|
This model is clearly too flimsy, screwing it into place won't hold it taught, and it is just not worth the risk. I considered it, but after taking a close look at it, I decided I would not risk my 80 year old, just refinished, irreplaceable Dutch door (the existing hole in my door was too small, so I needed to enlarge it, which is considerably more difficult/risky than drilling a hole in the first instance). The hole saw that came with it is not top notch, but what do you expect for $25. It provides a guide on both sides of the door so when you saw halfway through, you only need to flip the door over and go the rest of the way. Let me admit up front that I did not buy or use this device. I spent a little more ($25) for a similar contraption made by Blu-Mol on sale at my local Home Depot. Regardless, it went through my door like butter, as they say. You apply it to the door with a built in vice clamp; it comes with spacers to perfectly match the width of the door.
The shaking due to being out-of-round made the face jig wander 1/4" too low during drilling (it is free to slide up and down even with the jig screwed down). The "self centering" jig cut a hole nearly 1/4" off center, too far off to mount the strike plate. Don't throw your money away on this. The center drill portion of the hole saw was so far out of true that it could not be used. It took hours to fix the door after using this tool.I threw this thing in the garbage.
Some careful measuring and shimming got it near true, that's when I realized the hole saws were both oval, not round. Because of the shape the saw cut a hole bigger than it should have, and because it wasn't round it had to cut a lot more wood than it should have. I got a hole the wrong size in the wrong location and it took me a long time to do it. Then I cut the 1" diameter edge hole and things went from bad to worse.
I think I could have done a better job freehanding it.There were more expensive jigs to choose from, but I thought "why spend a lot on a tool I'll only use a few time." Now I have my answer - because replacing a door is expensive. This makes lining up your approaches crucial, and this jig is supposed to help. When you drill a hole for a lockset, it's recommended that you drill halfway in from each side so as not to mar the door's surfaces. (I bought the #17105 - the version for wood doors). Pass on this tool. The problem is that there is too much wiggle in the apparatus, and sure enough, my holes did not line up.
This is mostly plastic and wiggles way too much - the hole saw caught on the first door I tried, and walked away from where it should have been (the plastic isn't strong enough to keep it in place). Look on ebay - you can find old models (From other manufacturers) that were made from metal. The centering function on the end of the door is poor as well. I threw mine in the trash.
They will dull pretty quickly. This little gadget works very well in helping to install locks in standard-sized doors. Simply screw the guide onto the door edge and drill the two holes for the locks with the included hole saws. Anyway, for the inexpensive cost this set is a pretty good value. However, the hole saws supplied are not that great.
|
May be eligible for FREE Shipping offer
