Fitting mortise lock

Router & lock jig or Souber DBB Mortice Lock Fitting Jig.

 

It's quicker using a router if you're doing a few.
Once you have drilled a series of holes go in at an angle to clear the waste out and just clean up with the chisel.

 

Souber tools do a fantastic jig for mortice locks;

Souber Powermatic DBB Morticer Jig

A bit dear as a one off but if you have to do many then it's worth it's weight in gold.

 

Personally, I'd use auger bits (and overlap the holes slightly) As chippie says "go in at an angle" (afterwards) to clear the waste out. Something I've found with some of the cheaper locks is, the manufacturer tells you to use a 19mm bit, but when you've drilled the mortice out, the lock's a bloody tight fit in it, so needs touching up after with a chisel.

 

Can certainly agree with Kiab about the lock jig. I can do it manually if I need too, but using a newly aquired Trend jig makes it almost embarrassingly easy...so far anyhow! Still a bit of tweaking by hand to do after, but it will take you 5 mins from start to finish once setup if you're doing a batch of the same locks. The bulk of my work is in refurbing renters, so often need to change a lot of the internal doors for fire doors. Nothing exciting and interesting about it, and they're bloody heavy but they all need 3" euro sashlocks for thumb turns and the quicker they're done, the better.
The jig makes it far less 'painful' as I have a million and one things to do and I don't have time to get purist about the chopping in of a lock.
Just depends on how often you need to fit mortice locks in justifying buying one.

 

I used to use 2 fences on the router using M10 studding instead of guide bars to make them long enough and 2 clamps as end stops on the door. You could just drill 2 holes in some angle iron instead of buying another fence.

 

1/2" router with 30mm guide bush. Yes, the door needs to be on its side to do it safely. It'll only take a mo to take the door off and clamp it in a stand. With the 3" locks, you'll still need to drill out the slot to deepen it as the trend router bit isn't quite long enough. At this stage, you'll only be drilling out the core which is a lot softer so quick and easy. You'll also need to chisel the faceplate rebate square as it'll have rounded corners.
The trend jig has about 10 templates for various size locks and 4 for the face plates. The jig has magnets, so they're held firmly in place.

 

hi, as joiner john says use auger bits, and overlap. i have seen these drilling rigs but i still fit my locks the traditional way, and i have done so for a long time and i can do it proper fast too, and they fit perfectly as for them being tight i just select the auger bit that is just wider than the locks main body but of course narrower than the face plate! ps always use a stanley knife for cutting out the vertical sides of the face plate, it really leaves a perfect fit!

 

all right me ole chip fat need some chippies for a job i got start January interested £35.00 per hour 2nd fix on a pub in central london 10 hour days 7 days a week for 3 weeks cash in hand