Would you believe it!

[Spectric]

Having done the hinge recesses for a door using the Trend hinge jig I thought why not look at the Trend lock jig. The hinge jig worked great, so easy to setup and use but the lock jig I was thinking about may be another story.

It comes with four mortise templates and twelve face plate templates, none of them match my requirements which seems odd, how many different door latches can there be. I then find the chart of templates that Trend sell, I have attached for info and it is amazing, there are dozens of them which means that there are no longer standard door lock sizes.

Now this jig seems more expensive, you get templates with it that are of no use, then you buy the four you need at £13 each and now it is jig plus £52 so makes you stop and think. So what other lock jigs are out there and anyone got their favourite?

 

[Doug71]

Make your own?

 

[Spectric]

Thats a good suggestion, get back to basic's and make your way out of a problem rather than just buying your way out.

 

[Delwood]

Thats a good suggestion, get back to basic's and make your way out of a problem rather than just buying your way out.

Back to basics for me would be a couple of chisels, a mallet and a drill. I'm only a hobbyist woodworker but I had 8 new doors to hang when I moved house and it was not a difficult job with hand tools.

 

[Spectric]

and it was not a difficult job with hand tools.

I love your confidence, which is probably something I am lacking because door hanging is definately not something I have done in the past, mayberemove and refit but not a new door.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I love your confidence, which is probably something I am lacking because door hanging is definately not something I have done in the past, mayberemove and refit but not a new door.

My son-in-law, who has never done any woodworking, or anything else practical come to that, hung a door and mortised a lock using a drill and chisels with remote support on the phone from me. It wasn’t a new door but needed reversing so actually more work than if it was new as he had to fill the old hinge positions and lock mortise. It has a decorative glazed window so couldn’t just be reversed in the opening. He hadn’t realised that before starting…

If it is just a few doors it really isn’t that big a deal. If your doing hundreds for work then jigs and routers are the way to go but far from essential.