Putting a door's latch on and lining it up?

[Keitai]

So cheap Chinese crap, then

Would you recommend buying individual good ones at important sizes? Start drilling slowly when first going into wood. I guess feel the spade bits to check they're sharp. Does this apply to masonry bits too? I heard a sharp masonry bit helps a lot going into mortar on drill mode rather than destroying hole on hammer mode. Would you recommend getting auger bits with sds fitting so I can use them on drill mode in myvsds rather than in my combi drill. Both 18v dewalt drills.

Might try and return these ones to Screwfix. I only used one or two of the bits

 

[Keitai]

Any idea on what this is - 3 lever steel fore end & bolt through. For bathrooms maybe. Would that be fitted below the handle. A mortice lock?

 

[JohnD]

When you buy a kit of drills, you will find that there are two or three you use a lot, and most remain unused.

So if you replace the worn-out ones with better quality of that size, and perhaps get a few spares, you can keep the cheap ones "just in case"

I am very prone to breaking the small sizes, but you can buy replacements by the dozen.

 

[JohnD]

Any idea on what this is - 3 lever steel fore end & bolt through. For bathrooms maybe. Would that be fitted below the handle. A mortice lock?

I think it's a bathroom lock. Also useful for parents' bedrooms. Usually fitted with a thumbturn and emergency release. The yellow Altro ones seem very well made.
https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/search/filter/ironmongery_type>{bathroom20lock}?query=altro tubular

You can also use them as mortice bolts on a back door if you want, instead of the more common rackbolt, unless your insurers specify removable keys, or the door includes glass.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Would you recommend buying individual good ones at important sizes?

Yes. But if you are in trade it is worth learning how to sharpen and maintain them properly (it isn't difficult) rather than running off and buying a new piece of cheap crap every time a drill starts to blunt

I guess feel the spade bits to check they're sharp. Does this apply to masonry bits too?

Spade bits can be sharpened, too.

Masonry bits aren't actually sharp, ever. If you understand how masonry drilling works the design of masonry bits makes sense: a wood drill (spade bits and most types of auger bit, etc) works by rotating and scoring (cutting) the fibres at the periphery of the hole using a nicker or spur which is then followed up by a rotating cutting edge which either slices the fibres by chisel action (auger bits, some spade bits) or scraper-like action (flat spade bits such as the Irwin). The bit may be pulled into the workpiece by a centre screw (auger bits, some modified design spade bits) or my only have a plain point (Irwin and other flat spade bits) which guides the drill bit but where the use needs to apply pressure to "drive" the bit into the material - a masonry bit used on a persuasive rotary drill (e.g. an SDS drill) doesn't cut, it removes material using a hammer blow (like a chisel) and rotates only to remove waste material. For that reason it doesn't need to be particularly sharp in order to work, although they do work better if they are correctly ground

Would you recommend getting auger bits with sds fitting so I can use them on drill mode in my sds rather than in my combi drill. Both 18v dewalt drills.

I have rarely had the need to use auger bits on an SDS drill, but for lock mortising I can see the appeal, although I have no real preferences. What I would say is that the range of quality bits in SDS fitting is limited and that they cost a lot more than the equivalent hex end bits

Because of cost I tend to buy auger bits as and when required, although there are a few "standard sizes" that you will also need - probably 12 or 13mm, 16mm, 18 or 19mm, 20mm and 22mm. These sizes are often used in lock fitting, so it's worthwhile (a) having them and (b) keeping them, oiled, in a bit roll and (c) getting yourself an auger bit file small triangular abrasive slip (and learning how to use it) to keep them sharp.

To buy them cheap look on Ebay for the better brands - Bosch, Fisher, Heller, Wurth (all German), Fisch (Austrian), etc. There are other good makes, like Famag, but their prices tend to be in orbit. Trend also do reasonable auger bits as do Makita (but avoid the low cost Makita sets - they are Chinese and crap). You should be paying around £8 to £12 a pop via eBay

 

[Keitai]

Regarding heavy interior doors. Are they best hung with two people? Got some. They're not fire doors but got three hinges and awkward to lift and put into place by myself.

If moving these heavy doors ( not fire doors but heavier than normal interior doors). What's the easiest way to move them without breaking anything?

 

[JohnD]

Lift-off hinges make it easier.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Regarding heavy interior doors. Are they best hung with two people? Got some. They're not fire doors but got three hinges and awkward to lift and put into place by myself.

I can man handle 60 to 70kg doors into position on my own then lift them into position with a curved bar at the bottom (e.g a Stanley flat pry bar) but one of those lift, tilt and turn jobbies (a Trend D/LIFT/B Door and Board Lifter pr Roughneck Door and Board Lifter from Screwstation) works a lot better. Still takes a bit of co-ordination, though, and ideally a longer (100mm plus) bit holder, but one the top hinge is on it is relatively straight forward providing you have pre-drilled no more than two of the hinge screw holes for each hinge leaf. Don't do the lot on case you ned to adjust the door position on the hinges to accommodate warping etc

If moving these heavy doors (not fire doors but heavier than normal interior doors). What's the easiest way to move them without breaking anything?

An old skate board or roller skate (screwed to the underside of a piece of ply) works well. You can also buy or make a 2-wheel door or board dolly

Whatever you do make sure to protect the door from hard metal edges with bits of rubber, old carpet, gaffer tape etc applied to tools as needed. Chamfering the bottom edges of the door with a sharp block plane (1.5 to 2mm) can be done fairly unobtrusively and helps prevent face veneers getting damaged by manhandling during transport/installation and subsequently if installing over thick pile carpeting

 

[Keitai]

I've got an experienced chippy to help me (well basically run the show) it's ten heavy doors and I cant do it by myself obviously. There's no garage, but could we rig up a tarpaulin outside on the decking if it rains? How do people work outside in the rain on such jobs?

Seems to be raining every day

 

[Deleted member 174758]

It's the UK, its winter, it rains - so if you need to work outside consider a fold down/pop up gazebo. As to how many people work outside in the rain - you do what you need to earn a living!

 

[Bilabong007]

Hope it goes well for you my friend

I recently fitted my first doors solo with no experience and found the latches and bolt through fixings on the handles tricky. I used ryobis latch jig then marked door using a square for the (big square bit bit between handles) at correct backset. Drilled from both sides to avoild splitting with a sharp spade bit.
The bolt through fixings i marked off the handles attached across the square bit. This meant i had to rework the latch sometimes with a dremmel.

Im not really sure why this happened, but found a way to work around it so thought i would share

Graeme
Eta: i positioned the doors to hang them using pump up wedges from lidl and the wife

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I positioned the doors to hang them using pump up wedges from lidl and the wife

That's what we call Winbags (the pump up wedges, not the wife)

 

[whatsthenews]

I don't understand this. Have I missed something?

You put a square on the edge of the door, aligned to the mark for the centre of the hole you drilled for the tubular latch

draw a line on the door face

measure from the door edge the distance of the two piercings in the latch (or hold it against the mark) and mark them

(you usually do this measuring and marking in one go, before you drill for the latch)

When you have a paper template, you might get away without using a square and measure, but I would, to check.

drill the hole furthest from the door edge. Insert the latch. Peer through the hole. Can you see the piercing? If no, you will have to enlarge or reposition your hole. if you move the hole, redraw your line to find the position for the other hole.

if you are using the sleeve-nuts, it does not matter if your hole is a bit big.

Then drill the second hole

Once you have fastened those two screws, and checked that the latch operates freely with no binding, you can drill the others.

Sounds very straightforward in theory, but in practice, when a doors been planed, not so much (for someone who hasn't done it before anyway) We got there in the end. Determined we would, as the builder who fitted our other internal doors just used screws on each side , and didn't do a very good job so the handles keep coming loose now and we got locked in the utility room because the spindle slid right through.

 

[Keitai]

Any recommended gazebo? One which tolerates wind. I guess a tarpaulin. Tied to a fence and above sliding doors might work. Need to find good attachments guess .

I guess rolled out rug too and be careful, dont know

 

[Charlie George]

Any recommended gazebo? One which tolerates wind. I guess a tarpaulin. Tied to a fence and above sliding doors might work. Need to find good attachments guess .

I guess rolled out rug too and be careful, dont know

Great idea look forward to seeing you on Dragons Den.