Installing a lock on a door: how to do it yourself? Inserting a lock into a wooden door How to install an entrance door lock

Only mortise locks are inserted into interior doors, since overhead locks will look somewhat bulky and too noticeable on one of their sides. This work is not at all difficult to do, especially for those people who have dealt with something like this at least once. In this article we will look at how to correctly select, install and adjust locks of this type.

Lock selection

The most common type of lock for a wooden interior door is a cylinder mechanism with two round or L-shaped handles and a latch. They are made in several versions, for example, with or without a locking device. In the first case, it is possible to close the door on one side, thereby blocking its opening with the handle on the other side. That is, you can lock yourself in the bedroom and relax without fear that someone will enter the room and find you undressed. A lock without a locking device is installed only so that the door can be tightly closed with a latch, protecting it from drafts, odors from the kitchen or noise from other rooms.

The locking device does not have to be a mechanism with a key. There are also locks that have conventional lockers of various forms embedded in the main handle, for example, levers or buttons. The range of locks in building materials stores is quite wide, so there shouldn’t be any problems with choosing.

The option with a cylinder and keys is, in fact, a simplified device for the front door lock. Such a lock can usually be unlocked from both sides without the fear of becoming a prisoner in your own office, as in cases where a lock with a lock is installed on the door. The tongue in such doors is activated when you press the handle. If the door serves as a simple barrier from drafts, and does not serve as a fence for personal space (with a locking device), then it is better to choose a lock with a plastic latch. It makes less noise, which is very annoying at night when family “night owls” open and close the door.

If you look at it, different versions of devices are installed on the doors of rooms with a specific function:

Locks with key cylinders on both sides are suitable for offices;
for bedrooms, toilets, baths and showers - devices with interlocks from the inside;
for children's rooms, newfangled and expensive magnetic locks are an ideal option;
for kitchens, living rooms and utility rooms, you can limit yourself to ordinary locks with handles and a latch.

But in any case, all devices must be mortise. When choosing, you must make sure that the interior fabrics in your home have the appropriate thickness for the selected fittings. Standard doors usually have unequal leaf thickness: some are at least 35 mm, others are 45 mm. They need appropriate fittings to avoid the lock being as thick as the door.

In addition, when choosing fittings, you need to pay attention to the overall interior of the home and rooms in particular. The door array is also of great importance. For example, it is impossible to install locking devices designed for a door weighing 40 kg onto a door leaf weighing 70 kg. It would be a bad idea to embed a lock with miniature handles and a weak return spring into a canvas that has huge dimensions.

As for the magnetic lock mentioned above, such a device has a movable positively charged core (bolt) inside, which begins to operate only when the door is closed. In this position, it finds itself opposite a negatively charged magnetic strip installed on the door hatch. The bolt is attracted by the bar and securely fixes the door in the closed position. To open the door, you need to turn the handle, which disconnects (unlocks) the magnets. After opening the door, the crossbar is no longer affected by the force of interaction between magnets of different polarities, so it returns to its place. The completely silent device is gaining popularity, which is currently restrained only by the rather high price of designs of this type.

There are also special locking devices for sliding interior doors. They cut into the canvas, have the same rotary handles and a bar on the box. The main difference between such devices is their hook-shaped latch, which is why this lock is called “harpoon”.

Preparation

It doesn’t matter which lock was chosen for a particular interior door, preparation for installation is not much different from its type. You can give some advice: if you plan to install locks on all the interior doors of an apartment or house, then it is best to do this on door leaves that have been removed from their hinges. Any professional will tell you this. If you decide to install a locking device in only one door, and removing it from its hinges presents certain difficulties, then it is better to mount the lock in the “standing” position.

Before approaching the door with the tool, you need to carefully examine the purchased model of the locking mechanism, once again check the presence of all the necessary parts and fasteners with the description of the equipment, fully read the instructions and understand the installation diagram of the device. All this must be included with the product.

Armed with knowledge and making sure that the kit is complete, you should decide at what height you will need to install the device. Typically, locks are installed at a height of 100 to 150 cm from the floor surface. Having chosen the height, you can make a preliminary mark on the canvas and think about the tool that will be needed to insert the existing lock.

Required Tools

Let's consider the option of inserting the simplest device with two handles and a latch.

To work you will need:

chisel;
electric drill with drills;
22 mm feather drill;
wood cutter with a diameter of 50 mm;
Screwdriver Set;
hammer;
measuring instruments (ruler, square, tape measure);
washable marker or pencil.

An electric drill is needed not only for drilling holes for fasteners, it is also useful for working with a feather drill and a cutter. You will need to drill a hole for the lock with a feather drill, and with a milling cutter you will need to drill recesses for the decorative overlays of the handles. Of course, it is more accurate to carry out such work with a special tool - a milling cutter, which is designed specifically for such cuts in wood, but due to its high cost, it is more often used by professionals who earn their living from carpentry.

Making a groove

When installing the lock, it will be necessary to make grooves for the latch support plate on the end side of the door leaf to a depth of 3-5 mm (depending on the model), as well as for the back strip on the door block.

This is done with your own hands using a chisel and a hammer using the following technology:

the planks are applied to their future location and outlined around the perimeter with a pencil or thin marker;
According to the marked dimensions, the platform is carefully cut out to a shallow depth with a chisel and hammer;
Then the work needs to be continued, monitoring the depth - it should be strictly according to the thickness of the plates, since neither excess depth nor too shallow a groove is desirable;
Having cut out the grooves, they are cleaned of irregularities and debris.

In case of excessive penetration, you will have to eliminate the error with a layer of plastic or other material, which, of course, will not improve the operational reliability of the device.

Device installation

Before embedding the lock, you need to make markings. All insertion operations, starting with marking, are easy to carry out yourself. Typically, such fittings are installed right in the middle of the door leaf at one edge. Therefore, a small line using a tape measure marks the middle of the leaf (for a standard door from its bottom this will be a distance of 95 cm or so in any direction). Then, from the edge of the canvas at which the lock will be embedded, use a square to mark 6 cm until it intersects with the previous mark.

A noticeable dot is placed at the intersection of the two marks. It is this point that will be the center through which the axis of the handles and the lock will pass if the lock needs to be assembled with a lock. There will also be a center for drilling a recess for decorating the handles.

Using the same square, we transfer the central point to the side of the door, right in the middle of the thickness of the leaf. Here will be the center of the cylindrical body of the lock (latch, tongue).
Now you need to take a feather drill, insert it into an electric drill and drill a hole for the lock body. In this case, you should maintain a strict perpendicular position of the drill axis in relation to the sidewall of the door leaf. The hole depth is about 35 mm.
It is necessary to replace the feather drill in the drill with a milling cutter. This tool drills a hole for the handles. Here, too, you need to carefully monitor the position of the tool so that it is perpendicular to the door in both the horizontal and vertical planes. In addition, it is impossible to allow through drilling of the door on one side. The cutter has a sharp tip protruding along the axis, similar to the feather of the previous drill, so it will serve as a guide for finishing the work. When this tip drills the opposite side of the blade, then move with the cutter to the other side and drill a hole from there to avoid damage to the blade at the point where the cutter exits.

The next step is to use a feather drill to adjust the size of the exit hole for the latch. It should be within 23 mm (our drill was 22 mm). To do this, you simply need to adjust the hole to size by inserting and fitting the lock cylinder to the hole.
After this, it is necessary to clean the resulting two holes, connecting to each other perpendicularly along the axes, from dust, sawdust and burrs.
We insert the lock cylinder into the corresponding hole and make a groove for its support plate using a chisel and hammer in the manner described above. When the seat for the latch is ready, we install it in place, drill holes for the fastening screws with a thin drill and attach the lock to the door with them.
Now you can, by inserting one of the handles into the hole in the lock, mark the exact location of the strike plate. To do this, cover the tongue with some kind of dye and, holding the tongue in a recessed state with a handle, close the door completely. After making sure that the door is closed tightly, you need to release the handle, the latch will rest against the door block and make a mark. And already from this mark you can calculate the installation location of the striker. Make a sample for it with a chisel and hammer, as described above. Upon completion of the groove, install the bar in place and secure it with self-tapping screws.

Installing door locks using a plunge router is much better and easier. The milling machine also comes with various templates for working with many known types of locks. With the help of the carriage and these templates, all the work is done on installing not only various fittings, but also on the correct installation of the door itself.

Assembly and adjustment

All that remains is to finally assemble the lock, adjust its operation if necessary, and finally secure all the fasteners. It’s worth noting right away that you don’t need to be too zealous with fasteners, especially in those locks where parts of the device are fastened together from different sides of the blade. Tightening the screws too hard can deform the housing, and the locking mechanism will be difficult to work, even jamming.

Since the latch is already in the right place, it is necessary to insert the handles. The first step is to install the handle with mounting screws, which must be unscrewed before installation. After this, the handle is inserted with its square axis into the hole in the lock and into its own hole in the blade until it stops.

The door lock is an important detail. It performs not only a decorative, but also a protective function, so the requirements for it are high. From this article you will learn how to embed a lock into an interior door yourself.

Depending on the insertion method, ease of use and other characteristics, the following types of locks are distinguished:

Flat, having a rectangular frame and tongues separated from the lock latch. The design is highly reliable and is equipped with a push handle (halve).
Round locks in a cylindrical body, the latch and tongue are combined. The handle can have any shape. The stopper and the cylinder cylinder of the lock are inserted into the spindle.
Reduced size flat locks equipped with a rotary handle. The latch is missing.
Round, in the design of which there is a special knob handle.

Castles can be classified according to other criteria. The types of locking mechanisms are as follows:

bolts;
fall;
latches with lock;
mortise type;
invoices;
magnetic.

The latter type of locking devices does not create a sharp sound when closing and can be mounted in any interior door (even one already installed); Magnetic locks are becoming increasingly popular.

To install a lock into a newly purchased door, you need to know the thickness of the door leaf and the features of its structure. There are these types of interior doors:

MDF 35 mm wide.
MDF 45 mm wide.
Wooden door of a new design (panel width from 50 mm).
A wooden fiberboard door of an old design with a plank frame.

You can install locks on interior doors yourself, knowing the design features and operating principle of the lock.

Flat

This category of locks is the most expensive. They are more difficult to install, but provide good burglary protection. They put additional load on the door, unlike round locks. The flat latch will fit the existing door.

It is permissible to install only flat locks of reduced size on a door made of MDF with a width of 35 mm. Also, only those locks whose widest tongue is 15 mm are allowed to be embedded into MDF. The end plate must not exceed 24 mm in width. This is due to the fact that only a wooden frame can bear the dynamic load created by the lock, and MDF is a weak material.

Round

This type of locks is most suitable for an apartment or residential building. They are designed to fit into any door. The push handle is most often used in homes where people with limited mobility live. Using the rotary handle requires more effort.

The knob handle is distinguished by its safety: it is impossible to get hurt or get caught on clothes.

The installation process for round locks with any handle remains the same. The lock mechanism with a cylindrical body is produced for doors whose thickness is 35-45 mm. Locks for large wooden structures cannot always be found on sale in small towns. But round locks are different in that they can be adapted to any door thickness. To do this, you need to replace the latch carrier by installing a longer one. It is a rectangular steel plate 2-3 mm thick. There is a hole at one of its ends.

The latch exit toggle switch must be placed in a position that will correspond to the material from which the door jamb is made. For wood it is 70 mm, for MDF – 60. The production of locks for interior doors has its own characteristics: their cylinder is located inside for the convenience of locking the door from the inside.

When the door opens to the left and a suitable lock has not been found, the latch and cylinder must first be swapped. To do this you will need to disassemble the structure. This option is not suitable for office premises, because such a lock from the cylinder side is easy to disassemble even without the use of special tools.

Preparatory stage

The insertion technique depends on the design of the lock. The easiest way to install is the latch handle. For this purpose, a hole of the required diameter is carefully made. (Craftsmen recommend carrying out all finishing and installation work after the floor repairs have been made.)

Installing an interior lock with a rotary lock (or with a handle and a cylinder) is more labor-intensive: it will be necessary to make a nest at the end of the door leaf, as well as 2 holes for the cylinder and the handle.

It is necessary to correctly calculate the height at which the handle will be installed. When choosing a wooden door, there are no restrictions on this parameter. On a frame structure, the handle should be embedded at the location of the cross beam, located at a distance of 90-100 cm from the base of the door leaf. The thickness of the vertical beam varies depending on the thickness of the door leaf.

Most often, the lock is installed in an installed door, but you can cut it in before installation. When it is planned to make a recess for the lock using a manual electric router, the blade must be firmly secured in a lying position using a slipway, turning the side to be processed towards you.

Lock Mortise Tools

To install the locking mechanism in the door, you need to have the following tools:

Pencil for marking.
Joiner's triangle.
Roulette.
Screwdriver complete with a set of bits.
Screwdrivers (flat and Phillips).
Feather type drill, 6 mm wood drill, crowns of the required size.
Hammer and chisel.
Bit.
Slipway.
Manual electric milling machine.

There are special tool kits that include all the necessary drills and crowns.

Mortising a lock with a milling machine

The lock should be attached to the canvas, having first retreated a distance of 1 m from the floor. The handle can be located at a different height depending on the wishes of the owners. Now you need to determine the depth of the insert: using a triangle, measure the body of the mechanism and mark the required depth with a simple pencil; trace the upper part of the device along the contour.

Then you should choose a location for the keyhole and latch. The locking device is measured from the end to the center of the keyhole, and markings are made on the door. After this, the holes for the keyhole and latch are drilled using a feather drill.

Then marks are made for the future recess for the lock. To do this, it should be leaned against the end side of the door with a crossbar. A cutter of the corresponding circle is inserted into the router, after which the recess is drilled. Care should be taken to ensure that the crossbar completely fits into the door leaf.

Then you need to cut a recess for the lock structure. A groove cutter is “loaded” into the router, with which the groove is cut. This must be done so that the locking mechanism fits clearly into it. The boundaries of the recess should be processed with a hammer and chisel to give them an aesthetic appearance.

It is necessary to remove the shavings from the recess and then place the lock there. The crossbar strip is attached using self-tapping screws to the side of the door, and then the door hardware is installed.

Mortise a lock without a router

To install the locking device manually, the following tools are required:

pencil;
ruler;
roulette;
electric drill complete with drill 10-14 mm;
chisels of different widths;
round files.

It is necessary to count from 70 to 100 cm from the bottom edge of the canvas and mark the future location of the locking mechanism. Having placed it sideways, you should mark its inner part and note the width of the rear plane of the structure. After that, according to the markings, we drill holes. Then you need to drill holes deep into the door. To do this, hold the drill at a slight angle.

Using a chisel, you need to level the surface of the socket so that the mechanism can fit into it. Having attached the lock to the front part of the blade, you should mark the position of the handle and the core, drill holes and align them using files. Repeat the same process on the opposite side of the door. The structure is inserted into the groove, then a rod is threaded onto which the handles are attached.

The locking tab is exposed. Marks for the tongue are placed on the door jamb, a recess is made under it with chisels, where the mating part of the lock (bar) is placed. The bar is secured, after which the lock is ready for use.

Marking

Before installing a door lock, you need to figure out how to correctly mark the required type of locking device.

Most often, markings are applied using templates or corresponding parts of the locking mechanism that are applied to the door. It is recommended to draw lines using a sharp awl or needle to work directly along the contour. When using a pencil, you will need to take into account the width of the drawn line and its distance from the part. This is not easy to do even for a professional.

It is forbidden to use a mechanic's scriber for this purpose, since the indentation from it is even greater than from a pencil, and it is impossible to erase scratches after it. The door will need to be repaired.

Round

First you need to determine the place where the round lock will be located, after which you should mark it using the installation instructions and template. The distance from the floor should be 965 mm. This side of the marking should be applied taking into account the thickness of the door and the length of the lock tongue. Marking is applied from the side of the larva.

When marking two points on the front part of the door leaf, it is necessary to retreat from the end edge of the door 60 mm (for the first point) and 70 mm (for the second).

It is necessary to mark a hole on the door leaf, the diameter of which is 50 mm. It is intended for a pen. The second hole is made at the end of the door, opposite the main hole. It is 23mm in diameter and is designed for a snap-on design.

Flat

On the door jamb, the vertical and then the horizontal axis are marked with a pencil. The latter is applied at a height of 965 mm from the floor (for structures made of solid wood and older specimens - 800 mm). Marking is carried out according to the attached lock using a pencil. You must select a slot for the lock along the marked line. As a result, it will turn out a little larger than necessary. This will create the necessary gap for installing the mechanism.

There are some peculiarities when marking the recesses for the cylinder and the spindle: it is done by attaching a lock to the side, while the holes are made with an additional indentation from the door end. These holes should be equal to the width of the end plate.

Flat lock mortise

If the door is made of wood, then the lock can be inserted anywhere. If the door is made of MDF, then the locking mechanism must be embedded at a level of 1 m from the floor, since the location of the wooden beam inside the hollow door is at this level.

It is preferable to drill a hole for the lock using a feather drill, the diameter of which exceeds the thickness of the lock structure by 1-3 mm. It is best to drill through pioneer holes in 2 passes.

Then we select the nest with a chisel and make a hidden one (after marking its outline along the embedded lock) according to the instructions.

The shaped recess for the larva is performed in the following steps:

Drill a larger round hole for the cylinder.
Drill a round hole of smaller diameter for the bottom of the pin cassette.
Using a chisel, remove the remains.

After this, you can insert the lock into the door. To do this, you need to remove the handle and larva from it, and then insert it into the socket. After this, the fittings are installed back. The assembled loose lock should have a play of 1 mm on all sides.

Now you should identify and mark the holes for the screws. When the places for the screws have already been marked, we drill holes for them according to the markings. Having attached the lock structure to the door with their help, you need to install the handle and the lining under the tongue.

Handles can be round or L-shaped. To install the handle, you must:

Install decorative overlays on both sides of the canvas, securing them with self-tapping screws.
Insert and secure the handle bar.
Close the door and make a mark on the frame where the tongue is located.
Determine the length of the tongue using a ruler and make appropriate markings on the box.
Attach the overlay to the marks and trace it.
Drill recesses along its boundaries, bringing them to the required shape using a chisel.
The final stage: the cover is inserted and secured with self-tapping screws.

You should check whether the door opens and closes easily. If necessary, the location of the tongue can be changed.

Lock mortise with cylinder

The insertion of the locking mechanism with the cylinder is carried out similarly to the previous option. Having made marks on the door end, you should drill a vertical strip of recesses located as close to each other as possible. You can remove the jumpers by using a chisel. A nest of the required size should be prepared. A hole is drilled in the door leaf for the cylinder (or rotary key) and handle on both sides using a crown.

After this, a chisel is used to make a selection for the lock plate, and the locking device, handles and the counter part of the bar are mounted.

It is best to carry out this work using a router: problems may arise when using other tools, such as a chisel and chisel. A hand router allows you to achieve smooth surfaces with the smallest errors. In this way, it will be possible to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the door.

Round lock mortise

To drill holes according to the markings, you need to select a crown of the appropriate diameter. It must be calculated so that the hole is covered by the outer casing of the device. But the circumference of the recess should be sufficient for the installation of internal mechanisms.

In specialized stores you can purchase kits for inserting round locks. They consist of 2 crowns of the required diameter.

Having prepared the necessary tools, you can begin drilling the hole according to the previously made markings. To prevent the appearance of cracks, splits and other deformations of the door leaf, you should make a hole from 2 sides down to the middle. Then you need to make a hole in the end of the door in the same way, into which the mechanism will be placed. The strike plate in the door frame is installed in the center of the drilled hole for the tongue.

The device should be placed in the finished socket and traced around it. After this, the latch is pulled out. Using a chisel, you need to make a hole large enough to fit the outer plate. This work should be carried out with care so as not to exceed the required hole depth and not damage the side of the blade.

Now you can install the mechanism, checking that it closes correctly (you can read in detail in the instructions for how to install a lock on the door).

High-quality installation of locks on interior doors– a service provided by our specialists. We respond promptly to your call. As a result, the interior doors will close. Our services can be used not only by home owners, but also by company office employees. In such rooms, the lock must close well. We can repair or replace it if necessary. Prompt consultation is guaranteed to all clients.

We work with wooden, metal and other types of doors. The lock will be inserted and there will be no problems with its operation. Using professional tools, we will quickly and efficiently install a lock on your interior door. Our tapping equipment is equipped with cutters of various diameters. This allows you to install locks of the desired size without compromising the integrity of the door leaf.

The advantages of our lock installation service are obvious:

the staff of specialists has all the necessary skills and abilities to perform work on inserting a lock mechanism of any complexity;
We use locking devices that have proven to be reliable and durable;
after the work is completed, the service staff carries out a control check of the entire door unit as a whole for operability;
We guarantee prompt departure of a specialist at any time of the day or night;
The craftsmen have modern power tools in their arsenal, ensuring fast and high-quality lock insertion.

If you need to install a lock on an interior door, price(for Moscow and cities of the Moscow region) will please you pleasantly. We strive for clients to be satisfied that they have used the services of our service, and to be sure to recommend us to their friends and acquaintances as a reliable and responsible company.

It is, of course, better to entrust the installation of an anti-burglary entrance door with a high-security lock to specialists who know not only their job, but also the working techniques of intruders. But cutting a lock into an interior door with your own hands carefully and so that the lock does not jam, the door does not rattle and its loose jamb does not spoil the finish is quite possible for any home craftsman. Just keep in mind that this lock will be “from honest people,” simply to limit access to the room. Most often, the need for this type of work arises when children grow up and/or older family members retire. Quite often, if the apartment has the office of a business person or creative worker. In the first case, the secret mechanism (cylinder) of the lock with the key hole is located inside the room; in the second outside.

Reliability problem

The reliability of an interior door with a lock has a different meaning than an entrance door. An exception is the door to a room to which access is strictly limited (storage of liquid assets, weapons room, workshop with hazardous equipment and/or harmful substances, etc.). Here you need a reliable steel door, no less resistant than the entrance one.

Note: If this is your case, check the walls first. Suddenly they are partitions made of foam blocks, gypsum boards, etc., the room is unsuitable for this purpose. The burglar will immediately see the weakness, use a super-duper lock with all its secrets and simply cut through or break through the partition.

The lock is inserted into the interior door taking into account the trace. circumstances. Atmospheric pressure at sea level is approx. 1 kgf/sq. cm. This is a very large value, we simply adapted to it in the process of evolution. For example, due to an open window, when the ventilation is turned on, due to temperature differences, etc. the pressure on one side of the door changed by only 1%, i.e. by 10 g/sq. cm. The area of the standard door leaf is 75x190 cm - 14250 sq. cm. The excess load on the canvas on one side will be 142.5 kgf. If the door is hung on 2 hinges, the tongue of the lock and its catch eye (mating part) under it in the door jamb will account for slightly less than half of this value; if the door has 3 hinges - a little more than a third.

Note: There is no point in hanging a door with more than 3 hinges - the concentrated load on the lock tongue and eye does not drop much, but the door jamb ends up weakened and overloaded.

70-45 kgf pointwise is a small load in general - if it is static. But dynamic, repeating and smaller ones operate on the principle “A drop wears away a stone.” In the case when the lock in the door is not inserted correctly (large play, tight movement of the tongue, etc.), over time, firstly, damage to the door and jamb develops: loosening, cracking, peeling of the door leaf coating. If the door and jamb are very strong, the wallpaper will first tear along its contour, then a crack will creep in, and the plaster will begin to crumble. Then it’s clear: unscheduled repairs with all the worries and troubles that flow from the wallet and flow into the head. Therefore, the material in this article is focused on the intricacies of work that make it possible to embed a lock into a door between rooms so that it does not rattle and spoil the room for at least 15 years.

MDF doors

The design of an MDF door is shown in the figure:

It is generally the same as the old “Khrushchev” doors made of fiberboard on a plank frame. But due to the high overall strength and rigidity of the base material, the frame is assembled from a fairly thin beam, which cannot be weakened with cutouts - the door will quickly become unusable. To insert a lock, the frame is reinforced with a backing beam (highlighted in color). For greater reliability of the entire structure, the distance from the bottom edge of the door to the longitudinal axis of the lock tongue is 965 mm by default. If the lock has a separate latch, the countdown is to the middle of the distance between the axes of it and the tongue. If there are several tongues, then to the middle of the distance between their common longitudinal axis and the axis of the latch.

Locks for interior doors

The security mechanisms for interior locks are usually simple: a cylinder cylinder or a lever. The disk larva is used less frequently.

Due to the ease of insertion, convenience and features of use, trail locks are most often installed on interior doors. species (see figure):

“flat” - in a rectangular case, with tongue(s) separate from the latch. The mechanism, as a rule, has increased secrecy, the handle is halyard (push);
“round” – in a cylindrical body. Any type of pen. The tongue and latch are aligned. The cylinder cylinder and latch stopper are embedded in the handle spindle;
“flat” of reduced height without a latch with a rotary handle;
“round” with a knob handle.

To insert a lock into an interior door carefully and securely, you must also take into account its design and the thickness of the door leaf:

Made from MDF 35 mm thick.
The same, 45 mm thick.
New wooden with panel thickness from 50 mm.
Old wooden or fiberboard on a plank frame.

Flat

Flat interior locks are the most expensive and are more difficult to insert than round ones, but they provide the best protection against burglary by unskilled intruders. However, they weaken a door with a jamb more than a round one. This type of lock must be matched to the existing door. First, only a flat lock of reduced height can be inserted into a 35 mm thick MDF door (item 3 in the figure above).

Also, look at Fig. with dimensional drawings of flat locks. Pay attention to the sizes highlighted in color. Only locks can be inserted into MDF doors if, firstly, the thickness of the thickest tongue is no more than 15 mm. Secondly, the width of the lock's end plate should be no more than 24 mm. Reason: dynamic loads from the lock should be taken by a wooden frame, and not by a skin made of thin, rather fragile MDF. Therefore, from those shown in Fig. Only the one on the left can be inserted into MDF doors.

The castle in the center in Fig. Suitable for old wooden and “Khrushchev” doors. They are usually thicker than 45 mm, but old, shriveled wood also becomes brittle; most often also cracked. Therefore, only the thickness of the tongue and resp. becomes critical. lock body. Finally, the castle on the right in Fig. Suitable for wooden doors with a leaf thickness of 40 mm or more. If a decorative coating is applied to solid wood - for a door with a thickness of 50 mm or more, because There must be at least 10 mm of wood left from the side edges of the end plate to the coating.

Round

Round locks for interior doors are the best option for an ordinary apartment or house. You can embed them into any door. Locks with a halyard handle are usually installed where there are sick or infirm people for whom it is difficult or impossible to operate a turning handle. Knob handles are the safest: they cannot be scratched or caught on clothing. The technology for inserting round locks with handles of any type is the same.

The lock design for an interior door in a cylindrical body is shown on the left in the figure:

By default, such locks are produced for doors with a thickness of 35 or 45 mm. Locks for solid wooden doors in the periphery are not always available for sale. In this case, the lock can be adapted to a door of any thickness by replacing the latch carrier (highlighted in red in the center) with a longer one: this is a simple rectangular plate made of ordinary steel 2-3 mm thick with a hole at one of the ends. The latch output switch (on the right in the figure) is set to the corresponding position. door jamb material: 70 mm for wood, 60 for MDF.

Also, by default, round locks are released with the cylinder facing inward, so that you can lock from the inside. If your door is left-handed (opens to the left), and accordingly. There is no lock in the nearest store, the cylinder and the latch can be rearranged in advance (required!) by disassembling the lock (see the figure on the right and below). However, for an office and other premises where outsiders should not have access in the absence of the owner, this is not an option, because From the cylinder side, the round interior lock can be disassembled without special tools.

Disassembly and installation of a round lock

Round locks are sold disassembled into 3 assemblies: a body with a tongue, a socket with a latch handle and carrier, a handle socket with a cylinder. The latch socket skirt has holes for mounting screws; in the skirt of the socket larvae there are blind threaded sockets for them. To install the lock in the door, put the housing in place (see item 4 in the figure below and below) and insert the carrier into the groove of the tongue pusher. Then apply the socket to the canvas and check the movement of the latch: it should retract when the handle is turned to the right (clockwise). If on the contrary, turn the latch socket 180 degrees. Now put the socket of the larva in place so that the end of the carrier falls into its groove. They tighten the sockets with screws, put on a decorative trim - you're done.

To completely disassemble the lock, for example, to replace the cylinder, first remove the handle with it. To do this, you need to press the latch on the neck of the handle (shown by the arrow in position 1 in the figure).

The handle will slide down the chute (item 2), but the cylinder will remain in place. To get to its latch (ring or pin), as well as to the latch stop latch, you need to insert a hook into the window of the decorative trim (shown by the arrow in item 3), use it to pry the latch and pull it towards you. Now the lock can be completely disassembled. More expensive locks are also equipped with linings that cover the heads of the mounting screws. They are removed in exactly the same way.

Standing or lying down?

You need to know how your lock is disassembled and installed even before you approach the door with the tool. But let's get back to the topic. The first issue that is important for the quality of work that needs to be resolved is to remove the door from the hinges to insert the lock (to insert it “lying down”) and work in place (“standing”).

Experienced craftsmen, for whom time is money, who own power tools (see below), always work lying down. Those who are also experienced, but who do mortise locks manually from time to time, also prefer to work while lying down. In both cases, the speed, quality and stability of the work results more than pays for the time spent removing and re-hinging the door, see for example. video:

Video: inserting a door lock while lying down

A novice locksmith who intends to make money/earn extra money by cutting locks must also immediately get used to working while lying down, otherwise you won’t be able to fend off customer complaints. For the home craftsman, the “lying” method will be more convenient, firstly, when completely replacing a door with a jamb. Secondly, in the process of arranging and finishing a new house/apartment, because... The most tedious task of removing old doors is eliminated. But it is better to do a one-time manual insertion of a lock into an existing door while standing, see the video:

Video: inserting a door lock while standing

Tool

It's even more important to get the right tool. Some standard samples may need to be modified to accommodate locks, see below.

If you are going to work on doors and locks professionally and you expect a lot of orders, it is advisable to immediately acquire a plunge-cutting wood milling machine (on the left in the figure), its cost will be recouped by the speed and quality of the work.

As a rule, in addition to the carriage, plunge-cutting routers are supplied with templates, with the help of which you can carry out a full cycle of work on installing the door, see the story:

Video: installing a door with a lock mortise

For a beginner, in this case, the most important thing is not to make a mistake in choosing a rather expensive tool, so we offer a selection of videos:

Video: how to choose a wood milling machine

Video: what cutters a beginner should buy for it

Video: how to determine the quality of a cutter when purchasing

If orders for inserting locks are expected in the meantime, then the router will completely replace the proprietary template for inserting a lock with complete core drills. Its advantage is that many kits allow you to immediately accurately mark and install the mating part of the tongue (eyelet). This is the most difficult operation for inserting a lock, see below. Disadvantage – the template is only suitable for manufacturer’s locks. A possible solution is to install your own lock (bought by a master); owners of lock templates are often given discounts. The owners seem to have a good time: they don’t have to go shopping and struggle with the choice, and a small markup doesn’t hurt their pockets. But in a big city this is hardly an option - where is the guarantee that an unfamiliar master has not made duplicate keys for himself in advance?

Note: the template(s) for inserting a branded lock/locks according to his/their dimensional drawings can be made with your own hands, see next. video:

Video: a simple template for marking a door

For manual work

A one-time insertion of a lock with your own hands for yourself will have to be done manually according to the markings: it will take 3-4 hours to make the simplest template, and without it, standing in place, the greenest, but not armless, “teapot” will insert the lock in an hour. A more or less experienced home craftsman - in half an hour. For an electrified tool, you will need a drill or screwdriver with a power of 170 W or more, because... For a flat lock you will have to drill deep holes, and for a round lock, wide ones.

In addition to the usual household tools, you will need, firstly, a feather drill and, for a round lock, a core drill for wood, pos. 1 in Fig. There are no problems with crowns: the required diameters (50 or 54 mm) are standard. But the nib for a round lock needs 23 mm. This is non-standard; these do not exist in regular sets (item 2). This means you need to either look for it separately, or adjust it to 25 mm manually, for example. on a surface grinding machine – grinder. It is not advisable to turn: you can screw up the drill, the cutter, and the machine itself. The best option is a tabletop drilling machine (you can use a drill): a 25 mm pen is clamped into the chuck, turn on the drill and use an emery block to bring it to 23 mm; Micron precision is not needed here.

It is easier to select a chisel/chisels (item 3): it is used to select a recess under the end plate of the lock. Its width for most locks corresponds to the standard sizes of chisels. If the legs of the lining are rounded (nowadays they are rarely done), the chisel will need a joint knife (like a shoemaker's knife) with a hard blade, see below. A mounting knife will not work!

Finally, if you are installing a lock on an old wooden door, it is highly advisable to purchase a hand crank, pos. 4. This simple and not particularly expensive tool is generally very useful for working with old wood. Unlike a power tool, a rotator allows your hands to feel the resistance of the material - the likelihood of chipping, cracking and generally damaging the part is much less with it.

How to work manually

Inserting a lock into a door is a rather delicate matter: from the holes for the lock and tongue catcher to the outer surface of the door leaf (possibly with an expensive finish), no more than 10-12 mm of wood remains; usually 5-7 mm. Therefore, you need to work with the lock manually carefully and correctly: one awkward movement - and the door is damaged.

First, do not drill right through the door with a crown for a round lock, pos. 1 in Fig. The likelihood of ruining the finish is very high. You need to drill with a crown until the guide drill appears on the other side, and drill further from there. The hole will have a slight ledge inside, but it does not affect the quality of this work in any way.

Secondly, do not drill with a pen immediately following the markings, especially when working while standing in weight, pos. 2. First you need to drill a pioneer (guide) hole with a diameter of 3-4 mm. Achieving its deviation from the perpendicular to the part by 2 degrees or less with a twist drill is easy for a beginner, but with a pen it is difficult for an experienced one. Moreover, since the guide tooth of the pen describes, while rotating, a conical surface, it will not initially feel the bevel of the pioneer hole; it will stand perpendicular. And when the feather wings enter the tree approx. 1/3 of the height, then the entire drill will become self-guided.

If the door is wooden, then you need to select the end plate with a chisel, holding it with the bevel of the blade towards the wood, pos. 3 – this way the tool will not crash into the tree and split it. If the door is made of MDF (homogeneous material), then the chisel is held, on the contrary, with the bevel outward. This way the decorative coating will come off as shavings (item 4), but if it’s the other way around, a long flake may come off.

Note: if the legs of the end plates are rounded, resp. Parts of the markings, melted under them before being removed with a chisel, are cut with a jamb knife to a depth equal to the thickness of the end plate (2-3 mm). On MDF doors this is much simpler - the thickness of the decorative coating corresponds to the thickness of the linings, and the difference in the cutting force of the coating and the base material (it is harder) is very well felt by the hand.

About markup

Most of the marking operations when inserting a lock are carried out using templates or parts of the lock applied locally. It is better to make markings with a needle or a sharp awl, then you can process directly along the contour. If you use a pencil, then when processing you will have to take into account the width of the stroke and the indentation of the lead from the template/part, which is not easy for a good craftsman. But you cannot replace the awl/needle with a metal scriber: it is sharpened in such a way that it gives an indentation even greater than the stylus, and the scratch from it does not erase.

Flat lock mortise

The procedure for inserting a flat lock into a wooden door is shown in Fig. below. Notes to it, first - on the door, first mark with a pencil a vertical center line and a horizontal line at 965 mm from the bottom (for doors made of solid wood and old ones - at 800 mm). In this case, it is also better to make markings along the attached lock (pos. a in the figure) with a pencil and select a socket along the lock along its contour, this will provide the required installation gap.

Second, it is better to drill the lock socket (pos. b) with a feather drill with a diameter 1-3 mm larger than the thickness of the lock body. For accuracy, drill in 2 steps, along the pioneer holes, see above. Sampling the socket with a chisel, marking the outline of the hole using the lock inserted into the socket, and sampling the hole (pos. c-d) are carried out as described above.

There is a nuance in the marking of the holes for the handle cylinder and spindle, pos. e. It is made according to the lock attached to the side, but the holes are drilled with an additional offset from the end of the door S, equal to the thickness of the end plate. A shaped hole for the cylinder is made in 3 steps: drill a round one for the cylinder (larger), a smaller round one for the bottom of the pin cassette, and remove the remains with a chisel.

The last operation is fitting the lock, see fig. on right. It is put into the nest without the handle and the larva, and both are put in place. A loose lock assembly should have a play of approx. 1 mm on all sides.

Note: The handles from the flat lock can be removed if you unscrew the screws holding the sockets together, as with a round one, see above. There is no need to remove anything else from the lever lock. To remove the cylinder lock cylinder, you need to unscrew the Phillips screwdriver, the head of which is located on the end plate under the tongue/tongues. After this, turn the cylinder of the larva with a key little by little back and forth, pushing the larva with your finger until it comes out. The larva is put in place in the reverse order. After installation, check, also turning the cylinder with a key, whether the tongue moves, i.e. whether the carrier (link) of the larvae entered the groove of the tongue crossbar.

Round lock mortise

Installing a round lock on an interior door is much easier than installing a flat one. First, pioneer holes are marked using a template according to the thickness of the door and the exit of the tongue. The marking is carried out from the side of the larva. If the sockets of the cylinder and the latch need to be swapped, this is done before marking, see above. Then the pioneer holes are drilled. There is one very important trick here, which is discussed below in the section on installing the response part. Then large holes are selected with a crown, and the lock is inserted into the socket. The countersunk is marked along its end plate, selected, and the lock is assembled on site using standard screws.

Drawings of templates for marking doors for round locks with a diameter of 50 and 54 mm are given in the figure. To transfer them to cardboard/paper, the drawing is printed and redrawn to scale so that the distances marked in green are equal to those indicated. This can be done the old fashioned way with a drawing pantograph; homemade will work too. More accurate and faster - in a good vector graphics program, for example. CorelDraw. There you can set the length of the measured segment with an accuracy of literally up to a micron, and scale it in steps of hundredths of a percent. The raster image (bitmap) is imported into CorelDraw, scaled according to a measured segment (CorelDraw also has measuring tools, but in this case it is more convenient to scale as needed) and printed - that’s it, the template is ready.

Installation of the mate

This is the most difficult and important part of inserting a lock into an interior door. It is an incorrectly installed or bad eye that is the most common cause of rattling and skewing of the door, jamming of the lock, loosening of the jamb and damage to the wall finish. To avoid this, a modern lock tongue eyelet consists of 2 parts (except for fastening hardware): the eyelet itself (lining on the jamb with a cutout for the tongue) and a tongue catcher - a plastic box (on sale for some reason it is called decorative, although it is not visible ), pressed by the eye. The box dampens dynamic loads on the tongue and protects the jamb material from direct contact with it. For the same purposes, the eyelet is made with an adjustable mustache, see below.

About markings under the tongue

Installation of the eye begins with marking the end of the lock tongue on the jamb; everything else is not tied to. Usually the tongue on a joint is marked by marks and measurements, see fig. on right. But this can be done much more accurately in other ways, different for flat and round locks. In the first (“flat”) case, a lining with a thickness of approx. 2 mm is the size of the operational gap of a closed door. The simplest way is to fold a piece of paper into several layers, wet your finger, place it on the paper and immediately stick it on the door. Then washable paint is applied to the tongue of the lock (you can smear it thickly with a felt-tip pen). The door is now closed until it slams, i.e. until it stops at a quarter, and with a key push the tongue several times until it stops in the jamb. It will leave a mark clear enough to mark the full outline of the tongue.

In the case of a round lock, the matter is simplified again. There is no need to coat its tongue with paint, especially since it is beveled and has a complex cross-section. But you need to take your time at the end of the door to drill a 23 mm hole (socket) for the lock body. They drill a 50 or 54 mm hole in the canvas for the sockets, and for now leave a pioneer hole with a diameter of 4 mm at the end. Then the door is closed until it slams (without lining), a 4 mm self-tapping screw is inserted from the cylinder side and the center of the tongue on the jamb is marked with it. For clarity, what it looks like with the door open is shown in Fig. on the right, but in reality the door should be closed. The tip of the screw will go 1-1.5 mm as the door opens, which will give the required operating clearance.

Installation of eye and catcher

Installation of the counterpart of the interior door lock after marking the tongue mark on the door jamb is carried out step by step. order (see also fig.):

The lock must be fully assembled on site and securely fastened;
The eyelet is turned over (it is symmetrical about the horizontal axis), placed in place so that the vertical axes of the tongue and eyelet coincide and its mounting holes are marked (marked with arrows). Do not bend or break off the adjusting tab (also marked with an arrow)! At the same step, a pocket with a depth of the thickness of the eye is selected;
Apply the catcher in the same way and mark the outer contour of its tray with marks by hand;
The outer contour of the catcher tray is beaten in place;
Drill a socket for the catcher. Do this with a pen, as in pos. 5, actually it’s not necessary, especially if the jamb is made of MDF: a through hole from the guide tooth will weaken the jamb. It is better to drill in the corners with a twist drill;
Using a chisel, select the catcher's nest;
The catcher is already applied in the working position;
Mark its outer contour;
Choose a trap under the catcher;
The catcher is put in place;
Cover it with an eyelet already in the working position;
Drill holes locally for small self-tapping screws, with a diameter 1.5-2 mm smaller than the standard ones;
Temporarily secure the eyelet with small self-tapping screws;
Check the movement of the tongue (whether it is stuck) and the play of the closed door - yes, no;
The tight movement of the tongue and the play of the closed door are eliminated by removing the eye and carefully bending/bending its adjusting tab;
The mating part is finally secured with standard fasteners.

Note: The adjusting tabs of the mate parts of cheap “alternative” locks often break off at step 15. The only thing I can advise here is to bend it carefully with pliers.

About magnetic locks

There are mainly 3 types of magnetic locks for interior doors on sale. The first ones - electromagnetic - came into everyday life along with intercoms. The disadvantages are the same: they are volatile, the electricity is small, but they drain. If the room is de-energized, the lock opens without the possibility of locking - enter whoever wants. Additionally, in residential premises, you need to drill a channel in the door, and tap a groove in the walls for the power wires. Or cover them with boxes, which is also quite labor-intensive and ugly. An electromagnetic interior lock most often fits like a round one; less often as flat. Suppliers even offer coded electromagnetic locks for interior doors. In a Stalinist-style communal apartment or for partitions in a privatized dorm, these may be needed. But in a family apartment or house, it frankly smacks of paranoia.

The second type is still very rare due to the sky-high price and the lack of any advantages over mechanical ones. These are non-volatile locks with niobium supermagnets. They cut in like flat ones, but the requirements for accuracy and precision of work are lower: the counter part is a strip made of ferromagnetic material. It is impossible to push open a door with a supermagnet lock, and not every healthy man can knock it down with his shoulder. Unlocking - interception of the magnetic flux by countermagnets introduced by turning the handle between the holding ones. The disadvantage is serious: fairly rapid degradation of magnets.

The question of how to embed a lock into a wooden door yourself often arises before those who decide all repair issues themselves. In other life situations, such skills and knowledge can also be useful, especially since there is nothing complicated about it.

First, you need to figure out which doors you need to install a lock on and, in accordance with their type, choose a suitable locking device.

Wooden doors are intended for:

input
interior

By appearance and type of operation:

Have you decided on the type of door? Let's start choosing the optimal lock.

Lock selection

There are three types of locks:

A rim lock on a wooden door leaf does not look aesthetically pleasing.

You cannot find a better mortise-type locking device for both interior and entrance doors. Installing such a lock will require some knowledge and skill, but, if desired, anyone can do it. When purchasing, you should take into account the direction of opening the door and, accordingly, choose a “right or left” lock. There are also universal models suitable for any occasion.

For an interior door, it is better to choose a lock without a keyhole with a magnetic or halyard latch, when turning the handle activates the mechanism.

For sliding types of doors, there are models of locks on sale with a special hook that secures the doors in the closed state.

For entrance doors, locks with bolts are chosen; this is the most reliable type against burglary.

Tools

The first step in preparing for work is selecting the tools that will be needed to install a mortise lock. You will need:

pencil or pen for marking
electric drill
a feather drill, the width of which corresponds to the thickness of the lock
set of wood drills from 2 to 7 mm
narrow and wide chisel
screwdriver
screwdriver
hammer or chisel
tape measure, square or ruler

Making a groove for a lock

Determine the location of the lock on the door. As a rule, the lock is embedded 1 meter from the floor - plus/minus 10 cm depending on the height of those who will mainly use it.
Apply the lock to the door leaf with the side that you will cut in, and trace it with a pen or pencil.
Drill a hole equal to the width of the lock using a feather drill. You can do this in two ways:

do not drill a hole to the full depth at once, but move gradually 1-2 cm to the required mark in the door leaf
Drill to the full depth at once, having previously made marks on the drill equal to the width of the lock being embedded. To do this, you can use electrical tape or a piece of wire.

It should be noted that it is necessary to drill 1-3 mm larger than the size of the lock body, since it must fit into the drilled groove without obstacles, and the front plate must be placed completely in it.

During drilling, the drill must be held level, perpendicular to the blade, so that there is no displacement of the groove being drilled.

Process the groove using a chisel and hammer. Its walls should be as smooth as possible so that the lock fits neatly inside the door leaf.
Make markings for the front lock bar if you are sure that it fits into the groove without any hindrance. To do this, insert the lock into it and trace the outline of the bar with a pencil. Using a chisel, use a chisel to knock out a notch according to the markings.

Installing a lock and handle

Is the groove ready? Proceed to installing the locking device.

Make markings for the cylinder and door handle. You need to pay close attention to this and be careful, otherwise you can ruin everything. Place the lock opposite the groove and, using measuring instruments (ruler, square), accurately mark the future location of the keyhole and door handle.
Using suitable drills, make the necessary holes for the handle and cylinder.
Insert the lock into the hole and, if everything fits, screw it to the door leaf with the screws that should come with the lock. If it doesn’t fit, then continue to align the groove with a chisel and file, not forgetting to constantly double-check how the lock fits into it.

Lock assembly and adjustment

Now you need to adjust the operation of the lock and drill holes for the bolts and latch.

Insert the cylinder into the lock and secure it with the supplied bolt. Check how it works. If everything is fine, secure the handle and faceplate.
Lubricate the bolts and latch with dye, close the door and turn the key so that obvious marks remain on the jamb.
Cut the wood to the required depth of the bolts and latches. Use a chisel to trim the edges to exact dimensions.
Prepare the recess for the striker (also use measuring tools during this work) so that it is flush with the surface of the box. Screw it on using the screws supplied with the lock.

Everything is ready - you have managed to install a mortise lock on a wooden door. Use the handle and key to make sure everything is level and the lock is comfortable to use. Using a chisel, correct the location of the lock parts if you made a mistake somewhere.