house door lock router templates

[Tom King]

I enlarged two door openings in a rental house to 36" doors.  Today, I installed the locks. 

These templates are pretty old.  I don't remember how many decades ago I made them, but they require a router with a template bushing.  That was before template bits, with built in bearings were commonly available.  If I did much of it these days, I'd make some more to use a template bit.

When I was building new houses, hanging all the doors in a house was a one day job.  I never used a prehung door.

One of these is for the lock strike.  It has a thin fence that fits against the jamb in the reveal next to the casing.  One screw holds it in place.  That screw hole will be hidden when the stop is installed.

The other is for the lock plunger face.  I forget what it's called, but you can see what I mean.  It's held to the door with clamps, so no holes are put into the doors.  Normally, I use quick clamps, but I had these C-clamps handy.  The quick clamps, with padded faces, don't require any extra protection for the finished door.

They make a perfect fitting lock pretty easy.  They work so well, I don't mind using them after finish is applied to the door, or jamb.

No need to ask me what the extra holes are for, or why that one hole is countersunk on both sides.  I don't remember.  The correct sized bits stay in the toolbox with the templates.

A chair is a necessary tool for this job too.  Sitting in it puts you at a comfortable height, and position.

I hardened the work edges with epoxy, to help with longevity.  These were the first ones I made, so maybe it helped.

 

 

[wtnhighlander]

Tom, I think I like using a guide bushing better than a bearing guided bit, in most cases. While you do have to account for offset, with the bushing you can adjust the depth of cut without fear that the bearing will come off the template. I also like to grind the length of the bushing to a bit under 1/4". Never understood why the bushings vary in length along with diameter.

[Tom King]

Good points.  These are still working, so I doubt I'll ever need anything different.  I'm not hanging a lot of doors these days.

The good thing about using a template bit is that you can mark the template right off the piece you're mortising.  I don't really mind using a bushing, but making the template requires a little more fiddling with it.

[Tom King]

I find it easier to set the lock after the door is hanging on hinges, and easier to paint it before hanging it on the hinges, so I'm always installing the lock on a finished door.