Enlarging an existing door knob hole...HELP!

[FOW]

[Secret Squirrel]

"Ted Ward" wrote in news:hSaYa.190$ [e-mail]:

You could make a quick jig, 2 pieces of ply or mdf with a piece the thickness of the door sandwiched between so that you have a U shape to slip over the door. Determine the distance between center of hole and edge of door, drill a hole the appropriate size in your jig at this same location and then use the jig to guide a hole saw. The whole thing shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to make up, and could be used for setting up holes in new doors as well.

[rob]

Anthony,

Clamp a 1x2 across the existing "too small hole". Mark the desired center point (inside the existing hole) and use the proper hole saw.

I have installed a large number of retro-fits this way without problems.

PS on second thought I believe I did use a longer pilot bit in the holesaw.

Rob

[FOW]

I'm tellin ya to glue a tight fitting plug in the hole and redrill it. Way faster than all the stuff everyone else is saying. It would have been done by now. Really ,just plug the hole and redrill it out. Might need some bondo though. Unless its a stain grade door. Use a flycutter/ plug cutter things you use in a drill press.NOT a hole saw ! Cut it out oversze a wee bit and rasp it to fit in the hole. As long as its flush to both sides or a little over thickness. Sand it flush to the faces of the door stile , then plug the little hole in the center of the plug then holesaw/ redrill the new hole out. Works for me when I blow the hole, too big.Thish should take you about

1 hr to cut the plug/ fit and glue it in/Use 5 min Epoxy. Beltsand to flush and redrill the hole.

[Gfretwell]

A plumber buddy of mine had to do this to a countertop and he just found a pipe plug that fit the existing hole. That centered the hole saw long enough to get it started

[Scott Brackstone]

Anthony, Here's a way it will take you 15 minutes...No Fuss...No filling..No Bogging

1) Mark out the centre of the existing hole in door out about 3" from the hole both vertical & horizontal.

2) Take 2 pieces of scrap timber 4"x4"x 1/2" thick and mark a cross in the centre, out to the edges

3) Cover the hole with the scrap timber..1 on either side ...line up the cross on the timber with the centeline of the hole on the door and clamp them.

4) Useing a HOLE SAW, drill through the scrap...this will put the hole centred on the old hole and the scrap timber will guide your hole saw into the door. Repeat on from the other side and PRESTO..New hole centred on old hole ...15 minutes tops

[Dan]

Hi Anthony,

Professional results require professional tools. Check out your local rental places and try to locate a jig for drilling holes for lockset hardware. I have a jig made by Kwikset that I used when installing doors and hardware many years ago. I bought a new door for a customer by using the hole saw method and decided right then and there that the jig was not all that expensive after all was said and done.

The jig adjusts for different thickness of doors and has an adjustment to keep the jaws parallel as well. The bolt hole guide automatically centers when changing thickness of doors. A kit will have a forstner bit for the large hole and an auger bit for the bolt hole and require a 1/2 inch drill. Once set, you can do a door in under 10 minutes and can save you lots of time and endless amounts of frustration if you are doing a retrofit on the whole house.

Just one professional opinion. You might want to get another on the possible "antique" value of your old hardware. Some old hardware is almost worth its weight in gold to those who do high end restoration work! Good luck with your project. ;)

Dan "Eccentric by nature"