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Job Site “Piano Box” lock housings

koikid | Posted in Tools for Home Building on October 21, 2010 11:30am

I purched an old  “Piano Box” Job Site tool storage chest today and did not look to close at the lock set up on this chest.  Has the 2 Lock Housings for 2 #5 Master padlocks to go into on the front side and has the “Latch that goes down into the housing from the lid once it is lowered.  The smaller chest I have uses a  U bolt from a steel cable clamp to secure the padlock into place.  But this only has the one hole on the back and has 2 slots at the bottom rear and a hole futher to the outer side of the bottom.  This need some type of bracket to attach these locks into the housing, Havent had time to look at it much but seems would have to be some type of bracket to hold the lock in the housing.

Not sure what brand this box is? looks like the Delta JobSite 640990 the box was a light green before it was primered, and only thing I found so far was a little tag that was dated 1974 I think it was.

Was to dark to get a photo to show the configureation of it housing.

Just trying to find the brackets or whatever they used to mount the locks properly. I can always fab some up but need to get it lockable before next weekend.

 

Thanks

KoiKid

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  1. davidmeiland | Oct 22, 2010 10:04am | #1

    That sounds a little

    like the lock-holder that's on a couple of my older Knaack boxes. Gimme an hour to get to the shop and I will snap a pic of what those look like....

    1. davidmeiland | Oct 22, 2010 12:44pm | #2

      Does yours

      look like this?

      1. koikid | Oct 22, 2010 10:00pm | #3

        Hey David, Seems to look just about like what I manuafactured tonight!  Went by a dealer that handles kannack and they had something to use on JobBox brand but would take quite a bit to modify the lock holder to accept it.

        After seeing it and having some time to think about it I got out in the shop tonight after work and started cutting and gringing and bending and think I just about have one made. got to dark to see what I was doing since it's on the trailer outside and they turn that lightbulb out so early now.

        I'm suprised this fellow didn't have any thing like this, the newer boxes it looked like lock up totally diffrent. Hey I sure appreicate you taking the time to grab a picture if your latch. If mine doesn't turn out I will go back over to the place and take your photo and see what they can come up with.

        Thanks Again  Marsh

        1. davidmeiland | Oct 22, 2010 10:45pm | #4

          That photo

          is of a box that's at least 20 years old, the original Knaack lock setup. I am sure you could order the replacement part from Knaack/Weatherguard. I bet you could email them the photo and they'd say "Oh yeah.... those". I have newer boxes that use a different system, and I don't think the old system is used on any current models.

          1. calvin | Oct 22, 2010 11:20pm | #5

            ever lock your keys in it?

            When I worked commercial in the 80's our boss had ALL his keys in his bag when we locked it up for the night.  Luckily the lock shop up the street had the number of his Master Locks on record.

            Eversince, we all carried copies in our wallets.

            And managed to find a stash spot, which I won't mention.

  2. davidmeiland | Oct 23, 2010 12:15am | #6

    All of my boxes

    at the moment have resettable-combination locks and I can still remember the number.

    But long ago in a land far away I took the box in the photo above on a trip to Wyoming. It had all my backpacking and climbing gear in it, and was locked with key locks. When I got there I realized I did not have the key. After enduring some abuse from my buddies I went to the body shop in the tiny town we were in and they cut a hole in the bottom of the box with a jigsaw. It was enough for me to pull my stuff out. The hole's still there....

    1. koikid | Oct 23, 2010 11:57pm | #7

      The Box Locks now

      Hey Dave after the first attempt at making bracketts I descovered the latch pushed in and bottomed out before the lock had latched. The sceond set was a lot quicker to make and got them installed and seems to work fine.  A while later when the light was just right and it wasn't raining I discovered that the box is a Knaack and is dated with a tag I bet from the original owner of Box #1 1967!   I doubt if the Knaack dealer I visited Friday was even born in 1967!!...... Ha! 

      Heck if I would have known that,  it could have saved me some time building these and I could have just spent some $$

      But I needed to get it done and locking so it can take a trip to Texas in a week to get started erecting a shop building.

      I got master locks to match my other smaller box so all 4 locks are the same, just make sure you don't have them all in your pocket when you have the wife close you in to check and make sure the latches work properley once the locks are pushed in!

      1. davidmeiland | Oct 24, 2010 12:41am | #8

        The resettable tumbler locks...

        I think they're Master 175A.

        Anyway, a couple of years ago I had a guy on the crew who needed to get fired. He left and I changed all the locks to a new combination. It is very easy to do, or so I thought. Anyway, one of them would not open no matter what I did, I must have tried 50 variations on the new combination, and it would not open. 

        I lost my patience and went to the lumberyard. I asked my main carpenter to do whatever he could to break open the lock. When I got back it was in pieces and the box was open. He said it took him less than 10 seconds, but he wouldn't tell me what he did.

        When the money starts moving again I'm going to buy some Best or Medeco locks for my boxes. 

    2. Shacko | Oct 26, 2010 04:12pm | #9

      Locks

      Keep in mind if you have the Master locks with the brass cylinder it only takes minutes with a battery drill to drill out the center and open it; don't do what their ad says and SHOOT THEM!  ;)

      1. davidmeiland | Oct 27, 2010 09:56am | #10

        Youtube

        has how-to videos on how to defeat all of the common padlocks. They only keep the honest folks out.

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