A screw lock for the garage is an excellent protection against intruders.

Among the various ways to lock a door, a garage door lock is one of the most reliable. Conventional industrial locks have simple mechanisms that are easy to pick. And you can’t understand how to open original screw locks if you don’t know their structure. It is possible to manufacture such mechanisms provided you have access to high-quality materials, lathes and milling machines, etc. You can also assemble a lock in an unusual way from ready-made parts.

Homemade screw lock with a secret for the garage - instructions and drawings

Even the most expensive, and therefore complex, shop locks are not a problem for an experienced burglar: the only difference is the time required to open them. Non-residential, detached buildings are at greatest risk from unauthorized entry. And if there is nothing special to take out of a small country house, then, for example, a garage is the object of increased attention of intruders: there is something to profit from in it.

Mortise and padlocks are not a barrier for them. Universal master keys, proven techniques - standard locking devices do not protect against car theft. Another thing is a mechanism made independently, the secrets of which are known only to the master. In terms of increased reliability and security level, a screw lock is of interest.

Its undeniable advantage is the non-standard design of the structural elements of the “secret”. Even if you open/close a sample in the presence of a stranger, the latter will only be able to understand the principle of operation, determine the type, but will not be able to select a master key or a method for opening such a garage lock.

Additional recommendations

Thieves enter the garage not only through the gate or the gate installed in it - the roof and walls are often the weak point. To complicate the work, it’s worth:

• reinforce the roof, walls;
• to prevent cutting, weld the corner to the hinges, and protect the gate with steel strips (it will be difficult to bend the sash to cut off the crossbars).

Even the most reliable garage lock will not provide complete security. In an effort to preserve your property, it is worth approaching the issue comprehensively - thieves are primarily attracted to the least protected objects, which do not require much time to break into.

Screw mechanism design

“People's craftsmen” have developed several versions of locking devices of this type. But their components, as well as the principle of operation, are identical: the difference is only in individual details.

• Frame. It is selected either from the finished product, or is manufactured on machine tools. It is only necessary to make a deep groove in the metal and cut a thread in the channel along which the locking element will move.
• Bow. It is present only in mounted models. An invisible lock is built into the door leaf or attached in an overhead manner to the back side of the leaf, so only the hole for the key is visible on the front side. On the lower part of the bow, a chamfer is made, into which the screw rests when screwing it in until it stops. The difficulty of manufacturing is to correctly determine its location.
• Threaded rod. A screw lock differs from other types of locking mechanisms precisely in this detail. During the process of closing/opening, the rod moves along the channel and locks/unlocks the bow.
• Key. It is not much different from the analogues that come with other types of store-bought or homemade locks; The difference is in the “working” part. Its configuration depends on the design features of the locking rod.

There are several schemes for assembling screw mechanisms. The configuration of the case (horizontal/vertical), its shape, and the size of the shackle are details that do not affect the functionality of the lock. The degree of its secrecy is determined by the peculiarity of the working part of the key.

Option 1

A slot is made at the end of the rod, and the end of the key is a longitudinal protrusion that coincides with the groove; or vice versa. The easiest lock to make is a screw-type security lock.

The disadvantage is that such constipation can only cool the ardor of a lover of profiting from other people's goods. For a professional, it is not an obstacle - it can be opened with a regular screwdriver with a flat blade or a type of pliers (platypus), or tweezers.

This mechanism can be improved by changing the shape of the end part of the rod. It is made square or rectangular. The downside is that it is much more difficult to make a key for it.

The advantage is that it is extremely difficult to open such a lock with a secret. For example, a steel tube flattened on the sides can serve as a master key. But it's not that simple.

• The tube still needs to be selected according to the diameter of the hole in the housing.
• You will have to tinker a lot to give the working part of the master key the proper configuration. After all, even if you can still see the “head” of the rod, it is unlikely that you will be able to accurately determine the size of its edges visually.

Option 2

When choosing a lock scheme for a garage that you can assemble yourself, it is advisable to focus on this engineering solution. The fundamental difference from the previous ones is the increased degree of secrecy. It is impossible to select a master key for such a mechanism. And although skeptics claim that it will be possible to open it with a strong wire, in practice this cannot be done. If the screw is tightened all the way, then unscrewing it, given the small radius, is impossible - checked.

The peculiarity of the design is that a hole of small depth is drilled at the cut of the rod. This is a seat for the pin located at the end of the working part of the key. It is difficult to turn, and therefore home craftsmen prefer to weld a thin steel pin to its head. Although in this case, as an option, you can do exactly the opposite. What's the secret"?

The hole is drilled at a certain distance from the center of the rod, and this interval is chosen arbitrarily by the master. Even having seen the “socket” in the channel of the housing, it is impossible to determine its diameter, as well as the amount of displacement from the longitudinal axis of the screw.

Case Study

What can a car owner do if he wants to protect his car well for little money?

One of the practical options, suitable for a garage located close to the house, is given below. The apartment or house is well protected, and the garage can only be opened from inside the house.

Garage doors are locked only from the inside, using locks with powerful bolts, and it is advisable to disguise this power so that through the open garage it is unclear what exactly is holding the gate.

From the side of the gate, the garage can only be taken by a ram using a truck, but this case goes far beyond peacetime conditions, when crooks prefer not to make noise.

The owner enters the garage through a separate door in the rear wall of the garage. This door is also locked with an internal lock, but there is also a regular lock. Interior locks are solenoid-type electric locks that are controlled from inside the home via a cable that runs parallel to the garage's mains power cable.

When the door is closed with a regular lock, the solenoid locks also close. Opening a regular lock with a master key will give burglars nothing. And the owner himself, before leaving the house, opens the electric locks by supplying power to them and, thereby, unlocks the garage door for subsequent opening with a regular lock.

These electric locks should be installed in such a way that they attract as little attention as possible.

Lock solenoids are typically 24V powered and require a few amps of current to operate and much less current to hold open (unless equipped with latches).

Some electric locks have latches that are also electromagnetically controlled. But most often you come across electromagnetic locks that have a beveled bolt and lock it when the door is closed. Opening occurs after current is applied.

According to fire safety rules, when people are in the garage, the doors must open instantly and unhindered! How to do this is up to the owner, but this rule must be followed.

In winter, it is possible for the crossbars to freeze, but this can be dealt with and it is quite simple.

To do this, you need to warm up the electric locks. The lock body is wrapped with fiberglass, then evenly with nichrome wire, 0.3-0.5 mm thick.

The length of the wire is chosen such that the solenoid warms up at room temperature to approximately 70 degrees Celsius.

The voltage source used is the same from which the solenoids are powered. It must provide a current of at least 8 A.

The nichrome wire is then covered with a new layer of fiberglass, and you can also make a tin casing on top, and connect the nichrome wires to the copper ones (preferably welded using coal from a battery and boric acid) and carefully bring them out.

In winter, after thaws and repeated frosts, it is enough to turn on the heating a few minutes before opening the doors and the locks will work flawlessly.

When working on this project, it is important not to show anyone the existence of such a cunning system and not to tell anyone how it works. All car owners love to brag to each other about their technical achievements, but this is not the case. Since the garage power (220) and lock control cables can be pre-routed in corrugated pipe, take advantage of this and don't tell anyone.

Let everyone think that you are installing lights in the garage. Otherwise, crooks can dig up the cable and open the garage according to your instructions.

If you wish, you can protect your garage well from car thieves. There are two ways to do this. Either spend a lot of money on perfect locks and have the garage guarded by the police (which also costs money), or show a little skill and make a clever garage lock with your own hands. By the way, rich people, despite all the cool technologies they pay for, are “bombed” more often and more successfully, because a wide circle of people know about their garage and car.

Opening different types of locks

Let's look at different types of locks to learn how to open each of them.

Rack locks

The design of the rack and pinion locking device has several bolts. You can try to open it in different ways.

• Take a tube, a metal string. The tube must be inserted into the keyhole. A loop is made from a metal string, which is inserted into the tube, and then thrown onto the handles of the crossbars. Then they move.
• You can move the crossbars with an awl directly through the key hole.
• The crossbars are also shifted one by one through the gap between the sashes.

If the lock is rack and bolt, it will not be difficult to open it using a universal master key. These are made from any similar key.

Cylinder lock with cross plates

A lock with a cylinder mechanism in which the plates are placed transversely is quite simple to open. There are two good ways to quickly open it.

• You can save the lock if you use a regular rod made of durable material. Just rotate the rod in the hole.
• Sometimes you have to damage the lock. The cylinder is simply drilled out. You will need a powerful electric drill and a carbide drill of the appropriate size.

Cylinder lock with pins

Such designs are also common. You will need a so-called “roll” to try to open the lock. This is like a key blank. The metal tool must fit freely into the key hole.

First, the roll is inserted into the keyhole. Then you need to turn it in the cylinder using a special lever. Those pins that have less metal strength will be gradually cut off by your roll. In the end, you will open the lock without any problems. Only then it will have to be replaced.

There are also locking devices with a cylinder mechanism, in which three rows of pins are located at once. They are usually made of fragile material, so a sharp roll can easily handle them.

Level locks

Experienced garage workers note that lever locks have the least amount of privacy. If you lose your key, you can open the lock fairly quickly with almost any similar key. In addition, a simple master key or even a bent wire will help.

Barrier

The design of the Barrier deadbolt lock is quite complex. The cylinder device has three pins and a durable wide crossbar. But the big drawback of such a locking device is the weak mechanism that secures the cylinder assembly. It is knocked out using a regular hammer. The cylinder itself then collapses.

How to repair and replace the larva

After opening the locking device, it is necessary to restore its functioning. The main element of any type of lock is the cylinder, which can be repaired or replaced. In case of breakage of the larva, the following steps must be performed sequentially:

1. Remove the broken part by unscrewing the device or using a drill.
2. Inspect the cylinder for serviceability and damage. If the cylinder is dismountable, it can be repaired. Otherwise, replacement is required.
3. After repairing or replacing the cylinder, it is installed in its original place, after which the end plate is fixed.

Core removal

If the larvae core is faulty, it can only be removed by drilling with a drill with a tip with a diameter of 10 mm. After drilling, the element will fall out on its own, without using a key. The jammed part can be removed in another way by following these steps:

• insert the key into the hole and turn it all the way in the direction of opening;
• Without removing the key, carefully unscrew the screws holding the end plate;
• Unscrew the screw located in the center of the tongue and locking device;
• turn the key so that the core falls out of the lock.

When it is necessary to pull out the pins when removing the core, you must not mix them up during further assembly. Otherwise, it will be impossible to open the garage doors with the same key.

Cylinder repair

To repair the cylinder, you must carefully bend the clamps holding the metal plate. The part is located on one side of the collapsible core. After sliding the plate, access to the pins and springs becomes available. After inspecting the elements, you need to clean the sockets, stretch the springs and press the pins securely.

Replacing the larva

When purchasing a new replacement cylinder, it is recommended to compare it with a broken one so that it fits in size. It is better to choose parts made of durable materials, since brass cylinders without protective linings are easily knocked out and do not provide a sufficient degree of safety. The replacement process is performed as follows:

• the key is inserted into the cylinder;
• the key is turned so that the protruding elements of the cylinder do not prevent it from freely fitting into its final location;
• the fixing bolts are tightened;
• the cylinder is connected to the lock;
• the outer plate is installed.

Taking out the broken key

Another common problem is a broken key that cannot be pulled out. Do everything according to the instructions, follow the advice.

• You can try to do everything with pliers. Try to unfold the key by grabbing it by the protruding piece with pliers. You need to turn it in the opposite direction and then pull it out.
• It is also worth spraying anti-rust liquid or machine oil into the keyhole to facilitate sliding if the key still does not turn.
• A good solution is to gently knock on the fragment and try to gently rock it. If it is strong, you should try bending it to make it easier to grip.

Sometimes the key breaks and a piece remains inside. The following algorithm of actions will be useful.

1. Find a brass tube. Its diameter should allow it to be pulled onto the key piece with tension.
2. Heat one end of the tube with a blowtorch.
3. Then place the hot end of the tube on the key.
4. Wait for the tube to cool completely.
5. Now inject the rust remover into the well.

You can carefully bend the tube and try to turn it and pull out the key.

When the garage lock freezes, you need to warm it up well, and then try to open it with smooth movements. To improve glide, you can use machine oil.

Cylinder models

Cylinder locks come in pin and disc types. The pin (English) type has spring pins - the inserted key moves them to a position in which it can be turned in the keyhole.

The design components, in addition to the code/locking pins, are:

• cam;
• return springs;
• drilling pin;
• larva with varying degrees of protection (it is desirable to have several secret mechanisms).

Since the cylinder can easily be knocked out, when installing it on a garage door, it is better to provide a protector (cylinder protection).

Pin structures have very poor resistance to burglary.

Disc locking devices are called Finnish. Inside the housing there is a cylinder with disks freely rotating relative to each other. The key turns them, the grooves line up. After the rod enters the grooves, the cylinder rotates and the door opens/closes. If another key is used, the rod remains clamped between the wall and the disks, making it impossible to turn the cylinder and unlock. For a garage, it is better to choose models with the largest number of disks.

The disadvantages of all cylinder locks are sensitivity to seasonal soil fluctuations that occur due to temperature changes. They can jam in the cold, they are afraid of dust and dirt. A significant drawback is the ability to open the door from the inside without a key (if a thief breaks through a wall or ceiling, he will calmly come out, taking everything he needs.

Useful video: learning how to open different types of garage locks

It is worth watching the useful materials in the video. The following video shows how to open a deadbolt garage door lock without using a key and avoiding damage.

If your garage has a lever lock, you will need to watch the following video before opening it.

You may also find this video useful, which offers three different ways to open a lock without a key. They will come in handy if the key is lost, broken during unsuccessful attempts to open the lock, or is severely deformed.