We need to drill a door for typical double key deadbolt. Too clumsy to work with templates, the last time I drilled a door (the President’s name was Jimmy), I rented a professional jig that had the bits built in. Now I see a plastic Black&Decker tool for under twenty bucks at Lowes. Will these do a decent job, or should I go back to the rental yard?
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a square, pencil, tape measure and the correct sized hole saw / drill bits is all you need...
the latch is centered on the door edge. the key mech is set back 2-3/8" or 2-3/4" from the edge of the door....
latch and key mech on the same horz plain...
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The inexpensive templates work well. I've also done it without templates, but for a mere $20.00, it's worth the few minutes per door that it saves me.
Read the instructions. The template gets screwed into the latch side edge of the door to hold it steady. Those same screw holes are then used for the latch plate.
-Don
Were I installing locksets on a regular/daily basis, I'd likely invest in one of the heavy duty jig kits.
I don't find myself doing them terribly often, so I haven't bothered to invest in such. Tape measure, square and pencil have worked well to this point.
If you're feeling uncertain of your abilities, the $20 version might not be a bad deal for a single door.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Go back to the rental yard. After using the pro style jigs ( I borrow one form the door co. I buy my doors from) I would never fuss with the cheap ones. One mistake and I would be buying a door.
Don
I've got one of those, they work fine.
DCS Inc.
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Dewalt has a decent jig that clamps on to the door with the choice of 2 offsets and comes with the 2 hole saws you need.
Ive seen the dewalt at Sears for about $30. I wasnt to impressed with the $15-$20 cheap jigs that Ive seen at Lowes. Never used one though so cant really comment.
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Good info, I thought about those jigs when I read about them in a mag. May pick one up one day but don't get to the big box stores very often; haven't even seen one. The paper template in the lockset package so far has sufficed.
FBC - as a homeowner who has had his front door kicked in and house burgled, I would suggest that if you are using the dead bolt in combination with a handleset or door knob, to space the dead bolt at least 8" above (or more) the knob/handle. It may not stop the burglar from breaking in, but by distributing the stress points further across the jambs, you may slow the b*stards down. I just wish that the door manufacturers would start doing this on their pre-drilled doors. Jimz
I have replaced doors and jams that had 2&3 deadbolts or other locks at top middle and bottom. They don't stop a burglar and do alot more damage to the jam and frame .
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