# Need help cutting mortise for door lock



## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi everyone. I am replacing a number of masonite panel doors with solid meranti doors. After purchasing new handles to fit the existing mortice locks, I am having trouble cutting the mortices straight in the new doors. After my first attempt using a 16mm spade bit in my drill and then a lot of chiseling out to fit the lock, I found that it is not perfectly parallel with the door face. Whilst it works, the handles when attached tend to pull on the shaft making it tight to then turn the handle, as it is under strain. I have two choices for the remaining 6 doors. Either write off the handles and buy some round cylinder type, which would be easy to install with a hole cutter, or else perhaps use my router to start off the process with a 1/4 inch milling bit and then work from there. I am hoping someone has a suggestion, as my wife is quite fond of the new handles she has chosen.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Router Newbie said:


> Hi everyone. I am replacing a number of masonite panel doors with solid meranti doors. After purchasing new handles to fit the existing mortice locks, I am having trouble cutting the mortices straight in the new doors. After my first attempt using a 16mm spade bit in my drill and then a lot of chiseling out to fit the lock, I found that it is not perfectly parallel with the door face. Whilst it works, the handles when attached tend to pull on the shaft making it tight to then turn the handle, as it is under strain. I have two choices for the remaining 6 doors. Either right off the handles and buy some round cylinder type, which would be easy to install with a hole cutter, or else perhaps use my router to start off the process with a 1/4 inch milling bit and then work from there. I am hoping someone has a suggestion, as my wife is quite fond of the new handles she has chosen.


Hi Stan,
Could you drill the hole for the shaft a little larger to relieve the strain when operating? Can you post a picture?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Stan, Porter Cable makes a router mortising machine which is perfect for the job. You may be able to rent one locally; if not you can save yourself a lot of grief by having an experienced locksmith do it for you.


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## tdublyou (Jan 8, 2010)

Stan,
As you have discovered, mortise lock-sets are very tricky to get right and very easy to get wrong. 
Mike's suggestion is your best bet assuming you can rent or borrow one, purchasing it would be cost prohibitive as it sells for over $1000.00 US new.
You might be able to use your router to remove the bulk of the material but I would recommend clamping some 2" blocks on either side of the door flush with the edge to give the router some added support. Trying to balance the router on the narrow edge of the door would probably end in disaster.
Making a template out of MDF and using a template guide would be even better, and with 6 doors to do, probably worth the time to make it.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Stan,
First, don't use a spade bit. Use a brad point or a Forstner to drill the hole with. You can use a drill press to drill a hole through a wood block with a brad point that will keep you straight into your door. Mark the location for the hole, start it freehand, drill about 2-3 mm and then use the wood block guide to finish the hole.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Can't you make a jig and cut it all with your router, a deep mortising bit will open up a real treat, have a jig for the plate and another for the mortise.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Make sure that the jig fence is tall enough to support the router properly, and make sure that You don't catch the edge and pull You into the other edge. Make a short fence to keep in solid but easy to move! The short fence helps trap the door in the router and keep it against the other fence!


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Stan

This link explains it quite well. The cut can be done with most 1/2in plunge routers, but deally requires a deep pocket bit, like these to get the depth of cut. Even then I still finish with an auger bit and chisels

Regards

Phil


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

A few years ago, although well retired by then, I fitted 20 doors to my sisters house, I made mdf jigs for mortise locks and latches I used an L shaped jig that could be cramped to the door and I also put a guide hole in to take the spindle cut, I never got a chisel out of the kit during the whole process.


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Derek, I would be happy to see how the jig was made if you have any sketches or photographs I could view. I only have a 1/4 inch router so I am not sure if I can even manage such a deep cut with my light weight router. Trying to phone around now to source a deep pocket 1/4 inch bit.


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Howard, if you have any sketches or photos of the type of fence to have in mind I would appreciate them. I have not yet made a jig for any previous job so I am not too clear how to go about it. Thanks in advance.


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Tim, thanks for your suggestion. As you will see from my other posts I am new to jigs, so would appreciate any guidance to accomplish this task.


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Charles, if I am unable to do the job with my router, your suggestion of using the brad point will be the next choice. Would you suggest leaving a small space between each drilling and then chisel out the wood between each piece? My slot needs to be 16mm wide, so would you go with an 8mm bit down each side or will that cause the holes to run in to each other part way down? Would a 16mm auger bit down the centre be another option? Thanks for the assistance.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Router Newbie said:


> Hi Derek, I would be happy to see how the jig was made if you have any sketches or photographs I could view. I only have a 1/4 inch router so I am not sure if I can even manage such a deep cut with my light weight router. Trying to phone around now to source a deep pocket 1/4 inch bit.


Hello to you, I will be pleased to show what I have, if I have taken pics of same, will look tomorrow and post something that will be of use to you.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Router Newbie said:


> Trying to phone around now to source a deep pocket 1/4 inch bit.


You'll probably struggle with that, Stan. Deep pocket bits really need to be 1/2in shank because even they tend to "whip" a bit. To be frank, the thought of a 4in (100mm) long cutter in a 1/4in shank causes the hairs on my neck to stand up! If you are limited to a 1/4in router you'll probably be best off routing as deeply as you can with a 1/4in shank cutter (up to about 2in/50mm) then finishing off with an auger bit. The side of the mortise can be used to guide the auger bit. Any old chisel will do to clean-out the mortise



derek willis said:


> I never got a chisel out of the kit during the whole process.


What, not even to square out the faceplate recesses? 

Regards

Phil


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Thanks Phil, I thought it might be pushing it a bit (if you'll excuse the pun).


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Router Newbie said:


> Hi Charles, if I am unable to do the job with my router, your suggestion of using the brad point will be the next choice. Would you suggest leaving a small space between each drilling and then chisel out the wood between each piece? My slot needs to be 16mm wide, so would you go with an 8mm bit down each side or will that cause the holes to run in to each other part way down? Would a 16mm auger bit down the centre be another option? Thanks for the assistance.


You could but it would be tedious. Your best bet for doing it that way would be with a 16mm Forstner bit IF you use a drill press. It will overlap holes so that chiseling would be reduced. Better if you can rout the mortices, i.e. no chiseling. It still helps to to drill down the center of the mortice first. Less material for the router to remove, a space for the chips to exit, and air to cool the bit. The wood blocks I spoke of were for drilling for the striker bolt and the lockset. You can make very simple drilling jigs by drilling a pilot hole through a wooden block. Lee Valley even sells drill bushings so that the blocks can be used for many holes, for example drilling adjustable shelf bracket holes.
There is another thread going on that you should look at. It deals with many of the same issues. It is named "Type of mortise chisel to square slot".


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Phil,
Well not an ordinary chisel anyway, I did use a proprietory corner chisel, the type where you site it and give one whack with a hammer, job done.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Stan,
As you only have a small router then your best way is as Phil suggested, I used to do it this way regularly, an Auger bit has cutting edges down the whole of the spline, just drill a few holes against one another and then work the drill bit up and down and the mortise will be cut clear and ready to fit.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

The best way I can help is to have You search here foe the jig! BJ3 has one thats a bit complicated Others have pics of the one I think You looked for. Most of them work well, and not complicated


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Stan

There's a pretty good jig in the Knowledgebase section of the Trend web site, here, which will also do what you need. Three pieces of plywood, some fasteners and a bit of ingenuity. Simples!

Regards

Phil


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

The Trend jig is what I was thinking of. I guess that if You haven't done any building, It would be hard to build a jig! Sorry, Look the Trend jig over, and it may give You some good ideas


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

dutchman 46 said:


> The Trend jig is what I was thinking of. I guess that if You haven't done any building, it would be hard to build a jig!


The Trend jigs (there are two sizes) are pretty good. I have, and regularly use, both sizes but they are a tad expensive, circa £100 in the UK (US $ 160 or so). Making the jig I referred to is relatively simple, even for a beginner, as a fixed version could be made by screwing together three pieces of 18mm or 3/4in MDF/plywood (to fit the timber width you are using) or even just screwing a piece of 2 x 2in planed softwood to the underside of the sheet material (to allow it to be clamped to the workpiece).

Cutting the mortise template slot would then be a matter of setting out the opening on the top surface, marking the offset allowance for the guide bush, pinning or screwing pieces of 2 x 1in planed softwood to that mark all round, then routing out the opening with a template trim bit such as one of these and finally removing the 2 x 1s. For me that would be a few pieces of scrap/offcuts and a £14 (US $25) cutter (except that I already have the cutters). It's only a jig so it doesn't matter about a few screw or pin holes so long as the cut-out is accurate. Gotta be the cheapest way to go

Regards

Phil


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

*mortise jigs.*

A very simple way to make a number of jigs for different lock latch and hinge cutouts with the router is to use,:- 
Base, 1/2in. mdf about 10ins long and 6ins wide, cut a 1/4in. groove about an inch from the side on the long side, glue into this a piece of 1/4in. mdf about 2 feet long and 6ins. deep, cramp this to the door with the 1/2in. piece to the door edge, mark centre line, take off and mount on your bench, mark the faceplate around the centre line, then with hot melt glue, affix strips of 1/2in material around the markings, using a 1/2in top bearing mortising bit cut out the waste between the strips, cramp to door, using same bit, rout to depth,this will give you an accurate faceplate cutout, take out the corners and there you are, same can be done with butt hinge cut-outs. bit used pic 1 use auger bits to remove waste drill overlapping cuts and then moving the bit up and down, the bits edges will remove all the waste material, Pic 2. if you make up a false router base as in pic. 3 you can rout the mortise waste and this will automatically centralise the cut. Pic 4 shows deep cut mortising bits. 
pic 4 (1).jpg (98.7 KB)
pic 4 (2).jpg (146.4 KB)
pic 4 (3).jpg (139.8 KB)
pic 4.jpg (122.0 KB)


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Default mortise jigs.

A very simple way to make a number of jigs for different lock latch and hinge cutouts with the router is to use,:-
Base, 1/2in. mdf about 10ins long and 6ins wide, cut a 1/4in. groove about an inch from the side on the long side, glue into this a piece of 1/4in. mdf about 2 feet long and 6ins. deep, cramp this to the door with the 1/2in. piece to the door edge, mark centre line, take off and mount on your bench, mark the faceplate around the centre line, then with hot melt glue, affix strips of 1/2in material around the markings, using a 1/2in top bearing mortising bit cut out the waste between the strips, cramp to door, using same bit, rout to depth,this will give you an accurate faceplate cutout, take out the corners and there you are, same can be done with butt hinge cut-outs. bit used pic 1 use auger bits to remove waste drill overlapping cuts and then moving the bit up and down, the bits edges will remove all the waste material, Pic 2. if you make up a false router base as in pic. 3 you can rout the mortise waste and this will automatically centralise the cut. Pic 4 shows deep cut mortising bits.
pic 4 (1).jpg (98.7 KB)
pic 4 (2).jpg (146.4 KB)
pic 4 (3).jpg (139.8 KB)
pic 4.jpg (122.0 KB)
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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Once again, thanks for all the explanations. I do not think my router takes guide bushes but I will check. I have opted to take the easier route for me, and exchanged the handles for the mortice locks for round cylinder handles. This means I can use my hole cutter for the main job and then just have a shallow hole to route or drill to take the lock shaft section. I will still use the drill press if possible, to make sure the drilled hole is straight and parallel to the door face. I can see just how much I have to learn about this facinating hobby!


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

I am fearful that if You get in there, that the lock could not bottom out, or could be off centered. Have a friend who knows a fella who does that kinda work, I am afraid as critical as these things are, YOU COULD HAVE UNREPAIRABLE issues!!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Amazon.com: DEWALT D180004 Bi-Metal Door Lock Installation Kit: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Milescraft 1213 Complete Door Mortising Kit: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 42234 Corner Chisel: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Kwikset 138 INSTL KIT Professional Door Lock Installation Kit: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Interior Mortise Lock Kit with Glass Knob w/ Brass: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 511 Cylindrical Lock Boring Jig Lock Installation Kit: Home Improvement

http://www.amazon.com/Hinge-Mate-HM...sr_1_115?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1312552151&sr=1-115

Amazon.com: Porter-Cable 513 1-1/2 Horsepower Lock Mortiser: Home Improvement

=


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

dutchman 46 said:


> I am fearful that if You get in there, that the lock could not bottom out, or could be off centered.


Sorry, but I'm not quite sure what you are driving at here, Howard. A mortise lock doesn't need to bottom out completely, in fact if it does it's generally an indication that your mortise is too shallow. The lock mortise should indeed be central to the door in most cases (there are exceptions such as certain types of double doors) but it's not absolutely critical if your mortises are a millimetre too wide in places or not as straight as they should be _*so long as the face plate recess is exactly right*_. That's the critical bit. The way you avoid a tight lock sticking in the mortise is to _*side drill the door for the handle and keyhole before inserting the lock*_, that way a screwdriver passed through the lock can be used to extract it sufficiently to remove it.

Swung and fitted locks in 12 fire doors last weekend for a store in Manchester, and didn't get any "pulled" :dance3:



bobj3 said:


> http://www.amazon.com/Hinge-Mate-HM...sr_1_115?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1312552151&sr=1-115


Hell's teeth, Bob $195 for that!!!! I use one of these (Trend hinge jig) for hinge mortising at about the same price, but importantly it keeps register between mortises on the door casing and the door and automatically allows for the appropriate reveal (gap) at the top of the door (the jig you showed would appear to only work on the door). The equivalent in the USA would probably be the Bosch or Porter-Cable hinge jigs, although for a home installation it would be easy enough to make-up a simple jig in 18mm MDF. The Trend is probably better in some ways because it will handle non-standard hinges rather than using fixed templates a la P-C/Bosch. One-offs I generally do with a chisel because it's just faster, multiples I tend to use the hinge jig although I'm sometimes required to use odd-ball spacings, so then if there are enough I make a template jig

I like the P-C mortiser, although it's not available over here any more. Instead we have am updated and improved *European* version from Virutex (also available in the USA). Personally I don't do enough doors (I'd need a run of hundreds) to warrant that kind of expenditure, although I have seriously considered the Virutex hinge mortiser. Virutex also do a template-free jig for use with their laminate trimmers which is really neat. Incidentally I don't regard any of these solutions as being of any use to the OP, or for that matter 99.999% of hobby woodworkers - I've just posted the links to show how the commercial end of the market works

Regards

Phil


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Porter Cable 513 Lock Mortiser Router | eBay

========


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## Router Newbie (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Tim, as I changed my plan of action and fitted cylinder lock sets instead of mortises I used you idea of blocks for routing the hinges and the face plate. I must say it worked a treat and allowed me to make accurate recesses for both items. I also used a forstner bit to drill out the hole for the striker and started it off by clamping a piece drilled with the forstner on my drill press, to ensure that I followed a straight path down the centre of the door. My first attempt over the week-end took some time but the finished result was worth the trouble. Definately easier than the mortises with my limited equipment. Once again thanks to all who have offered their assistance.


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## tdublyou (Jan 8, 2010)

Stan,
Glad everything worked out OK. If your tools and experience are both limited than I think you made a wise decision. Remember doing things incorrectly is simply tuition in the school of life, but there is no need to go looking for trouble.


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