really its not just for looks . doing it that way i dont have to worry about the lock bolt catching the cock or hammer . some locks the cock fits real tight to the lock plate . even though you can clean up the end of the bolt so it clears the cock , over time the lock bolt will tighten up alittle more as the wood compresses . then you have to go back and clean the end of the bolt off again so things dont hang up .
it doesn’t take any more skill one way or another and IMO gives a much cleaner application with less issues , down the road
But yes there are people who drill all the way through . . If that’s what you want to do , go ahead . Just make sure that the cock clears the end of the bolt and that you check it now and then to make sure it has not ended up going farther out then needed .
what i do is set up my press with the correct bit for the tap your using . then i set my stop on my press so as to only go about 1/2 way through the lock plate . Yet all the way through the lock bolster / pan bridle
Now what many folks don’t know is that there are many different type’s of tap’s .
The three basic ones though are a
1) tapered tap . = used to tap a through hole with no bottom . These cut threads real well but must go all the way through in order to get an even thread
2) plug tap . This tap has an even thread with a point . Basically once you get about ½ down the tap , you have even thread . But it also has a pointed end . So it wants to go all the way through . Because of the point , it will not tap to the bottom of a hole
3) bottom tap . This is basically the same tap as #2 . However it doesn’t have a point , just a flat end . This will tap all the way to the bottom of a blind hole . Blind being , the hole doesn’t go all the way through the part
The most common tap that people use , is #2
What I do is make a #3 out of a extra #2 , by placing a dye or simple nut on the tap then carefully honing or grinding the point off down to where the tap will cut all the way to the bottom of a hole . Then I remove the dye or nut . This cleans up any chafing on the face of the tap .
OR you could just buy one , but im cheep lol
Myself I don’t use a #1 . Though many folks say you should use a # 1 the finish with a #2
So after I have the hole drilled , I come back and tap the hole with the plug tap that I made . Just go slow . Make a ½ turn and then turn the tap counterclockwise to clean the threads and then go forward a full turn . The back a ½ a turn .
What this does is keep the threads clean. It also lets you feel when the tap has bottomed .
Then once its bottomed , I bring the tap put and put in the bottom tap , doing the very same thing as above.. Feeling the tap as is cuts .
If it feels like you have to apply more pressure , back the tape out and take a look . Doing so is so much easier then snapping a tap ..
Now when I cut down my lock bolt . I cut it to a dept that only goes through the lock bolster/ pan bridle .
This way there is about 1/8 of an inch more threads in the hole then what the bolt needs . That way as the wood compresses over time , you still have enough room to tighten the lock in a little more , without messing with the bolt .
By doing it this way , I never have to worry about the bolt interfering with the cock or hammer .
Which by the way , has to be about the #1 field repair that I do for folks .
When the bolt starts going to far trough the lock , , the cock and hammer either catches or it drags against it like a big burr . Sometimes if the bolt comes out behind the cock or hammer it will push the cock or hammer out alittle and folks don’t even know .
But what they do know is that the lock has slowed down or with a caplock , its started double falling on the caps
Topic: Lock bolt placement (Read 1060 times)