How To Make A Mortise Lock Cut In A Door

Knowing how to cut a mortise is essential for installing a deadbolt lock.

How to make a mortise lock cut in a door.

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. A mortise is a recess or hollow space cut to fit a specific item such as a door hinge or a lock mechanism. This project guide features step by step instructions to tackle after you have already drilled holes in the door. Fortunately cutting out this mortise isn t nearly as difficult as it sounds.

Use a bevel edge chisel and hammer to square the corners of the mortise if the faceplate has square corners. Mortising for a door hinge allows the hinge to install flush with the surface of the door edge or face. In other cases a mortise is merely cosmetic. 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.

Create a perfect mortise for the faceplate of your door latch use a rotary tool to help you make a perfect mortise for the faceplate of a door latch when installing door hardware. Also mark the positions of the keyhole and handle spindle by marking through the body of the mortise lock make an allowance for the front plate of the lock as this will be recessed into the edge of the door. 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. Fit the latch and faceplate into the door.