the drawers stay locked with the key turned, the rod has come off its clip or bent.

That is a fixable problem and it is usually reachable by removing the top drawer entirely - most full-extension slides have a release lever on each side that lets the drawer come right out. With the drawer out you can see the rod, and the fix is normally reseating it rather than replacing anything.

• Secure the garage, not the box. A better garage door lock protects everything, including the box.
• Photograph your tools and record serial numbers on anything with one. This matters for insurance and for recovery, and it costs an afternoon once.
• Bolt the cabinet down or to the wall if theft is a real concern in your area. A 600 lb cabinet is hard to move; a 600 lb cabinet on casters is not.
• Check your insurance. Tools in a garage are frequently limited or excluded under home policies, and a collection that has grown over years is worth more than people assume.