Chevy 2500 Van tool storage.

[mperkins92]

Hi, my name is Mack i wanted to share my build progress so far I would appreciate and critiques or advice on what else i could add/change. I've only been in carpentry for two years so i still have a lot to learn.

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This is the Left side of cabinets

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I built two drawers for the opening under these cabinets today after i took the picture
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This is the Right side

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On the left bank of cabinets i have a built in storage for a screw/nail organizer and storage for my
levels and tracks.

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Drawer under the left bank for losable things to be stored

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All the cabinet supports are notched out so that i can slide in ~20 1/2" 4'x8' sheets in flat without needing to remove tools.

Again all comments are welcome both negate (constructive) and Positive. Thankyou for taking the time to look through my post!

 

[overanalyze]

Very clean and well thought out. Nice job!

 

[Paul G]

My only critique is the locks, using screws to attach the hardware offers very little security which you seem to be after since you went to the trouble to add locks. Those could be easily defeated with a small prybar or a larger screw driver. At the very least I'd suggest bolting that hardware in with steel plates on the other side of the plywood as well. That would make it harder but by no means impossible to break in to. Same would apply to the hinges as well.

 

[mperkins92]

My only critique is the locks, using screws to attach the hardware offers very little security which you seem to be after since you went to the trouble to add locks. Those could be easily defeated with a small prybar or a larger screw driver. At the very least I'd suggest bolting that hardware in with steel plates on the other side of the plywood as well. That would make it harder but by no means impossible to break in to. Same would apply to the hinges as well.

Thanks for taking a good look the Latching portion i mortised out the top parts of the cabinet so they would close as tight as possible so you would need some serious hammering to get a large enough pry bar between the door and cabinet and i used the largest screw i that could fit the latch i found a PDF in screw strength and those wound up being a couple thousand lbs of holding power. additionally the van is always on site with me or in my driveway. My neighborhood is shady but I'm on a busy road so the time/noise it would take to open them up would notify me or a neighbor which is a good enough deterrent for me especially when they don't know whats in there i think. However you pointed out the hinges and those are actually secured under the cabinet and are accessible with a screwdriver. any thought on something to fill the screw head? or some type of a one way screw?

 

[mperkins92]

Very clean and well thought out. Nice job!

Thankyou! i hope your critique lives up to your username

 

[Paul G]

About the prying, if I wanted in I would start prying at the furthest edge from the lock hardware, the plywood will easily flex and it would be less than a minute till I popped it. It's much easier than you may realize. Even replacing one screw with a carriage bolt would slow someone down.

 

[andyman]

My only critique is the locks, using screws to attach the hardware offers very little security which you seem to be after since you went to the trouble to add locks. Those could be easily defeated with a small prybar or a larger screw driver. At the very least I'd suggest bolting that hardware in with steel plates on the other side of the plywood as well. That would make it harder but by no means impossible to break in to. Same would apply to the hinges as well.

Thanks for taking a good look the Latching portion i mortised out the top parts of the cabinet so they would close as tight as possible so you would need some serious hammering to get a large enough pry bar between the door and cabinet and i used the largest screw i that could fit the latch i found a PDF in screw strength and those wound up being a couple thousand lbs of holding power. additionally the van is always on site with me or in my driveway. My neighborhood is shady but I'm on a busy road so the time/noise it would take to open them up would notify me or a neighbor which is a good enough deterrent for me especially when they don't know whats in there i think. However you pointed out the hinges and those are actually secured under the cabinet and are accessible with a screwdriver. any thought on something to fill the screw head? or some type of a one way screw?

Try anti vandal screws you can screw them in but not take them out

 

[BUTTER]

The level/guide rail storage is excellent, as is planning for "small stuff" drawers and leaving room for plywood.

Regarding security - if someone is inside your van you've already lost the battle.
Keep them out with puck locks like these:
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-Magnum-Vehicle-Hasp/dp/B004Q0IPHA/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1412336243&sr=1-4&keywords=puck+lock

I use them for the cargo area.  I've seen some guys use them for the regular front doors too!

 

[wow]

Regarding security - if someone is inside your van you've already lost the battle.

I respectfully disagree. While they are further toward their goal of making your stuff their stuff, they aren't there yet. Anything that you can do to delay them is still important.

My only critique is the locks, using screws to attach the hardware offers very little security which you seem to be after since you went to the trouble to add locks. Those could be easily defeated with a small prybar or a larger screw driver. At the very least I'd suggest bolting that hardware in with steel plates on the other side of the plywood as well. That would make it harder but by no means impossible to break in to. Same would apply to the hinges as well.

I agree with exchanging the wood screws for bolts. If the screws have a slot in them, you can make them "un-removeable" with a dremel tool and about a minute per screw head. Just bevel the head where the screwdriver tip would touch to remove the screw, and you've made it impossible to back out with a screwdriver.

If you don't want to mess with that, pick one of these:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#security-machine-screws/=tzn66h