By Allan B. Colombo
Copyright©1993,1999, 2002
In this article, you will learn how to install your own deadbolt locks. You will save considerable money by not calling a locksmith to install them for you. The money you'll save can be used to buy a better-grade lock.
The following is a list of materials needed when installing a deadbolt lock:
Before you begin drillling for a deadbolt lock, be aware that the normal distance from the center of a knob-and-key lock to the center of the deadbolt lock you're about to install is usually 6 inches. The size of the hole you're going to drill will vary from 1 to 2-1/8 inch, and the distance from the door edge to the center of the hole, called the lock's backset, is usually 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inches. The hole in the edge of the door where the bolt is installed is 1 inch.
Deadbolt locks usually come with a template with each of the holes and screw holes drawn on it. Because it is drawn to scale, you can tape it to the edge of a door and use it to drill pilot holes for the screws (when they are needed), a 1- to 2- 1/8-inch hole for the lock body, and a 1-inch hole for the bolt assembly.
The best drill to use when drilling 1 to 2-1/8-inch holes
with a motorized drill is a metal holesaw with a small pilot
drill bit in the center. This drill bit will accommodate both
metal and wood doors.
If you intend to use a brace-and-bit, use an adjustable wood bit. The one I use can accommodate 5/8- to 3-inch holes. Using a brace-and-bit with a rachet assembly also makes the job of cutting large holes less tidious than manual models.
If the door you're drilling into is solid wood, drill the
hole for the lock body nearly all the way through the door until
the pilot bit just breaks the surface on the other side of the
door. To avoid splintering the wood on the other side, remove
the holesaw and drill the remainder of the hole from the other
side of the door. The pilot bit should be inserted into the
small hole. When the holesaw reaches the previously drilled
portion of the door, remove the holesaw and wood plug.
After the lock body hole is drilled, drill the hole for the bolt mechanism using a 1-inch holesaw or spade bit. Again, a metal holesaw will accommodate both wood and metal doors. This reduces the amount of money you must spend on drill bits when you have both types of doors on your home.
Also, be sure and hold the drill straight so the hole you drill travels true through the center of a door. One way to assure that you drill straight holes, ones where the distance from the bottom of the door to the bottom edge of the hole on both sides match, is to use a boring jig.