How To Cut A Door For A Mortise Lock

Make sure to put on gloves and a face shield first since grinders can produce sparks.

How to cut a door for a mortise lock.

Cut through the base of the cuts to empty the mortise of excess wood. The result will be to remove these cuts. The brace is a u shaped steel hand tool that has a wood cap on one end and a bit chuck on the other. Fit the latch and faceplate into the door.

To install a mortise lock into a wood or composite door requires a pocket drilled into the edge of the door with the centerline of the door prep at 39 3 16 above the finished floor. In the early days the pocket was cut out using a brace and bit. Move the chisel as needed to cut along the full width of the mortise. Use a bevel edge chisel and hammer to square the corners of the mortise if the faceplate has square corners.

Hold the lock at an angle as you cut through it which will make the cutting process easier. To cut a lock all you need is a pair of bolt cutters. Angle your chisel so it sits at about 45 degrees making sure the beveled side faces up. The minimum door width is 45mm or 1 75 inches.

A mortise lock in a very strong special locking system fitted to the inside of a door. Tap the chisel at sharp angle to cut through the base of the chisel cuts. Tap the chisel with a hammer to make a 1 8 inch deep cut again match the hinge leaf thickness. Use a bevel edge chisel and hammer to square the corners of the mortise if the faceplate has square corners.

To use a mortise lock your door must be thick enough to accommodate it. Hold the chisel vertically about 1 8 inch away from one end of the mortise outline inside the waste area. Remove the waste wood with the chisel bevel side down held nearly parallel to the jamb. Fit the latch and faceplate into the door.

1 the mortise lock defined. Clean out the mortise until its bottom is smooth and flat and at a depth exactly equal to the thickness of the strike plate. Here are six things you need to know about mortise locks for residential door security. Using a router attachment remove the wood between the pencil lines drawn on the door edge to create a mortise for the faceplate.

Then create angled cuts across the grain of the mortise spot by tapping the back of the chisel with your hammer or mallet. You can also cut through a lock with an angle grinder. Starting at the top of the faceplate outline make a series of closely spaced chisel cuts about 1 8 inch deep inside the marks.