Cutting mortices for mortice locks
TomatBDR | Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
I’m a cabinetmaker. I need to cut mortises for mortise locks in nine exterior doors. The doors are solid Douglas fir, and the mortises must be exactly 7/8″ wide, 4 1/8″ deep and 5 7/8″ long. I could chop the mortises by hand, but because I need to do nine, I’d prefer to cut them by machine. I have a well equipped shop, including a Powermatic mortising machine, but the doors are too large to fit in my mortising machine. I have a variety of routers, including a PC 7518, but the idea of using a router to cut such deep mortises is daunting. I also have a floor-standing drill press, but I’m not aware of a mortising attachment which will cut mortises this deep. Can anyone suggest a machine and method for cutting the mortises?
Replies
If you want to do it with a machine, the Porter Cable 513 is the industry standard. Cheap at $900 (Amazon), but I think you can find one for about $500-600 on eBay. The 517 attachment does the latch plates if you can find it.
I just did something similar for a dozen doors in solid mahogany. I drilled the mortises with a 7/8" Forstner bit and cleaned them out with chisels. Took 1-2 hours for a door, including cutting the lock plate mortise.
It helps to use a router to start the mortise; the clean edges left in the (shallow) mortise help guide you the rest of the way. But my doors were already hanging, and routing at 90 degrees is no fun: one slip and a $3000 door is ruined.
Good luck. At least chopping door mortises is therapeutic. At least that's what I kept telling myself.
Hi Pondfish,
Thanks! I'll check out the PC 513 and 517.
If you were in Mass you could come to my shop and cut the mortises with my Multico.
I can put 4' under it, more with a small modification.
C.
Pondfish has the right idea if you want to spend the money. The PC mortising machine bores the mortise after the door is hung. I imagine you could do the same operation with the door in a jack,you'll have to stop part way thru and blow the chips out. Also it might be easiest to fasten the door in the vertical position,like it was hung, then rout with the morticeing machine.If you buy this machine, get the self centering jig for the shallow mortise. A laminate trimmer or PC690 will do this in seconds.
mike
Take a look at your Powermatic. If it's like my 719, the shaft bolts to the base with 4 bolts. It looks like you could reverse the shaft and work off of the rear. You would have to jig platform to hold the doors at the right position, but it might be do-able. I haven't done this but if it works it could save a bundle.
All the suggestions about the PC morticing machine are spot on. I had to do 22 in a house, and that machine is GOLDEN! Accurate, fast, no splitting. The suggestions about doing the doors hung are correct as well. I think that it is easier that way. You could probably rent the machine, but if you can buy, it, well that's always a lot more fun!
John
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