Mortice Lock Question

I'm installing a mortice lock in a door that's never had one before. Its an original Victorian timber front door so has seen various locks over the years. There is an existing keyhole striaght through the bare wood which is quite large and ragged and has been chipped away over the years. The lock for it was obviously mounted on the inside of the door so the key has had to continually go right through the door.

Will chiselling out the mortice in the same place as this wide keyhole weaken the whole door or should I select a totally new place for the mortice and ignore the existing keyhole?

Reply to
kev208
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-Which does not sound like a mortice lock.

A mortice lock is one where the lock fits into a cut out within the door and the bolt operated by the key goes into a socket cut in the door jamb.

Any chance of some photo's?

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

As he said, it's never had a mortice lock before.

Reply to
Bob Eager

It was a rimlock. If you put a mortice lock in the same place you risk cutting in to the ends of the tenons of the lock rail, and weakening the door. If you want a round door knob the mortice lock would need a long backset and cut even more of the tenons away. So I'd stick with a rimlock at the lock rail position. You could add a mortice lock somewhere on the stile as an extra but you'd still need a rimlock or it would all look a bit odd.

cheers Jacob

Reply to
owdman

Avoid putting a mortice lock where most people put one - at the end of one of the cross rails. You have to remove part of the joint to do that, which weakens the door. Mortice locks should always be mounted in a clear part of the vertical stile. Ideally, external doors should have two mortice locks, one at 1/3 the door height and one at 2/3 the door height. If you are only fitting one, put it lower, rather than higher, as that makes it more resistant to being kicked open. I would simply fill the old hole and ignore it as a guide to where to fit the new lock.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

|> Will chiselling out the mortice in the same place as this wide keyhole |> weaken the whole door or should I select a totally new place for the |> mortice and ignore the existing keyhole? | |Avoid putting a mortice lock where most people put one - at the end of one |of the cross rails. You have to remove part of the joint to do that, which |weakens the door. Mortice locks should always be mounted in a clear part of |the vertical stile. Ideally, external doors should have two mortice locks, |one at 1/3 the door height and one at 2/3 the door height. If you are only |fitting one, put it lower, rather than higher, as that makes it more |resistant to being kicked open. I would simply fill the old hole and ignore |it as a guide to where to fit the new lock.

Agreed.

Remember to make the new lock 5 lever, to BS???? and fit the proper striking plate which is a box like thing and *much* stronger than the old single surface plate things.

Reply to
Dave Fawthrop

Thanks for these. I dont think I was clear enough. The door already has a slightly more modern looking night latch further up the door which I am replacing with a deadlocking rim lock, I presume I'm Ok to put that in the same place?

The other lock that i want to replace with a mortice is a bog standard ancient looking rim lock with a door knob on both sides. From what's been said above I think I'm best leaving this alone for the moment and putting the mortice further down the door?

Reply to
kev208

That will be fine, particularly if it is one of the BS3621:2004 thief resistant rim locks.

Definitely the better way to go and the mortice lock certainly should be to BS3621:2004. Insurers like those.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

Other option is to just start again with both - so put the rim lock further up the door and the mortice further down. this way I can deal with rectifying the mess made by the other 2 locks at a later date as getting the new ones on is quite urgent.

dont want to have 4 totally separate lock sites on the door though if this is going to weaken it.

Reply to
kev208

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