8570 1" x 2-1/4" Lockset Jig

Did the chisel thing and to be honest, it takes a lot of skill and time, and in the end, mine just do not look that good.I am pretty handy yet some skills take time to learn and using a jig in my case yielded professional results that meet my somewhat self driven for perfection standards as well make the process go much faster and in turn overall more fun.This jig and the Lock-set jig I bought from Woodhaven are high quality products that I have no trouble recommending.I have 15 doors to replace in my 1980s home.So far I have replaced 3 and this jig is helping to get the job done in record time with 100% quality results.The choice was pull all the trim and entire existing door & jamb and then replace it all as a unit, or just buy the door blanks and make mortises for the hinges and lock-set. I don't like to waste time, effort, money, or materials. I could not see throwing out good wood fro the sake of maybe making things a little easier.With this jig, the Woodhaven 8570 Lock-set and the Woodhaven 8536 hinge jig, the job is about as easy as it can get.(You will also need a router, in my case I am using a Dewalt DWP611 Trim Router.Before you get started, just lay your jig on an existing lock-set mortise to ensure you have the proper jig.Get yourself a nice 6 inch piece of oak or other hardwood to attach to the jig. It is used for alignment and clamping to the door.Most hardware stores have 1x2 strips of hardwood for $5-$7Your first door will take the longest as you get everything set-up and get used to the "process".Now from the time I lay my old door on top of the new, I can have the new door all cut, mortised and ready to go in about 20-30 minutes working at a nice relaxed enjoyable (non-production line) pace.Using the old door as a guide, lay the old door on top of the new blank and orienting the tops and bottom correctly.I align the TOP edge since the bottom is where you will want to trim if needed.Tip, (Mark the old door 12 inches up from the floor on both the right and left sides before removing. Transfer these marks to your new door's bottom section. From these lines measure down 11 3/4 inches to mark your bottom cut line for the new door. This will ensure a constant 1/4 inch gap at the bottom of the new door even of your floor is not 100% level)Using a straight edge, simply transfer the location of the old door's mortises and striker plate locations to the new door blank.Now just set your jig in place and align to the marks you made.Clamp your jig in place and using your router and bit mortise out the area ensuring you remove all wood and follow the jig for nice smooth corners. You would have already set your depth.When done, turn off the router before lifting or just be sure to lift straight up to avoid cutting the jig.Now set the lock-set in place and you have a PERFECT mortise.When you go to hang the door, be ready for some possible "fine tuning" to get it to close properly.I have existing doors that at times of year need this so not a huge issue.If you did things right you will be pretty darn close and the time you saved using the jigs can now go into those finishing touches to get it to line up perfect.If you have doors you need / want to replace, I highly recommend this jig.I also highly suggest a self centering drill bit to drill the holes for your lock-set.They are worth every penny when it comes to this type of work.I have NO association with Woodhaven, Dewalt, or Amazon........ Just wanting to share what has worked for me for others that may be thinking about diving in.....

You attach a piece of wood where the slotted holes are and this allows the unit to be clamped to the door. The small round holes take little fasteners that are to match the thickness of the door and keep it square. You then use Woodhaven's router bit, or an identical one, to rout out the area for the lockset's plate, where the plunger comes out that goes into the door jamb (just in case anyone was wondering). I used the Woodhaven bit because I knew it would work and I wouldn't have to mess around trying to find an existing one that might work...This jig does rounded corners, of course, so you need a chisel or one of those corner punches that are sold by about everyone to make squares if that is the design of your lock. A chisel is easy, just takes a minute.You do have to drill holes for the locks and so you must be very careful that they line up to the center of the square you rout out. I did the routing part first, then drilled as it was easier to find the center that way. It is difficult to line up the jig with an existing hole because the borders of the jig's opening are bigger than the square you are routing out and so it is tedious to center it exactly.Doors vary in thickness. You must be very careful to center the jig onto the door's edge. You cannot necessarily rely on the little posts, and must sometimes do all the adjusting with the screws on the wood backing (you provide that).You must also be very careful with the depth setting on your router. It takes some doing, sneaking up very gradually on the depth so that the plate sits professionally flush.It is not a bad idea, especially for a first-time user, to create an exact copy of the door's edge out of some scrap wood and get your settings right before you mess up that endangered species door!Then, clamp securely and take care that the clamps do not mar the door. Work carefully in a clean and well-lit area. You will get excellent, totally professional results. The jig is accurate, strong and will last for a zillion doors if you don't hit it with a moving bit.

I bought this after the local door supplier's mill work department flailed to do their job properly. This jig does the job nicely. Of course a sharp router bit, guide bushing and a plunge router were also needed. Careful setup of the router plunge depth is a must of course.Pros: Sturdy, well machined, accurate template size. A sharp 1/2" bit with my 5/8" guide bushing mounted on my plunge router made a perfect mortise using this jig.Cons: 1) It lacks a centering notch on the long side of the template cut-out. The notch could be used to position the guide accurately. I used a razor to mark the center on the underside, then used a small triangular file to create a small "V" notch on the corner. A little white paint in the groove helps it stand out against a pencil line across the door edge. This enabled me to accurately position and clamp the guide using the same pencil line I had used to drill the 1" latch hole. 2) The shallow Phillips-head machining in the pan head screws included for the DIY wood guide will not last and are difficult to screw because of only the teeny tip of the Phillips bit will fit. Would have preferred a full depth Phillips. Small quibbles, but the product would be better with these two areas addressed.