The Shed of Dread. Or my new workshop. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 10:51:03 am
content: Finally, I have a space to build my workshop, a brand new 10'x8' insulated and solid wooden garden building (shed) has been ordered and will be installed in the next couple of weeks (I hope)But, before I move my beloved and hard won gear into it, I want to make it secure.The internal walls will be plywood lined so I'll be adding a mesh of wires behind that to connect to an alarm in case somene decides they'd like to smash their way in, there'll be an IP camera inside and out and the door will have a chunky lock as well as a battery backed RFID system, the frame and hinges will be hardened and, from prior experience, the roof will be having a few extra bolts added as well as having the wire 'mesh' connected.So, any tips, ideas etc to make it a bit more secure?

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 11:25:10 am
content: Re-enforce the door and door frame.Use security screwns if they are exposed outside.Bars or wire mesh over the windows.Cuboards to hide stuff from view when not in use. Also kmake the cuboards lockable.

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 11:29:00 am
content: 1. A four legged friend or two.2 A "Danger High Voltage" sign. With a nice big old insulator nearby.HiHi

author: Aeternam
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 11:37:21 am
content: Mustn't... Can't... No... MUST NOT...BAAAAAHInstall one of these.DOH!

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 11:47:46 am
content: QuoteI was tempted to post that as wellSeriously, I forgot another measure is to install one of those lights connected to PIR sensor.Has the advantage of lighting your way to/from the shed.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 05:24:11 pm
content: If someone wants to get in, they will get in. Just make it harder to steal your stuff then the neighbour's flat screen.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 05:45:47 pm
content: A good old-fashioned PIR detector connected to a 110dB wailing siren and a strobe light.Connected, of course, to a keypad to disable it.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 06:32:33 pm
content: Quote from: schmitt trigger on July 21, 2017, 05:45:47 pmBoth disabled with a hammer in less than 5 seconds. And nobody is going to call the police.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 08:20:04 pm
content: Security Cameras, the pikies hate them. Don't want your test leads striped for their copper.

author: jadew
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2017, 08:38:18 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on July 21, 2017, 08:20:04 pmLOL

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 12:57:52 am
content: Just remember, man-traps are illegal. If the body is ever found.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 07:18:11 am
content: All good answers, there's always the worry that marking something out as needing to be secure makes it more of a target.Unfortunately I can't afford a robot minigun and I quite like my kids so leaving them as mincemeat on the lawn isn't an ideal solution.I think I've got it covered, I know from experience that they will get in if they want to, I just want to make it as inconvenient as possible for them and as easy to catch them if they manage it.

author: netdudeuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 07:32:31 am
content: Quote from: CJay on July 21, 2017, 10:51:03 amGot a link ?

author: TheNewLab
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 08:21:33 am
content: I don't get the "Dick Smith" joke. May not want to.Regarding stealing your copper Ha! Ha! listened to a TED of a guy in Fresno, CA that uses 6 huge Newfoundland dogs. Says in the rural areas people have gone after the copper in stuff, and the aluminum...(Area was hard hit from 2007 and has not yet recovered...)

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 08:31:28 am
content: Quote from: TheNewLab on July 22, 2017, 08:21:33 amDick Smith, Australian retailer of cheap electronics tat I believe...Road signs and railings wre/are a target for metal thieves here, a non zero number every year die as a result of trying to steal copper from live electricity substations, the reports in the news usually mention 'a small fire', I'm lead to believe it's the person who was attempting to make off with the copper.A few years ago some particularly stupid metal thieves stole a mile of telecoms cable and cut off an entire town from the telephone network. Unfortunately it was fibre optic...

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 11:47:47 am
content: Quote from: CJay on July 22, 2017, 07:18:11 amA good old paintball gun mounted on a robotic turret could be very effective though. Non-lethal, but paintballs do hurt quite a bit and getting splattered in bright paint may not be the preferred disguise for any crooks trying to steal something.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 11:54:52 am
content: I find that my 2 "dog bells" are a deterrent. They go off if a fly farts 2 houses down. They even have a special bark for the UPS truck.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 12:40:43 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on July 22, 2017, 11:47:47 amI played paintball and have had the bruises to verify that. And the knackered knee from slipping on sheep shit, which put me out of the game.

author: BBBbbb
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 12:51:36 pm
content: paintball gun turret is just screaming "steal here" and the turret would be stolen as well.

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 01:19:23 pm
content: If you had not already ordered a shed I'd have suggested getting a used 10 or 20 foot sea shipping container.They are pretty cheap and very secure. You just need to line it & maybe put a heat shield on the roof if you live in a very hot or very cold area.

author: med6753
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 01:28:51 pm
content: You must post pictures when you get this shed and set it up.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 09:23:10 pm
content: Quote from: BBBbbb on July 22, 2017, 12:51:36 pmWell, if you could still move after a turret has unloaded a magazine of paintballs in your face or chest you could as well have it. In that case you are most likely some kind of Terminator or superhuman and I am glad you took only the gun.

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2017, 09:39:05 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on July 21, 2017, 06:32:33 pmMake that siren 150db at 10-14KHz and the strobe a 5-15kw xenon flash lamp with reflector used in old spy planes to photograph land at random timed pulse between 0.5 and 2 seconds.No one will get near enough to the siren to steal or damage it without their head burning in too much pain to take their fingers out of their ears...Getting too close to the strobe light will blind them and any uncovered skin will burn and they will need medical attention, but, it wont be lethal, I hope....

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 09:54:43 am
content: Quote from: med6753 on July 22, 2017, 01:28:51 pmAbsolutely, I was planning a timelapse of the build etc. At the moment it's a vegetable patch that's a bit overgrown.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 10:03:27 am
content: I use these locks on my shed up&over door and side door. They are sturdy.www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221174375033

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 10:52:24 am
content: Good lock, though probably easier to go through the side of a typical shed. Most DIY sheds are flat packed, and are thus easy to pry apart when assembled if you want to be a tealeaf. The container idea would be better if you have the space for the concrete pillars for the corners, and the room to get the side lift truck in and out of the yard to place it. Want to move just disconnect the power ( cut in a caravan socket inlet for the weatherproof inlet) and put a seal in the door, with the insides packed up in some wrapping and away you go.

author: fcb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 12:21:12 pm
content: My lab for a number of years was an 8' x 10' in my back garden. To make it secure I built an inside 'porch', with a reinforced wooden and steel door, with two 5 lever mortices at the top and bottom, all painted black and covered in hazard tape with a radiation warning triangle on the inner door. All the basic gardening stuff was stored in the first 2', and I kept the basic flimsy shed door.The theory was that they could get into the outer zone without wrecking the door too much, but then they were faced with a surprising and unknown scenario... The PIR detected them and they had 30 seconds to disarm the remote panel before being deafened.So the lab ended up 8'x8' usable with a door that swung in - but it was super-warm (insulated walls lined with plywood).A couple of years later I built a second shed 8'x12' in-line with the first. I went for a taller one and reduced the depth of the porch to about 3".

author: vodka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 06:44:46 pm
content: Quote from: fcb on July 23, 2017, 12:21:12 pm."Radiation label" there are many thieves that have robbed suitcases with the radiation triangle quite big. I think that is better the lab would seem the house of a cannibal. With a doll of a victim's cannibal what moans when someone is closed , a pair bucket with remains the blood and the human member and sausages hung for drying.There are many crazy people on a city who seem good and polite than people who store radiactive substances on their home.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2017, 10:37:22 pm
content: Radiation means nothing if they can't read. A year or two ago they robbed several old radioactive lighting conductors, which were stored in properly marked boxes in a shed. They just see metal = cash.Boss were just looking. Do you want that taken away...

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2017, 10:46:39 am
content: Some good ideas here, I like the porch idea a lot and that'd be easy to do but as I don't have to make allowances for garden tools a second inner door would be very easy to do, it'd remove the problem of insulating the outer door as wellThe interior of the shed is to be lined with 0.5" plywood over the insulation so levering the panels apart would only get them so far in before being faced with a chunk of interior wall plus the walls and roof will have a loop of wire such that breaking it will trip the alarm.Corners and roof joints will be made much stronger than factory with coach bolts and metal bracing.Sadly it's not possible to get a shipping container (it would be perfect) into the space plus the neighbours would *not* be happy unless I could make it look like a shed, this is a neighbourhood where there was a complaint made because someone built a half brick kennel for their dogs in the back gardenVoltsandjolts, nice locks, I will consider those.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2017, 10:50:24 am
content: Nice!How about a nice underground basement? Dexters lab? :-)Get yourself one of those attack-dogs. That will keep them out!

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2017, 11:26:11 am
content: Quote from: onesixright on July 24, 2017, 10:50:24 amIf I thought it was possible, something like this:

author: fcb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2017, 06:56:38 pm
content: On the first shed (known by my long suffering wife as "Shed One") the porch area wasn't full height as such, it matched the height of the outer door. There was storage above it on the inside, I used to keep tubes of IC's in the corners (in the useless triangular bit if you think about it).As far as radiation stickers etc... the aim was to surprise any local villains, sadly (or gladly) no one ever tried to break in. So it's an unproven theory.Good luck with the build!

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 05:55:41 am
content: Loudspeaker hooked up to mains so it produces a 60hz hum when you're near the shed, and a big high voltage sign.I also would not bother with windows on a shed. Have a nice big solid door with deadbolt and it will be hard enough to get in. If they REALLY want in they'll eventually get in but the harder you make it, the better.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 07:08:00 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on July 26, 2017, 05:55:41 amThat would attract them in this part of the world. Electricity = Copper = Money.Have a look at this IKS Exploration video. They are a mile down a fire damage tunnel, down small access hatch, the place is swimming in crude oil and had already been stripped of copper.https://youtu.be/L67pyt63OQQ

author: donkey77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 07:36:14 am
content: Re security, a friend recently had his shed/workshop broken into and model making lathes, still etc stolen. His was ply lined with good locks etc. They just cut a square hole out of the back with and alligator saw. He's now planning and threading re bar through the uprights, inbetween the inner and outer cladding.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 11:28:07 am
content: Yeah, they will get in no matter what you do but I intend it to be as noisy and bright as possible while they're trying, I realise there's not an awful lot I can do to make it impenetrable.Fortunately it's not a bad area and there are few if any break ins I know of.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 04:08:55 pm
content: Use an anti poachers trip alarm the type that takes a 12GG shot shell. They are supposed to take a yachting blank but I knew someone who put live shells in his, the only person he caught was himself when one day in a hurry he forgot to dis arm it on the way in, the thing went off and bird shot bounced around his workshop and hit him in the legs leaving a nasty rash.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2017, 10:39:34 pm
content: A minor point, and nothing like an underground bunker, but if you want to put up a 'garden shed' with a roof height that is lower than the local ordinance for requiring planning approval, and yet still have decent headroom inside, here's how:http://everist.org/NobLog/20100716_Storage_Shed.htmThe only requirement is that you have a bit of land slope, so you can have simple drainage of the below-ground part.How much extra headroom you can have, depends on how much land slope you have.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2017, 08:56:01 am
content: We're reasonably well treated in England, we're allowed a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres if we get within 2 metres of boundaries, 4.5 if we stay further away so height isn't a problem, nor is size (for me) as the rules say 'no more than half the area of the land surrounding the original building' so I could, in theory, have an outbuilding the same floor size as the house and not need planning permission.But an underground bunker would be coolNice summary of English planning regs here:https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/43/outbuildings

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2017, 06:23:52 am
content: It's crossed my mind to build a basement for my shed when I build it, just for the coolness factor and extra storage. Could just tie to the house weeping tile system. Would cost a lot more than the shed itself though.I'm on an easement and my water valve is in my back yard, so it makes it very limited as to where I can build a shed. It's crossed my mind to build it on a trailer bed, that way it's not considered a building anymore and I could put it where I want. I would just need to make sure it's actually properly locked in place or someone could hook it to a truck and run off with the whole thing.

author: Urs42
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2017, 09:10:57 am
content: You can install a fog system in your shed:We had some Fun with a similar system here...

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2017, 10:10:32 am
content: Quote from: voltsandjolts on July 23, 2017, 10:03:27 amBurglars don't pick/break locks, they come along with big tools and use brute force. If the shed's made of wood then it might be better to use something weak for the door just so they don't rip the entire side off just to get inside.It's probably better to pay for good insurance than imagine you can make a burglar-proof shed. With the right insurance a fancy DSO or expensive multimeter has no intrinsic value and can be replaced in a couple of days. Be sure to ask the insurance company what you can do to reduce the premium (alarms, lights, cameras, etc.)Also remember that most burglars want to be in/out as fast as possible, especially if there's a loud alarm going off right in their faces. Leave a few easily-grabbed-but-worthless things in plain view, eg. old laptops, old cellphones, dead iPads, $5 eBay multimeters...

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2017, 01:37:49 pm
content: While it's true that most crims don't go after the locks, it's not excuse to be stupid with locks.Beefy != good.In the US we have a company called Master Lock. They are used almost everywhere, with everybody going to them for a padlock, yet they are probably the most insecure lock company in the US.Bosnianbill has a good youtube series on how to get into them, but even I, with my plebian lockpicking skills could pop one open in a few moments.I suggest looking at Bosnianbill's channel for his video on good lock suggestion. It just needs to be something that will make a crim give up open trying it. Alien technology is often deterrent, even if it's easily bypassed.Insurance is probably the best idea. In the US, most people would install a good window with nice access to your gun cabinet to show that you aren't going to take shit sitting down. That is the US, however.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2017, 02:09:59 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on July 28, 2017, 10:10:32 amThis is true and why decent locks will deter much casual theft.I recall a documentary "on't telly" where they asked some low-life petty criminal what would stop him robbing a house and he basically said "Chubb locks".Certainly the more determined and less opportunistic thieves don't bother picking locks (bumping might still be popular) if they can crowbar them off or the door open. However, it doesn't hurt to make things difficult for them, and, if you must be broken into, it helps to keep the loss adjusters on your side.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 10:54:56 am
content: Quote from: Urs42 on July 28, 2017, 09:10:57 amHey, I like that! Combined with auto-opening punji-stake pits it could be highly effective.

author: ludzinc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 11:06:22 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on July 21, 2017, 05:24:11 pm*than

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2017, 06:15:56 am
content: Quote from: CJay on July 21, 2017, 10:51:03 am'Next couple of weeks' was rather optimistic, it was finally installed yesterday, hopefully the installers will come back soon and finish the interior bracing for the roof because the wrong part was supplied.A few evenings to insulate and board it then the storage and workbench(es) can be started

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2017, 07:16:00 am
content: I find this blog post inspirational when dealing with shed security:https://paulinthelab.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/in-lab-part.html