installing a deadbolt in a steel door?

[mound]

I'm installing new knobs on an existing steel door, so all the holes are already there. On the edge of the door (which is fully wrapped with steel), there is already a circular hole cut, but how can I cut this material cleanly to fit the new rectangular plate for the deadbolt?
I attached a picture and you can see where I scribed a thin line representing the rectangular (rounded edges) plate.

Thanks for any tips!

[blackhat]

Does the bolt in your set require the plate?Many newer do not.

[mound]

Does the bolt in your set require the plate?Many newer do not.

yah it does.. Tried removing it but there was no way to. (This is a brand new set, I wasn't able to find any at HD that had the option of no plate. unless I was missing something obvious.)

I actually was able to get it done by first drilling 4 corner pilot holes with a steel bit, and then using a dremel with a grinding wheel I  was able to cut away the steel pretty cleanly to mortise the plate in. I guess I assumed that would be harder to do!  Worked out OK.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I'm installing new knobs on an existing steel door, so all the holes are already there. On the edge of the door (which is fully wrapped with steel), there is already a circular hole cut, but how can I cut this material cleanly to fit the new rectangular plate for the deadbolt?
I attached a picture and you can see where I scribed a thin line representing the rectangular (rounded edges) plate.

Thanks for any tips!

Find the deadbolt or latch like in the picture where the sleeve is the same diameter as the hole in the door.. You don't need to install the plate.  I guess the picture does not show in the post(it does in my reply section). See it here.

[woodhead]

Dremel with a metal cutting wheel






Al

[FloridaRetiree]

Had the same issue when installing all new hi-tech locks in this house.

Finally called a local locksmith who had been down this road many times and had drilling jigs to do the work -- in less than a half hour!

Less than a hundred bucks, and well worth me fooling around trying make-do contraptions.

One wrongly drilled hole in a steel door and, . . . you're f . . . ed!

[woodhead]

Had the same issue when installing all new hi-tech locks in this house.

Finally called a local locksmith who had been down this road many times and had drilling jigs to do the work -- in less than a half hour!

Less than a hundred bucks, and well worth me fooling around trying make-do contraptions.

One wrongly drilled hole in a steel door and, . . . you're f . . . ed!

One wrongly drilled hole and you get out the Bondo and paint!!




Al

[FloridaRetiree]

One wrongly drilled hole and you get out the Bondo and paint!!




Al

In your house perhaps, but not mine.

The sergeant is too eagle eyed to accept that.

[JGrout]

In your house perhaps, but not mine.

The sergeant is too eagle eyed to accept that.

you do not throw away steel doors 

if you did not see it you would never know it was patched

[bgosh]

I'm installing new knobs on an existing steel door, so all the holes are already there. On the edge of the door (which is fully wrapped with steel), there is already a circular hole cut, but how can I cut this material cleanly to fit the new rectangular plate for the deadbolt?
I attached a picture and you can see where I scribed a thin line representing the rectangular (rounded edges) plate.

Thanks for any tips!

First I would take a drill the size of those corners and carefully drill those corners out and then depending on how thick that metal is either use a Dremel tool or a sharp wood chisel that you do not care about. Job done