Lock Drilling 101 with Standard Stuff

[Altan]

I need to drill a couple of locks tonight on a sega super gt cab. I've read that people think you should get the lockpick tools and do it correctly. Sadly, I don't have them and want to open the cabinet tonight.

What do people recommend when you need to "break" a lock and don't have any tools designed for the task?

If I don't mind destroying a drill bit or two... What bit size should I used? I don't know the exact lock size, but relative to the key width... Should I get a bit that's 2x the key width and drill right down the center?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

... Altan

 

[pmichelsen]

When I drill a lock I use probably a 1/2" bit, maybe bigger and drill on through. Takes about 2 seconds and I have yet to destroy a bit.

 

[Oryk Zinyo]

I have drilled out locks with a 1/4 in drill bit. It took some time and you have to go slow if you don't want to break bits but it worked great. I tried to do the same with a larger bit one time and it was not as effective.

 

[JeffC]

I've drilled locks with a good Dewalt drill. No battery drill, a high-speed regular plug in kind, and titanium drill bits.

But my favorite method is with a hammer, very large flat-head screwdriver with a square shaft, and a large crescent wrench. I just hammer the end of the screwdriver into the lock as far as it will go, then use the wrench to turn the screwdriver 45 degrees. Takes like 10 seconds to get the lock open.

 

[Ghostkiller]

a small enough drill bit that will drill without breaking, the bigger the bit the harder it is to drill but takes seconds to do this method. The screwdriver method works good to but some instances you cant use this method like a backbox on a pinball machine with a front mounted lock kind of hard to wack a screwdriver without risking damage.

 

[R3LL1K]

Before you drill the lock you might want to try using a large flathead screwdriver to rotate the lock. Just stick the screwdriver in like you would the key and rotate it counter clockwise.

If that doesn't work I suggest a nice titanium nitride coated drill bit and a good drill.

 

[Cmdr Dave]

One thing that seemed to work well for me was using a drill with a clutch.. just have it on one of the higher settings and if the bit hangs it won't break the bit (or your arm).

 

[Altan]

Wow! Great info. I'm sure it will all come in useful in different situations.

For tonight, however, the winner was the flathead screwdriver and vise grip. I placed the flat head on top of the lock opening, wacked the screw driver's head semi-hard with a hammer. Connected the vise grip to the screw driver's handle, did a 45 degree turn (maybe more).

Opened up like a charm!

... Altan

 

[Nerbflong]

Just don't forget the safety glasses!!!

 

[roburt]

I use a lock pick. (paperclip will do) to open mine. Then you can remove it from the inside.A second paperclip works to rotate the lock.

 

[toolguy]

I do not see how picking is better... You still do not have the keys once opened.

Drill it out and replace the $3 lock! And don't look back!

 

[bigjeeps1]

The objective is not to drill out the whole cylinder just the center where the arm attaches. The cam will just fall off then and be fine. You dont need a super dooper drill. Just a normal drill of any sort. It just cheap metal nothing like drilling a safe.

 

[Dervacumen]

Lock picking is nice if you want to maintain an absolutely stock cabinet. You can have the pins reset and get a new key for it, but mostly it's just fun to pick the lock. Makes you feel like a covert spy every time. You can almost hear the music in the background when the column spins open.