Thread: Tutorial on making a mortice

Mortise lock - A step by step guide on how to fit a mortise lock to a door
Try this one.

Here is a utube video that might help.
It is half advertisement for Lie Nielsen and the other half tutorial.
Cheers
SG

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmxj9hPChEM"]Lie-Nielsen - Mortise Chisels - YouTube[/ame]

PS I remember seeing Jim Kingshott demonstrate cutting mortices with a morticing chisel. Can't find it on utube - must be on one of his DVD's

I have done a few , starting from terrified with dull drill bits and chisels. For occassional door hanging carpenters ,its still spade bits and chisels to finish, door hangers have expensive morticing jigs and can rip through them,for an apprenctice, its great to practice as you suggest, good layout on edge with scribing-cutting gauge, steady hand with drill , sharp spade bit and chisel to the line, well clamped door on the hinges ,i prefer working on a horizontal door edge, that is off the hinges and clamped between saw horses. buy a cheap recycled solid door and you have can mortice away on both edges, cheers rossco

I fitted many of those mortice locks as a tradesman, many years ago. We would hang the door first then half open the door and hold it open with a wedge under the leading edge. We bored a series of holes with a brace and 1/2" (12mm)clean cut bit (I think it was 1/2" from memory). It was easy that way to make sure the holes were bored parrallel to the face of the door and you could use your body weight to help bore the holes. The mortice then claned out with two chisels, one was 1 1/4" and the other was 1/2". This was fine for high waisted doors but for low waisted doors we would only put two screws into the hinges on the door side. After the holes were bored the screws were drawn from the door and the door laid on its edge wih the end wedged into the corner of the room for the the mortices to be cut.
I am a bit surprised that mortic locks are still bein used.
Jim

There not used very often at all in my experience. Good thing too I reckon. I cant remember the last time I did one but it would have been during my apprenticeship. Ive never be called upon to do one as a tradesman.