Chisel Door Frame For Lock

Fit the latch and faceplate into the door.

Chisel door frame for lock.

Close the door and look for where the lock bolt or latch bolt contacts the door jamb. The worthless handymen at our apartment never installed a strike plate for our front deadbolt. The plate should be flush with the door edge when inserted into the finished mortise. Use a sharp 1 in.

Example of how to use a bevel edged chisel to create hinge slots on a beech wood door. This is the traditional method of cutting door hinge slots and takes a. You ll need to cut a mortise a small shallow recess in the wood of the door and doorjamb for the latchbolt and strike plate to rest. Use a combination square to transfer this centre mark across the face of the jamb onto the flat strip between the inside edge of the jamb and the door stop.

Chisel to remove enough material to allow the faceplate to be flush with the door edge usually about 3 16 in. If things don t go well for you the first time your lock will probably work fine after a few adjustments but you ll likely have to view the evidence of sloppy work for the life of the door. Mark the precise centre top to bottom of the bolt onto the inside edge of the jamb using a pencil. Then chisel to the same depth every 1 8 inch between the top and bottom of the plate outline.

Fortunately cutting out this mortise isn t nearly as difficult as it sounds. This lock installation tool is made to be used on doors 34 mm to 58 mm thick. Turn the chisel upside down and repeat at the bottom again keeping just inside the lines. Using a router attachment remove the wood between the pencil lines drawn on the door edge to create a mortise for the faceplate.

It s an easy job that only takes a. Knowing how to cut a mortise is essential for installing a deadbolt lock. The lock jig also suits face plates on a 1 inch mortice latch. Use a bevel edge chisel and hammer to square the corners of the mortise if the faceplate has square corners.

Turn the chisel bevel side down and remove the waste working from the middle out. Using a chisel cut along the outline as deep as the plate is thick. Chisel a recess for the faceplate. Chiseling a recess called a mortise for a door lock plate is one of those jobs that s very simple in theory but also very easy to mess up.

Bang the 25mm chisel into the door just inside the top pencil line and with the flat edge of the chisel facing up. Here i fit one using some basic hand tools and an electric drill.