Tools needed to start locksmith business

[Smcd86]

Im looking at starting my own locksmith business and I am hoping to get some information as to what tools and equipment I'd need to get me started .

I have a training course soon to show me the basics and I know I will learn more when I am there but if anyone has a list of basic tools id need that would be great.

I live in scotland and I do have a rough idea what I would have to do I just don't want to accept jobs and then I don't have the correct tools.

Any help would be appreciated .

Cheers
Scott

[Squelchtone]

[EDIT: Moved from Locksmith Business Archives 2003-2014 to Running a Business]

[RumballSolutions]

I made the mistake of buying some tools before I started working in ernest and ended up with a lot of seldom used tools. Truth be known, as you get better you need fewer and fewer tools. Most things are nice to have, not need to have.

Wait till you attend training and do some practical exercises. You'll soon figure out what you need, what's important to spend a bit more money on and what's a WOFTAM.

Any training worth its salt will provide you with a starter kit (of a least a shopping list) of the basics. Start with those and then add to tools as you need them. Until you get a few requests for a particular job that needs a specialist tool, then it's not really worth spending up front. Build your business, then your tool collection.

[cledry]

Locksmithing is a pretty broad term these days and rarely does one locksmith tackle the entire field that the locksmith umbrella covers. Then there are regional variations too. A UK locksmith and a US locksmith will work on very different locks.

As a commercial locksmith in the US I have some specialist tools that you may never need and truth be told aren't always necessary but they make the day go easier and make you look more professional. We do no automotive so do not have any specialist tools that such a locksmith would use. Then again they probably don't cross bore fire rated doors and re-certify them. A dedicated safe tech will have tools that most ordinary locksmiths don't. For example we have a drill rig for safes and a basic scope, but we don't have black boxes, auto-dialers and micro needle scopes.

[AGoodKing]

There's going to be regional differences, for instance the UK smith will see many more 'dimple' locks and warded mortise sets, than we do in the US (my home is 91 years old so I have a LOT of warded mortise sets). Then there is the question: what area(s) of the trade are you looking to enter? I am old school, and a 3d generation locksmith, so I have a lot of tools passed down that I don't use much. Also when you think you have enough, everything changes, and you need new tools, or someone figures out an easier or faster way to do something, you'll need to buy or fashion new tools. YOU just may be the one who finds a new method yourself!
Wait and see what is provided with your training course and go from there.
I do have one suggestion; if you're planning on entering the residential field, you might (not right off the bat though) want to invest in a Souber mortising tool. It makes fresh installations almost effortless and zero shaving with a chisel. I had to buy mine from England, "Ironmongery Direct"(?) or something like that. There ought to be some videos on it you can find. Welcome to the trade!

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Basically what everyone said. I'll give you my non-specific tool bag list.

Impact Driver (Rigid)
Hybrid Drill (Rigid)
Standard Drill Bit Set
Standard Screwdriving Set (DeWalt but use Milwaukee's #3 bits, they are second to none)
#2,#3 Philips screw drivers (Klein)
A variety of standard screw drivers (Klein)
Vise grips (Irwin)
Channel locks
Metric Allen wrenches (Husky)
Standard Allen wrenches (Husky)
Ball peen hammer (Estwing)
1/2" chisel (Buck Bros.)
1" chisel (Buck Bros.)
Wet lubricant (Tri-Flow)
Dry lubricant (Usually Lock Saver but I'm using Master Lock's lubricant right now to see how they are)
Tape measure
Combination square
Center Punch
Thread locker

I'd also recommend a Dremel. They're indispensable and I have two (one is permanently attached to their drill press - great for cleaning up parts if it's stationary, for example). A few metal cutting wheels and sanding attachments are nearly all you need.

I've got lock picks, Hinge Doctors, multimeter and various voltage/current/continuity testing probes, files, hole saws, reciprocating saw, etc. but those are only added to the tool box when I know I'm likely to encounter a specific situation. I also have an under-the-door tool - real life saver.

For anything carpentry related, I've got a full carpenter's shop at work to use. Other than that, that's really all I need (save a few minor items) for what I do: commercial and access control.