In the past I have ran into a few things that are a pain. One of those is the task of installing a new door knob on an old door (pre 70’s). First thing that happens is you get home and get all excited to install your new hardware on your old door(an easy job on recent model doors), and find that your new door knob will not fit in the mounting hole provided (see picture).
This is an all to common problem in an old house. After trying all the little plastic gadgets the home superstore had to offer, I coincidently ran into an easy fix for my problem. Take a 3/8 – 1/2 sheet of plywood and drill a two holes in it with the 2-1/8 hole core door knob bit. Pull the round core material out of the bit (it should look like a cookie with a hole in it). Mark the door with two level marks at 2 – 3/8 with a combination square above and below where the door knob should be (2 – 3/8 is normal for residential construction). Then mark a line dead center with the bolt on the door. Do both marking steps on both sides of the door. – see picture – Then take the wood core you pulled out of the bit and drill one 1/8″ hole on both the top and bottom of the plug. Take the plug and center it on the door using your marks from earlier and fasten it to the door with self tapping screws. Do this on both sides of the door, making sure the hole in the center of the plugs lines up.
The plug purpose should be clear now…the plug guides the drill bit through the door. If the plug is not on the door the bit cannot align with the center bit, and makes a mess of the door finish…Trust me on this one. There is an alternative on the market, that guides the bit from the outside. This kind of guide works fine is it is attached well, but can make a mess also if it happens to slide from the drill vibrations.

Comments are welcome!!!…if you need clarification with something please comment or e-mail me
lukspencer@popssurvivalguide.com

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