Strike Plate -- Door Jam?
Question:I need to put in a strike plate flush (that is, indented) with a door jam. I noted on many of my doors that the strike plate is perfectly flush with the jam.
How can I do this so it looks "professional?"
Answers:
Screw the strike on backwards at the desired position. Scribe the perimeter with a sharp razorknife. Take your time going across the grain, you may have to make a couple of passes.
Remove the plate and chisel out the area. Use a larger chisel at least a 3/4 inch. An inch would be better. A larger size makes it easier to keep the cut at the same depth across the mortise.
trace the shape of the strike plate on the frame with a pencil lightly. Make sure the hole and the door latch line up - that is one of my pet peeves. A dremel can work if you have that option. A router can do it the best but you could carefully chisel it out also. Remember the plate covers everthing but the edges
Mark the strike plate out with a pencil and then use a small chisel or Dremel to clean out the wood.
I etch a light line with an razor knife and then use a wood chisel or Dremel tool to remove the wood as needed. If you're careful around the edges, it should look great.
For one strike plate, scribe the outer edge with a razor knife only about 1/16" deep. Any deeper and you'll get stuck in the grain and won't be able to control it.
Then, using a chisel, make a series of parallel cuts, being sure to use the same strike force on each one, about 1/8 inch apart. These are horizontal and cover where the plate will go. Use the chisel to deepen the edge that you scribed. hold it so the flat side is away from the area you're going to chisel out. If the plate has rounded corners, plunge the razor tip into the wood in a series as you go around, don't try to turn the corner as you draw it.
Starting from the bottom, chisel up about halfway, laying the beveled side of the chisel on the wood. Then go to the top and chisel down. The series of indents you put in earlier is your depth guage. Keeping the bevel flat on the wood will prevent it from plunging in too deep. Just knock off each of the little rectangles, leaving a shadow of the marks. If you didn't go deep enough, make more marks and repeat until the plate is flush.
Sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. Making tiny pieces to remove will ensure that you stay flat and don't gouge too deeply.
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