Guru
October 28th, 2008, 09:58 PM
You may have heard this one before and it really works.
Whether you are trying to figure out where to notch out the door for a regular door latch, a deadbolt recess in the door jamb or where to drill out the upper or lower pinholes for the stationary door half of a French door you can use regular crayon, lipstick, or any type of soft wax type pencil or a dark leaded pencil.
Today I finished up a job I was doing on one of the set of French doors in the house. The reason I had to do this was the anchor bracket that goes in the upper door jamb to lock in the stationary door had been removed and lost during the painting jobs in that part of the house.
Just a hole drilled in the upper wood casing is not sufficient normally to hold the door in one place over a long period of time (think sealing out cold drafts, wallowing out with use, Mississippi humidity or simply somebody trying to kick the door in) and a metal piece will be required. Also be aware that few doors will be completely straight, most have a small warp or one that will develope.
If you find yourself looking for a replacement you can go to most hardware stores and pick up a blanking plate which comes stock at about 1" wide x 2-2 1/2" long x 1/8" thick.
Simply lay it on top of the door and then push the door closed to where you see the door itself must compress the insulating strip that you are using so that it seals off and shows no air or light crack around the top. That will tell you how far toward the sealing strip you need to locate the blanking plate.
Drill some pilot holes 2 sizes smaller than the screws you plan to use to hold the plate in place.
Next ...
Take the crayon, lipstick or wax pencil and rub it on top of the hard pin that slides within the recess of the top of the door to pin it in place after you close it.
Push the door closed again against the insulating strip and push up on the slide for the pin mechanism until it bumps the latch plate.
Pull the door back and you will see the circle the marking agent made against the metal.
Drill your hole into the plate according to the pin size, wallow it out just a bit for comfort and close the door and latch it top and bottom.
The stationary door for the French doors really fitting good is what gives both doors the sealing ability and security factor.
You can do this with a deadbolt too. (Also works for where to cut the latching hole for a regular door knob hole.)
This time before you install the metal hole plate that the bolt for the deadbolt will go through just color your deadbolt bolt and use the key in the lock to close and bump the deadbolt against the wood.
Notice your mark, chisel out the hole to fit the plate mechanism, install the plate with some substantial screws, deadbolt your door, walk back to the kitchen thinking about how warm - comfortable and secure you will be and then go make some cookies.
Send me some.
Whether you are trying to figure out where to notch out the door for a regular door latch, a deadbolt recess in the door jamb or where to drill out the upper or lower pinholes for the stationary door half of a French door you can use regular crayon, lipstick, or any type of soft wax type pencil or a dark leaded pencil.
Today I finished up a job I was doing on one of the set of French doors in the house. The reason I had to do this was the anchor bracket that goes in the upper door jamb to lock in the stationary door had been removed and lost during the painting jobs in that part of the house.
Just a hole drilled in the upper wood casing is not sufficient normally to hold the door in one place over a long period of time (think sealing out cold drafts, wallowing out with use, Mississippi humidity or simply somebody trying to kick the door in) and a metal piece will be required. Also be aware that few doors will be completely straight, most have a small warp or one that will develope.
If you find yourself looking for a replacement you can go to most hardware stores and pick up a blanking plate which comes stock at about 1" wide x 2-2 1/2" long x 1/8" thick.
Simply lay it on top of the door and then push the door closed to where you see the door itself must compress the insulating strip that you are using so that it seals off and shows no air or light crack around the top. That will tell you how far toward the sealing strip you need to locate the blanking plate.
Drill some pilot holes 2 sizes smaller than the screws you plan to use to hold the plate in place.
Next ...
Take the crayon, lipstick or wax pencil and rub it on top of the hard pin that slides within the recess of the top of the door to pin it in place after you close it.
Push the door closed again against the insulating strip and push up on the slide for the pin mechanism until it bumps the latch plate.
Pull the door back and you will see the circle the marking agent made against the metal.
Drill your hole into the plate according to the pin size, wallow it out just a bit for comfort and close the door and latch it top and bottom.
The stationary door for the French doors really fitting good is what gives both doors the sealing ability and security factor.
You can do this with a deadbolt too. (Also works for where to cut the latching hole for a regular door knob hole.)
This time before you install the metal hole plate that the bolt for the deadbolt will go through just color your deadbolt bolt and use the key in the lock to close and bump the deadbolt against the wood.
Notice your mark, chisel out the hole to fit the plate mechanism, install the plate with some substantial screws, deadbolt your door, walk back to the kitchen thinking about how warm - comfortable and secure you will be and then go make some cookies.
Send me some.