How To Chisel Out A Door Lock Plate

Take your chisel and enlarge the opening in the door frame for the strike plate so that it will still fit into its new location.

How to chisel out a door lock plate.

Make the depth of the chiseled out area the thickness of the strike plate so the plate will sit flush with the surrounding surface of the frame. Then chisel to the same depth every 1 8 inch between the top and bottom of the plate outline. Turn the knob and hold it to keep the bolt retracted. Score around the plate with a sharp utility knife.

Turn the chisel bevel side down and remove the waste working from the middle out. Remove the waste wood with the chisel held nearly parallel to the jamb. The plate should be flush with the door edge when inserted into the finished mortise. Step 2 chisel out the strike plate.

Keep testing the plate in the recessed area as you work until you reach the correct depth. Use your drill to unscrew the strike plate. Using a sharp 1 inch wide chisel cut a series of parallel lines into the jamb about 1 4 inch apart staying within the scored lines and holding the chisel perpendicular to the wood. Need to drill a new hole really close to the original one.

Have a door out of alignment due to settling. Strike the chisel with a hammer to carve away slivers of wood. Here s an easy way to mark the side to side position of a strike plate for a standard lockset. Draw along the vertical edge of the latch bolt adjacent to the flat side of the bolt with a pencil.