"Theft-Proof" Steel Plate Door

"Theft-Proof" Steel Plate Door FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 29-6-16 After thieves broke open his shop door and made off with some tools, Gale Courson, Farina, Ill., decided to make things a bit more difficult for the next thief who might get the same idea. He made a steel plate outer door equipped with a deadbolt and a hooded padlock shield. The door is hinged to a steel frame that he mounted around the original door jamb. Both the door and the padlock shield are made from 1/4-in. thick steel plate. The padlock shield is a 2 by 5-in. box that's open on the bottom. To lock the door, Courson has to reach up into the opening and insert a key in the padlock. The opening is too small for thieves to use a saw or bolt cutters on the lock. "It isn't a 100 percent answer, but it adds a measure of protection. I installed the add-on door on two different buildings about a year ago and haven't had any problems since then," says Courson. To make the door frame, he had a local fabrication shop bend two pieces of steel into an L-shape to fit both sides of the door opening. After they were bolted in place, he welded the bolts to the frame so they couldn't be unscrewed. He then welded a pair of heavy duty barn door hinges onto both the door and frame. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gale Courson, P.O. Box 75, Farina, Ill. 62838 (ph 618 245-2294).

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