Cabinet and Millwork Installation

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Emtek mortise lock

10/27/13       
Michael Sanders Member

Website: http://www.michaelsanderswoodworks.com

I just installed an Emteck UL3525 mortise lock for a client. The interior escutcheon plate ended up about an inch lower than the exterior. The knobs were at the same height, and everything functioned as it should. But, the trim plates were at different heights. Why? Is this a standard I haven't heard of? I think it looks terrible. Anybody seen this before?

10/28/13       #2: Emtek mortise lock ...
David R Sochar Member

Michael - Emtek will tell you that you can only see one side of the door at a time. And, it is true.

Emtek is the step above Schlage, and below Baldwin and Rocky Mountain in hardware hierarchy. They just don't have the level of design that the others have, and they expect the same from their customers.

Also, one very good reason is so an installation can have one type of hardware on side and another completely different on the other side of the door - A Wellington on the stop side, and a Metro on the knuckle side.

By the way, my experience with Emtek box latches is that they are problematic. Over the years, I have had several callbacks on operation bogging down. Never with their tubular locks or Baldwin/Rocky box latches.

10/28/13       #3: Emtek mortise lock ...
Michael Sanders Member

Thanks for the information. Getting the box to operate correctly was a PITA, and to top it off it looked like crap with the door ajar. I guess I expected better from a lockset that was >$400.

10/28/13       #4: Emtek mortise lock ...
David R Sochar Member

I agree. One would think so for the money.

I have seen warp in the bronze castings of over 3/8". I was told to grab a file.....

The Standard Rocky entry set is about $1400, but very nice - absolutely trouble free for you and your client. Your site looks like you do nice work - worthy of Rocky, in my opinion.

I used to have Emtek and Rocky entry sets side by side. The Emtek was clunky and catchy, and the Rocky was smooth and solid as can be. Everyone wanted the Rocky once they tried the two.

You might set up as an Emtek dealer - then you pay half, but have to go thru their hoops, and it is just Emtek. Contact Rocky to find the rep in your area to see who you can buy wholesale from. It won't be a 50% discount, but you can sell it at advertised retail and make a few bucks for your time and trouble.

10/28/13       #5: Emtek mortise lock ...
Michael Sanders Member

David, Thanks again for your advise and information. In this case I was installing cabinets and the homeowner asked if I could install the lockset for him, as well. I don't have a retail license at this point, so getting wholesale is not an option. (Though, I will absolutely consider it in the future.)

I forgot to mention the 1/4" steel plate that was glued into the striker side of the door that I had to deal with. I had to cut it out with a sawzall, dutch in a new piece of wood, an then start with the lock install. It hard to even explain how much of a PITA that was, on top of the fact that I used to work for the guy that made the door.
When I was working for him we built 37 exterior doors for a house this way. A 1/4" x 1 1/2" flat stock steel glued into the whole length of the striker side of the doors. The engineered drawings required the steel, but depicted there should be a rectangular cutout of the plate for a mortised box lock. I brought up this detail when he was looking at the job, but he ensured me that the customer was getting typical cylinder lockets, and that a bi-metal holesaw would make it through the metal just fine. The doors were 2 1/4" thick, and i tried to reinforce to my boss that they were most likely going to get box locks, but he never listened.

That was one of the last jobs I worked with him. I have now had to deal with another door he built just like this. The end result is the new door gets hacked up, the steel loses whatever strength i may of had, and if i wasn't intended to be painted (constructed of quartersawn sapele), there wouldn't be any attractive way to install the hardware. I have mercy on the souls of the guys that get tasked with installing the boxes into the 37 other doors I know were constructed in this manner.

10/29/13       #6: Emtek mortise lock ...
JeffD

I haven't used the Emtech or the Rocky but I did a large job several years ago with all Omnia mortise locks, and from what I remember they were fairly easy to install and worked very nicely. In actuality getting all the parts I needed was the toughest part of the job as with their mortise locks everything had to be ordered "a la carte". I specifically remember getting the right spindles took 3 tries as they sent solid spindles the wrong length instead of the longer split spindles.....but I digress.

They were about the same money, and seemed like pretty good quality to me!

good luck,
JeffD


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