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Well, there go the tools…

eldereldo | Posted in General Discussion on October 20, 2002 06:49am

I have been building a home at the back of my property since spring, today I went into town for a few hours to pick up some supplys and then went out back to do some more work. Well imagine my surprise when I found that all my , and my builders power tools had ‘disappeared’.  As near as I can figure from talking to a fiend who had been over while I was away, and my neighbor someone absconded with them just 1/2 an hour before I got back.  The interesting thing to me is that this was in the middle of the day, and the new house is only accessible by driving past the existing house, if I had arived home a little earlier they would have been trapped at the back of the property with no way out.

It actually isn’t as bad as it could have been as my builder had taken most of his tools home with him on the weekend as he needed them for another project. In addition my friend had come over to pick up my compressor so it was saved as well. But they took nothing but power tools, no hand tools, none of the constructions supplys like wire, windows, nothing else. 

Guess I am going to have to get a chain and block off the drive way when I’m not around.

 

Robert

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Replies

  1. Sancho | Oct 20, 2002 07:20am | #1

    Check out the local pawn shops thats where tose dirt bags eventually end up depositing them so they can go get their fix. Man I hate thieves.

    At Darkworks cut to size made to burn......Putty isnt a option

  2. andybuildz | Oct 20, 2002 05:11pm | #2

    Look into the people that worked for you. Sounds like sort of an inside job to me. they knew you were going to be gone and when you were comin' back. I had this done to me as well during the construction of my house. I pretty much knew who did it and I fired him but just before I did I showed him my 12 ga. and told him I hated thieves.....then fired him.....spose he figured firing him was better then FIRINGGGGGGGG at him cause thats what I felt like doing. Thank god I had insurance. Several thousand dollars of tools and supplies.ugh

    BE well and good luck

                         Namaste'

                                    Andy

    It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

    1. eldereldo | Oct 20, 2002 09:36pm | #8

      The only person working with me is the guy who is doing my frame, and he had a bunch of tools stolen as well. It might be someone who did a delivery, but after talking to the police they said that with all the construction going on, there are groups of people who just roam around looking for sites and then steal whatever they can.  They actually have a unit that does nothing put go to pawn shops with lists of stolen goods, looking for them to show up. Trouble is I only had a few serial numbers so it's a pretty slim chance of finding anything.

      Now I have a chain across the entry way to protect the materials, and will get a lockup box before I leave anything out there again.

      I guess I'm just lucky they left my shop and garage alone or there would have been a really big bill for new tools and toys.

      More to the point now myself and my neighbors aren't quite as comfortable as we used to be, no one ever locked anything up around here, guess that's going to be changing.

      Robert

      1. andybuildz | Oct 20, 2002 10:12pm | #9

        Robert

                Just give us all the word and we'll all come packin'.....we stick by our sisters and brothers when it comes to tools and family. Take my money...take my wheels but you F my  family or tools mother f'er and yer messin with all my peoples. Brothers in arms here we come. Just give us the word and we're there homes!!!!Packin my two wheeler with all we need to get yer tools home!

        Be well and be armed

                               LOL

             aint kiddin when it comes to  family and tools..thats our life! Ommmmm

                                                         Andy

        It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

        Edited 10/20/2002 3:13:29 PM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)

        1. m2akita | Oct 20, 2002 11:27pm | #11

          Sorry to hear about the loss.  That sucks.  Do you have a list/know all that was stolen.  After replacing what I thought was everything that was stolen, I would still find ( more like not find) something gone.  Man would I get pissed ( hop around swearing, kicking the dirt).  It was always a smaller item ( some chisel, type of bit, etc).    Kind of funny looking back, but it wasn't then. 

          Does anyone remember the story, I think I read it here on breaktime, about a guy/ crew getting their tools stolen.  Sometime later they run into a guy selling tools out of the trunk of his car.....the tools happen to be theirs.  Tell the guy they need to get money, set up a time and place to meet again.  They meet him again with a few of there friends and get their tools back at a much reduced price.  Thats probably not the exact story but something along those lines.

          A couple of guys tried to steal the tools out of the back of my truck ( I had forgot to lock the back gate of my topper) once when I went into a store.   What they didnt know is that my back-up security system ( two full grown Akita dogs) was napping in the cab of my truck.  Im guessing my dogs heard them open up the topper, looked up and saw them, jumped through the open back window, and attacked.  I was at the checkout in the store and hear them barking and snarling.  I go running out of the store full speed worried as hell about what theyre doing.  I see them tearing into this guy.  Im able to get them off of him, call paramedics for help.  Paramedics and Police come, guy is taken off to hospital.  I didn't even realize that the guy was stealing my tools until one of the witnesses to the 'incident' tell the police they saw the guy open up the back of my truck ( police where interviewing people to get information on the 'dog attack').  Kind of scared me how vicious my dogs can be ( towards me they're love and kisses), but I sure am glad they were there.

          Good luck in getting your tools back

          M2akita 

          1. MarkH128 | Oct 21, 2002 02:35am | #14

            Gotta love a good guard dog. My husky is useless however. She would have run off with the thieves.

          2. andybuildz | Oct 21, 2002 02:57am | #15

            ROFLOOOOOOOOOOOIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM

      2. User avater
        Gunner | Oct 20, 2002 11:15pm | #10

        If you find em beat the he l l out of them.

        I hate a thief.

      3. User avater
        Qtrmeg | Oct 21, 2002 12:04am | #12

        "This has sneaking thru the woods written all over it. "

        Think about that while the police hunt down the roving band of bandits. It is a one in a million fluke that someone drove by your house to the construction site, during the day, the one time you weren't there, the math doesn't add up for this.

        Edited 10/20/2002 5:12:12 PM ET by Qtrmeg

        1. junkhound | Oct 21, 2002 02:13am | #13

          Luckily, the only thing I'd left at a work site 30 years ago was an air compressor. > 1/3 mile off the main road on side dirt road. 

          We had a real weenie local newspaper at the time that published complete police reports - Those weenies even PUBLISHED the address - you can bet I never left anything else, still had somebody sneak by an' steal a few light switches and outlets! _ I was building without insurance, so at least grateful no-one trashed the windows.

        2. eldereldo | Oct 21, 2002 04:19am | #16

          Yeh it seems pretty unlikely that someone just 'happened' by when I was gone, it's almost as if someone was watching the place, or it was one of the neighbors, thing is I know my neighbors and there isn't anyone around here who has any need to be stealing tools, or risking the repercussions of being caught.  Of course that doesn't mean that someones kids didn't do it for a thrill.  When my car was stolen it turned out to be a group of kids from well off familys who did it for kicks.

          Robert

      4. User avater
        jonblakemore | Oct 21, 2002 05:16pm | #19

        Not to cast suspicion on your framer, but think about this.  Let's say I am working on a job and realize I need some more tools.  Call up my buddy/bro. in law/whoever, and say I've got a good lead, I'll call you up when the coast is clear and we'll split the take.  Of course, make sure you take several hundred of my stuff also to give me a good alibi.

        Just a thought.

        Jon Blakemore

        1. roucru | Oct 21, 2002 05:26pm | #20

          You know I was thinking the same thing! When I read this thread I am thinking the framer took the stuff or had some "friends" do it. Glad that great minds think alike.Tamara

        2. eldereldo | Oct 22, 2002 01:23am | #23

          No I don't think it's my framer. Actually he's not a framer, he's a timber framer. He works on his own, does about 3-4 houses a year and is as busy as he wants to be, all word of mouth.  I've worked with him on my house for the last 4 months, after I phoned him to tell him that some of his tools were gone he phoned back about 5 minutes later to ask if his truck was still there as he had left it on the site, with the keys in it when he took his picker truck home for the weekend. You never know for sure, but I'd bet on him not having anything to do with it.

          Robert

  3. rez | Oct 20, 2002 06:39pm | #3

    I hated to read that post. hate hate hate hate hate.

    Find out who stole your tools and then break their fingers.

     Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.

     We're going on.

    1. Piffin | Oct 20, 2002 07:43pm | #4

      Oh let me help, Please!

      Can't I break just one?

      Put it in a box and send it here. I'll break it and send it back to him.

      Thanks ahead of time - I feel better already..

      Excellence is its own reward!

      1. rez | Oct 20, 2002 07:57pm | #5

        Roar! Let the thunder crack and the waves roar.

         We're going on.

  4. User avater
    Qtrmeg | Oct 20, 2002 08:18pm | #6

    Do you have any teenage boys, (or people of that mentality), living in the neighborhood? That would be my bet, it takes a lot of sack to drive up during the day and pull a heist. This has sneaking thru the woods written all over it. Easy enough to check if you know how to track.

    Either way it went, I agree that whoever did this had their eye on the site for a while, sorta wandered over and saw no one around.

    Also sorry to hear this, I have been there.

    1. toolin63 | Oct 21, 2002 06:13pm | #21

      I AGREE CHECK THE WOODS, TEENAGE BOYS LIKE TO HANG IN THE WOODS AT NIGHT. THEY PROB CHECKED OUT THE HOUSE DID YOU EVER NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFER WHEN IT WASN'T SEALED UP YET. HOW MANY TOOLS WERE MISSING?  

      1. toolin63 | Oct 21, 2002 06:53pm | #22

        sorry about the caps :(

  5. kai230 | Oct 20, 2002 08:53pm | #7

    Agree w/Andy C--sounds like an inside job.

    Bro had a wetsaw (and other PTs) stolen from a very ritzy, "alarmed" remodel (actually, the alarm didn't work well--thieves were gone when police arrived). They also nabbed expensive uninstalled hardware, like doorknobs. It was the plasterers (not to paint a broad brush), all green-card Irish immigrants. Lovely, fun people to work with; I think they were a scam group.

    From that point, I believe bro started marking his tools, in addition to his driver's license, also with garish orange paint that should embarass anyone except him to be seen using.

    I'd consider a fence/gate if you will be away for long periods and cannot secure the property. What a shame. I hope this ends it all. Don't forget to check swap meets, and I'd report it to the police if you haven't already done so. Good luck!

  6. fredsmart48 | Oct 21, 2002 01:34pm | #17

    I agree with you I hate thieves.

    How do you protect your job site from thieves?

    A year and a half ago here contractors were having their tool trailers stolen. The thieves would just back up and hook on and drive off. The contractors that had some big locking tool box that they leave on the site the thieves would bring a cutting torch and cut the locks to get in. New construction that had doors and windows installed did not stop them either. The cops finally caught them, it took 6 months.

    1. Mooney | Oct 21, 2002 03:59pm | #18

      "A year and a half ago here contractors were having their tool trailers stolen. The thieves would just back up and hook on and drive off"

      OUCH!!!!!!!!!

      THATS THE MAIN REASON I  DONT OWN ONE .

      Tim Mooney

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