I was recently confronted with the task of replacing a houseful of interior-door locksets. All the doors had three holes bored in their stiles — a 3/4-in. hole for the spindle and two smaller holes for the trim-plate screws. I had dealt with individual doors in the past, using sabersaws, rasps, and spade bits, and I had decided that I had already used all the patience I wished to allot to lockset replacement.
My solution to speeding up this job is shown in the drawing. I centered a length of 3/4-in. dowel on the pilot bit of a 2-1/8-in.-dia. hole saw. By using the dowel as a pilot through the 3/4-in. spindle hole, and by working from both sides of the door, I was able to cut clean, new bores quickly for the updated locksets.
Clarke M. Christian, Clinton, IA
From Fine Homebuilding 111, pp. 32
Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products
N95 Respirator
PPE is a must, especially when cutting and sanding. We recommend you always have a box of respirator masks on the job site.
Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid
If you are designing or remodeling a traditional home and want to make sure that you get all the finish details right, this book is for you. Marianne’s drawings are illustrative, covering every aspect of interior and exterior finishes.
This lightweight, pneumatic roofing nailer is capable of driving ¾-in to 1¾-in coil roofing nails and has a depth adjustment wheel to dial in nailing depth on the various shingle types you're likely to encounter.
Whether you're installing floor sheathing or decking, this tool will keep the installer upright, putting less stress on workers while saving time and energy.
A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?: An Introduction to Building Science
Allison Bailes is great at explaining complex building science topics in simple terms that anyone can understand. If your goal is a new house or remodel that embodies the best practices that building scientists have to offer, buy this book right away.
The designer and builder of the 2018 Fine Homebuilding House detail why they chose mineral-wool batts and high-density boards for all of their insulation needs.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently
say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.