Realign dead bolt


  #1  
Old 03-23-18, 01:00 PM
K
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Realign dead bolt

The dead bolt on main door is not aligned. Not sure how it was closing till now (or may be did not close properly) but it just goes 1/8 th of a turn and get stuck.

I can chisel the hole to match but the only problem one of the screw holes of the plate will fall on existing hole. Wood filler doesn't have enough strength to hold it. Will bondo do the magic ?
The other options I am thinking are --

1) Use a small piece of wood and wood glue
2) Use longer screws that will go through the hole and get attached to the frame

Any suggestions ?
 
  #2  
Old 03-23-18, 01:17 PM
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How long have you lived in this house? The reason I ask is that it could be a "seasonal" change, not that you don't want to correct it, but might explain why it happened all of a sudden. First thing I would do is look at the gap between the door and the casing, all the way around, as well as the hinges. No sense messing with the lock side until you know that the hinge side isn't sagging. Wood and glue is what I would do. Depending on the size hole you can use anything from toothpicks to golf tees to something you shave off a piece of wood with your jackknife to drilling it and inserting a dowel. I always use longer screws that catch the framing on exterior doors, on both the hinge and lock side.
 
  #3  
Old 03-23-18, 02:10 PM
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Thanks ! Living in this house for 3 years now. It's a mystery how I did not notice this till now. Thought about the sagging but did not notice any. Golf tee will probably not work, need something bigger . There will be a half inch shift in the lock hole
 
  #4  
Old 03-23-18, 02:38 PM
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I use wooden matches and stick as many as I can hammer in with wood glue.Never have had one come out again. Make sure before you do this to tighten the hinges. If a hinge screw is stripped put a longer screw in.
 
  #5  
Old 03-23-18, 03:36 PM
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#1, Check the hinge screws first to see if there loose or stripped. If stripped just use a 2-1/2" X #8 screw.
#2, Look in the hole to see if the hole that was bored in the wood is smaller than the hole in the latch plate, if it is a paddle bit will take care of that quick.
#3, Open the door and set the deadbolt to the locked position, close the door and mark on the casing at the top and bottom of the lock bolt.
Open the door and see how far off the latch plate hole is in relationship to the marks.
If it's off just a small amount I've used my Dremel tool with a grinding bit to enlarge the hole in the metal.
 
 

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