DIY garage locks with a secret

The garage is that secret place where every man can spend a lot of time. But on top of everything else, an expensive item is stored there - a car. Many people save some money to buy a suitable car for themselves. Therefore, the first place after purchase is reliable protection of your “treasure”. That is why you need to hang a reliable and durable lock on your garage that no one can open or break into. Among the many purchased locks, there are homemade security locks for the garage, which are distinguished by their reliability and increased security.

What is the advantage of homemade locks? The fact is that they are more difficult to open. If attackers are already familiar with standard locks, which many buy in stores, then a barrier with your own hands with modifications can stop the robbers. This is exactly what our article is dedicated to. We will look at some of the secrets of garage locks, their types and features. We will also learn how to make a homemade garage lock with your own hands.

Effective lock secrets for garage security

The secret in the lock is just that, so that no one knows its structure. The main task is to make the lock structure complex, but at the same time simple at first glance; the secret should not be easy to read with indirect signs. There is some pattern here. It lies in the fact that simplicity is the key to success. The simpler the lock seems, the more difficult it will be for an attacker to break it and understand the principle of its operation.

Since these are homemade garage locks, their variety is quite large. However, among a large number of different designs, there are several grains that can be canceled:

Standard lock designs made in industrial settings that have been modernized, redesigned and added a secret part. Typically, the lock is equipped with another turnkey secret, which allows mutual blocking of the movement of the bolts. What does this give? It turns out that to open a garage you must know what the opening sequence is, what key you need and in what case you need to open the lock. Only the owner knows this, so a stranger will not be able to get inside.
There are devices that are equipped with an electrical circuit and have a servomechanism. What is the principle of their work? The mechanism will only be activated when the key is turned in the garage lock, or it can be opened through the key fob. This is similar to a car alarm. Opening such a lock is quite simple and does not take much time from the owner. Electrical diagrams of homemade locks for the garage in the photo below.
Completely homemade and installed padlock or internal lock. It has a non-standard opening method, which is most often performed without a key. Only the owner can do this. There are many varieties of such designs.

Note!
To ensure that your secret lock remains secure in the future, it is important to ensure that strangers do not see you opening or closing the garage door. Otherwise, the principle of its work and the very essence of the work will be lost. The trick will fail. Security locks that operate on the basis of a simple car alarm have a similar drawback.
Why can you say this? Because any car alarm has a standard device and mechanisms. That is why a professional needs to take at least one look at the key fob or signaling box, mechanism and wires, to determine the implementation of the secret. Let's take a closer look at some of the available security lock schemes, and then we'll try to put it all into practice.

How to make a basic lock for a dacha that no thief can solve

A lock in a latch, as you know, can only be closed from the inside.
However, if you slightly modify its design, you can get a very cunning and reliable anti-theft mechanism, which will certainly become an indestructible barrier in the way of dacha thieves. The most important thing is that every owner can build such a castle on his own from scrap materials. The castle is actually very simple. ¦Photo: youtube.com. Many of our fellow citizens own dacha farms. On most plots, in addition to the house, there are outbuildings, such as sheds and cellars, where supplies of seeds, crops, and tools for working during the summer season can remain throughout the year. All this is of considerable value to a person, and therefore can be stolen by people with not the most respectable inclinations and views. As you know, any lock can be broken. An excellent solution for a summer cottage. ¦Photo: youtube.com. However, among modern locks, there is one simple and time-tested mechanism that can baffle even an experienced thief. We are talking about a regular sliding lock, which can be locked and unlocked not only from inside the room, but also from the outside, if you have a suitable key. The main advantage of the design is its simplicity and at the same time absolute non-obviousness. Everything is very simple actually. ¦Photo: youtube.com. So, as already noted, the lock itself is an ordinary horizontal bolt, next to which there is a through hole for the key. The valve has teeth that are used to close and open the mechanism. The principle of operation is simple - a curved metal key is inserted into the key hole, after which the nearest free groove is felt. The key is inserted into the cutout and turned to the right or left. In most situations, you need to hook into different grooves, gradually moving the valve in the desired direction. Here's the key. ¦Photo: youtube.com. Such a simple lock will be an excellent addition to traditional padlocks. It is also important that it can be built literally from available materials. Do you want to know even more interesting things? How about reading about 5 ways to remove a broken key stuck in a lock in the most difficult situation. Did you like the article? Then support us, click:

Some schemes of locks with a secret

First, let's look at the mechanical types of a lock secret. They boil down to modernizing an existing castle. Here's what you can do to protect your garage from thieves:

This may be a special key for a structure that has a special shape and special design. It's no secret that most, if not almost all, common garage lock designs are very similar. They can be compared to twins. What does it mean? That hacking them is quite simple if you have the appropriate master key or tool. With them, a novice thief can open the lock. The scary thing is that even on the Internet there is special equipment for opening that you can buy. Despite the fact that the range of goods is very large. It all comes down to the fact that the locks have a similar design. So it turns out that to get around this you need to make a non-standard key with a secret that can surprise almost all attackers. It can be either a special shape or a special length.
In addition to creating a special key, you can make a lock of a special design. You can create it yourself or upgrade a purchased one. After operation, the devices can even open without any key. To open, you will need to know the combination of rotations of the tool. This can be clearly seen in this video:
There is an option of combining a simple lock, for example, a lever lock and a lock that has a rotary locking mechanism for the gate. This type of secret can be called highly reliable, simple and very effective. The photo below shows a diagram of such a design. If you build it, then no one will be able to open half of the garage doors until the bolts are freed from the connection with the locks at the top. Homemade garage lock drawing.

Homemade garage lock: manufacturing methods

Homemade garage lock
Homemade garage locks have a simple design and are opened with a special key. They are installed from inside the garage, which makes the devices invisible.

Such locks are made according to individual sketches of the garage owner, for which it is quite difficult to select a master key, which can be done for standard models of locks purchased in stores or markets. What types of homemade garage locks there are are discussed in this article.

Types and features of homemade garage locks

The garage is designed to protect the vehicle from the harmful effects of external factors and to protect it from theft. No garage can give a complete guarantee of car safety, but its safety largely depends on the strength and reliability of the garage door lock.

Homemade garage locks, like most devices, can be of several types.

They can be:

One of the main criteria that distinguishes these devices is the method of their manufacture.

They can be:

Factory products.
Homemade locks for the garage.

Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Often the choice of product is determined by its price. If you want to purchase a reliable and high-quality factory device, you will need to pay quite a lot of money.

This is due to the fact that the lock will not be a simple factory stamping, but a mechanism assembled by hand by a professional. There are a number of points that distinguish factory products from handicrafts.

The main ones are: low quality and lack of reliability of many factory designs. In any case, you will have to pay a fairly large amount for good devices.

When making a lock, due to the desire to save money, you can lose in its quality, which can affect the safety of the car.

Advice: The installation of the structure should be approached very responsibly. You need to remember the basic rule: the lock that is not visible protects better.

The principle of operation of locks depending on their type

Combined gate locking system

Homemade garage padlock.

This is the most common type of product. The entire mechanism of such a device is located in a suspended housing.

Locking is done using an arc or pin, which is inserted inside. For the structure to work, on the locked doors it is necessary to install special eyes into which an arc is inserted, with the help of which the locking occurs.

This type of technical device has one negative quality, which casts doubt on its positive properties - it can be opened relatively easily. Such locks are hung from the outside, so attackers have access to it, and with the help of a master key it can be opened or simply knocked down.

Advice: This type of lock should only be used as an additional security measure when combining the use of several locking device options.

Homemade rack and pinion garage lock.

This is a fairly popular option for making locks. Installed from the inside of the garage door, the locking process is carried out by several sliding rods.

The lock is opened with a special individual key, which is inserted into the hole and, when turned, pulls out the bolts. This type of device design is somewhat more reliable, but it can be hacked by sawing the locking elements or picking up the key.

It is quite difficult to install, and the reliability of the device is relatively low. This design can only be used as an additional measure of protection.

Easier to make yourself are locks for other types of garages.

These include:

A homemade lock for the garage - a pinwheel, its general appearance is shown in the photo.

This is the name of a lockable system that works on the principle of a deadbolt. The lock version has a fairly simple design; you can easily make it yourself.

This device works according to this principle:

from the inside, special eyelets are installed on the two garage door leaves, which can be metal or made of wooden beams;
in the center of the gate, a pinwheel bolt is mounted on a through bolt, driven by turning relative to the center;
The ends of the turntable should fit into the eyes, and thus securely lock the doors from the inside.

In this case, there are no lock elements on the outside. This is the most reliable lock for a garage; breaking the gate becomes almost impossible.

This is the simplest, most reliable and effective homemade option for locking garage doors, which allows it to be used in most cases. An espagnolette is a metal pin that moves inside the eyes.

It is usually mounted on the inside of garage doors. This device operates on the principle of a valve.

Locks installed for swing gates.

This locking device is a type of latch, with the difference that the latch most often moves in a horizontal direction and is used with a single-leaf gate design. For swing gates, the locks consist of metal rods that move vertically inside special eyes installed on the gates.

Simple screw lock with secret

Now we can consider homemade screw locks for the garage. They are very popular because they are easy to create and quite effective. In order to create them, you will need to be able to use a machine. Then you can get a screw lock with a secret, which you see in the photo below.

Its operating principle and secret is that the key head has a special configuration. To create a more complex screw-type lock system, you need to make two degrees of protection and two keys. This will make the design even more reliable. To understand how this product works, we suggest you watch this video:

As you can see, the garage protection is very reliable. Nowadays, replicas of antique mechanical locks with a secret are gaining quite a lot of popularity. The secret of its functioning comes down to the very complex shape of the key. This means that it is very difficult to make the same shape of a working surface for yourself without having the original. However, it is hardly rational to use it for garage doors.

Padlock with secret

If we talk about modern analogues of the design of the ancient castle, which was discussed above, then these are simple hinged structures for garages. We are all used to seeing them. Below in the photo there are drawings of similar structures.

The body of the product has 2 bushings with pins. and a retaining ring. They block the movement of the mechanism. The circuit shackle can be removed when you were able to correctly select the position of the pin. When the mechanism turns, the groove on the cylindrical part of the pin begins to align with the corresponding hole in the body. Then the end of the bow can be released or blocked. If the lock has one pin, then choosing the desired position on the body is not so difficult.

If you make two pins that have their own individual arrangement of grooves, then choosing the right position will be very difficult and time-consuming. In addition, when closing the garage, you can easily turn the pin to any position to determine in what state the lock can be opened.

Round lock mortise

Installing a round lock on an interior door is much easier than installing a flat one. First, pioneer holes are marked using a template according to the thickness of the door and the exit of the tongue. The marking is carried out from the side of the larva. If the sockets of the cylinder and the latch need to be swapped, this is done before marking, see above. Then the pioneer holes are drilled. There is one very important trick here, which is discussed below in the section on installing the response part. Then large holes are selected with a crown, and the lock is inserted into the socket. The countersunk is marked along its end plate, selected, and the lock is assembled on site using standard screws.

Marking the door for inserting a round lock and assembling it on site

Drawings of templates for marking doors for round locks with a diameter of 50 and 54 mm are given in the figure. To transfer them to cardboard/paper, the drawing is printed and redrawn to scale so that the distances marked in green are equal to those indicated. This can be done the old fashioned way with a drawing pantograph; homemade will work too. More accurate and faster - in a good vector graphics program, for example. CorelDraw. There you can set the length of the measured segment with an accuracy of literally up to a micron, and scale it in steps of hundredths of a percent. The raster image (bitmap) is imported into CorelDraw, scaled according to a measured segment (CorelDraw also has measuring tools, but in this case it is more convenient to scale as needed) and printed - that’s it, the template is ready.

Drawings of templates for marking doors for mounting round locks

An example of creating a lock with a secret with your own hands

Now let's look at how you can make a simple lock with a secret with your own hands. The first option will be to create a special key and locking structures. To create it, you need to have welding skills to perform a number of welding jobs.

The design itself is very simple. On the reverse side of the garage door of one half you need to weld hinges in which a locking mechanism in the form of a metal plate will be installed. The same loops are welded onto the other half, into which the locking plates will fit. It is important to place them at the same level so that movement is smooth. A hole is made in the plate itself, thanks to which the owner can close or open the garage. The whole secret is in the key for such a lock. It will be made of thick wire and have a special shape and length. It will allow you to insert the key into the hole in the gate, and then open or close the locking mechanism. All holes are made identical to the diameter of the wire.

The point is that there can be several such plates. And the secret comes down to the fact that there is no lock or structure on the gate, only a hole. The attacker will not be able to pick up the key or understand how to open the gate, because he does not see the exact distance from the hole to the plate. A key 1 or 0.5 cm larger/smaller will not be able to open this door. To understand how clearly everything works, you can watch this: homemade locks with a secret for the garage video.

Advice! To prevent an attacker from guessing how to open this lock, you can disguise the hole and hang a regular old lock next to it, which does not work. This will distract him for a long time, and he will not be able to get inside in any way.

You need to understand what the purpose of a lock with a secret is: it should confuse the attacker. It is in originality and non-standardness that all the strength of the design lies. If they have learned to cope with ordinary constipation, then this is something new, unrecognized. The more you can upgrade the product, the better.

Let's sum it up

Garage protection is the main task for every car owner. And if thieves have learned to bypass standard store-bought products, it’s time to show your imagination and make your own cunning and unusual lock with a secret. With it you can definitely be sure that no one will encroach on your property. And thanks to the visual video, you can make similar designs with your own hands.