Legerdemain and PFM – 3

Replacing locksets and striker plates.

Every home past a certain age has a lockset or striker plate that has been removed and replaced multiple times by inept people, leaving a crater of mangled wood fibers where the mounting screws need to go.

If this happens to you, here’s how to fix it.

First, select a dowel that is larger in diameter than the damage you are trying to repair. Drill into the damaged area until you reach solid, undamaged wood again. In some cases, this means drilling all the way into the house framing (2X4s).

Next, dry fit the dowel to make sure it fits. Then put some glue on the end of the dowel. Don’t cut it to length because it is easier to seat it when you can hold on to a longer piece.

I usually dip the business end of the dowel into Titebond, and wipe off the excess on the inside lip of the bottle.

Work some glue into the hole you drilled with the wet end of the dowel, then in one smooth motion, push and twist the dowel until it stops.

Not too much force – you can easily snap off a thin dowel and pierce your hand. The operative word is “finesse.”

With a sharp chisel and a mallet, shear the excess flush.

Ah, a thing of beauty.

Give the glue a couple of hours to set, and you are ready to use the correct size drill to mount new hardware!