I've got a door with some bad cosmetic damage. This has a rather old
mortise lock in it. I'd like to fashion a backplate (you know, the
metal plate that goes behind door hardware) for this lock. As you may
know, mortise locks are all slightly different and finding something
to match yours is tricky.

I'm starting from a brass pushplate (you know, those plates on the
swinging kitchen doors in restuarants). It's maybe an eighth of an
inch thick. I'll need to put three holes in it for the lock
cylinder (one hole) and the door handle (two holes).

I've got a hole saw (you know, just liked you'd use to put holes
in a door for a lock or a doorknob) just the right size for the holes
I need to make. Is that going work well? Should I sandwich the brass
in some scrap wood?

Elijah
------
figures brass is soft enough to get away with using wood tools

Eli the Bearded wrote:
I've got a door with some bad cosmetic damage. This has a rather old
mortise lock in it. I'd like to fashion a backplate (you know, the
metal plate that goes behind door hardware) for this lock. As you may
know, mortise locks are all slightly different and finding something
to match yours is tricky.

I'm starting from a brass pushplate (you know, those plates on the
swinging kitchen doors in restuarants). It's maybe an eighth of an
inch thick. I'll need to put three holes in it for the lock
cylinder (one hole) and the door handle (two holes).

I've got a hole saw (you know, just liked you'd use to put holes
in a door for a lock or a doorknob) just the right size for the holes
I need to make. Is that going work well? Should I sandwich the brass
in some scrap wood?

Elijah
------
figures brass is soft enough to get away with using wood tools

Sandwich it between two pieces of wood , and turn your drill/press slow .
Paraffin makes a nice lube for this .
Clamp it to the table unless you like pain .
--

Snag aka OSG #1
'90 Ultra , "Strider"
The road goes on forever ...
none to one to reply

Use a very fine metal cutting blade. Wood blades are hard to use on metal.
martin
Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Eli the Bearded wrote:
I've got a door with some bad cosmetic damage. This has a rather old
mortise lock in it. I'd like to fashion a backplate (you know, the
metal plate that goes behind door hardware) for this lock. As you may
know, mortise locks are all slightly different and finding something
to match yours is tricky.

I'm starting from a brass pushplate (you know, those plates on the
swinging kitchen doors in restuarants). It's maybe an eighth of an
inch thick. I'll need to put three holes in it for the lock
cylinder (one hole) and the door handle (two holes).

I've got a hole saw (you know, just liked you'd use to put holes
in a door for a lock or a doorknob) just the right size for the holes
I need to make. Is that going work well? Should I sandwich the brass
in some scrap wood?

Elijah
------
figures brass is soft enough to get away with using wood tools

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On Sep 6, 3:31 pm, Eli the Bearded wrote:
I've got a door with some bad cosmetic damage. This has a rather old
mortise lock in it. I'd like to fashion a backplate (you know, the
metal plate that goes behind door hardware) for this lock. As you may
know, mortise locks are all slightly different and finding something
to match yours is tricky.

I'm starting from a brass pushplate (you know, those plates on the
swinging kitchen doors in restuarants). It's maybe an eighth of an
inch thick. I'll need to put three holes in it for the lock
cylinder (one hole) and the door handle (two holes).

I've got a hole saw (you know, just liked you'd use to put holes
in a door for a lock or a doorknob) just the right size for the holes
I need to make. Is that going work well? Should I sandwich the brass
in some scrap wood?

Elijah
------
figures brass is soft enough to get away with using wood tools

A lot depends on what you have for tools. If the best you've got is a
hand drill and the hole saw, you won't have a very nice hole, it
probably will be off position in one or more dimensions and it
probably won't be a very close fit. As a means of removing material
for filing to a closer fit, it would work. Clamping between thin wood
and securing in a vise is higly recommended unless you like being
called "Stub"! A drill press would be a better idea than the hand
drill. The work could be clamped down to the table in that case.

I've got an adjustable trepanning tool made by General from the local
hardware store that I'd be more inclined to use in a drill press than
a hole saw, just because it can be adjusted to required size. I've
used it on thin aluminum with good results.

If you've got access to knockout punches of the right size, these
would make quick work of the job, you'd just have to make sure the
pilot holes are well located.

If you've got access to a lathe, screw it down to a backing plate, put
it into the lathe with your choice of fixturing, 4-jaw or faceplate,
and bore the hole(s) out. Finish will be a lot better, size will be
as good as you can make it as will hole placement.

A vertical mill and boring head should make easy work of the job.

Then there's the ever-popular, old-timey, chain-drilling procedure,
mark the hole's periphery, drill around the circle with a small bit
and knock out the slug when done. File to smooth up. It's not that
slow with a good drill press and thin stock. Good for irregular
holes, too.

Just other options.

Stan

the short answer is yes, it will work, unless your hole saw is that
amazingly pathetic hole saw set that harbor freight sells for $3.99, in
which case it may well go dull before it drills anything

but as others pointed out, be careful to get the holes located accurately

and beware of the brass getting caught and swinging around and really
hurting you (as was already pointed out)



wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 6, 3:31 pm, Eli the Bearded wrote:
I've got a door with some bad cosmetic damage. This has a rather old
mortise lock in it. I'd like to fashion a backplate (you know, the
metal plate that goes behind door hardware) for this lock. As you may
know, mortise locks are all slightly different and finding something
to match yours is tricky.

I'm starting from a brass pushplate (you know, those plates on the
swinging kitchen doors in restuarants). It's maybe an eighth of an
inch thick. I'll need to put three holes in it for the lock
cylinder (one hole) and the door handle (two holes).

I've got a hole saw (you know, just liked you'd use to put holes
in a door for a lock or a doorknob) just the right size for the holes
I need to make. Is that going work well? Should I sandwich the brass
in some scrap wood?

Elijah
------
figures brass is soft enough to get away with using wood tools

A lot depends on what you have for tools. If the best you've got is a
hand drill and the hole saw, you won't have a very nice hole, it
probably will be off position in one or more dimensions and it
probably won't be a very close fit. As a means of removing material
for filing to a closer fit, it would work. Clamping between thin wood
and securing in a vise is higly recommended unless you like being
called "Stub"! A drill press would be a better idea than the hand
drill. The work could be clamped down to the table in that case.

I've got an adjustable trepanning tool made by General from the local
hardware store that I'd be more inclined to use in a drill press than
a hole saw, just because it can be adjusted to required size. I've
used it on thin aluminum with good results.

If you've got access to knockout punches of the right size, these
would make quick work of the job, you'd just have to make sure the
pilot holes are well located.

If you've got access to a lathe, screw it down to a backing plate, put
it into the lathe with your choice of fixturing, 4-jaw or faceplate,
and bore the hole(s) out. Finish will be a lot better, size will be
as good as you can make it as will hole placement.

A vertical mill and boring head should make easy work of the job.

Then there's the ever-popular, old-timey, chain-drilling procedure,
mark the hole's periphery, drill around the circle with a small bit
and knock out the slug when done. File to smooth up. It's not that
slow with a good drill press and thin stock. Good for irregular
holes, too.

Just other options.

Stan




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In rec.crafts.metalworking, William Noble wrote:
the short answer is yes, it will work, unless your hole saw is that
amazingly pathetic hole saw set that harbor freight sells for $3.99, in
which case it may well go dull before it drills anything

The hole saw worked out for me. I didn't use that HF one, but the
one I did use had a guide screw in the middle too dull to go through
the brass. I predrilled the guide hole, and then had no problems with
the hole saw cutting the brass. The holes weren't perfect, but close
enough that they worked great.

but as others pointed out, be careful to get the holes located accurately

and beware of the brass getting caught and swinging around and really
hurting you (as was already pointed out)

As part of the wood sandwich, I put screws all the way through and
then clamped the bottom piece of wood down. My drill press is currently
in need of a new belt, so I did it with the hand drill. No problems.

Some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elitheb...7601916195204/

Elijah
------
went shopping for a belt yesterday but didn't find the right size

Eli the Bearded wrote:
In rec.crafts.metalworking, William Noble wrote:
the short answer is yes, it will work, unless your hole saw is that
amazingly pathetic hole saw set that harbor freight sells for $3.99,
in which case it may well go dull before it drills anything

The hole saw worked out for me. I didn't use that HF one, but the
one I did use had a guide screw in the middle too dull to go through
the brass. I predrilled the guide hole, and then had no problems with
the hole saw cutting the brass. The holes weren't perfect, but close
enough that they worked great.

but as others pointed out, be careful to get the holes located
accurately

and beware of the brass getting caught and swinging around and really
hurting you (as was already pointed out)

As part of the wood sandwich, I put screws all the way through and
then clamped the bottom piece of wood down. My drill press is
currently in need of a new belt, so I did it with the hand drill. No
problems.

Some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elitheb...7601916195204/

Elijah
------
went shopping for a belt yesterday but didn't find the right size

Looks great ! Most would have trashed the door and installed a new prehung
unit .
quiet applause
--

Snag aka OSG #1
'90 Ultra , "Strider"
The road goes on forever ...
none to one to reply