Introduction: Plug an Old Lock Hole

So you bought an old house and the person who lived in it before you thought they lived in a war zone and put 14 locks on the door? The door itself is beautiful (minus the 18 coats of what I am sure is lead paint) and needs some TLC to be restored as new. This is me creating a plug to repair one of the excess lock holes.

Step 1: Materials

  1. An old nice door previously owned by a paranoid person
  2. Hole saw slightly bigger than the hole
  3. Pilot bit for hole saw
  4. Drill
  5. Clamps
  6. Glue
  7. Countersink bit
  8. 2-4" bolt with nut (or wing nut)
  9. 60-80 grit sand paper

Step 2: Pick Your Hole Saw

Find a hole saw that is just a bit bigger than the existing hole.

Step 3: Pick Your Wood

For this job the original door was made of oak. I picked up an oak short from the local big box store for 10 bucks. Try to match as well as you can to the original if you plan on staining. If you're going to paint, anything will do as there will be enough space for expansion/contraction.

Step 4: Cut Some Disks

  1. For the first disk I used the pilot bit in the hole saw which left me with a disk with a hole in the middle.
  2. Stack your wood and use the first hole as a template for your next ones until you have 4 disks total
    1. One with a hole in the middle, and 3 without
    2. Or more if you need more thickness for your project

Step 5: Prepare the Top Disk

  1. Recess one side of the top disk so that the bolt end can be counter sunk
  2. Put a bolt through the disk and tighten it
    1. This top disk is throw away and only used to create a spindle of wood

Step 6: Glue Up

Line up the grains on the disks and glue them up so it looks like the pictures

Note * I screwed this up and didn't get the grains aligned the same on both sides of the door. It still looks good, but it tickles my OCD every time I see it!!! Moral of the story is to do better than me.

Step 7: Fitting to Size

I used my cordless drill and a piece of sandpaper to get this to size. Carefully sand and test multiple times so that you reduce the diameter of the plug to obtain a tight fit.

Attachments

Step 8: Cut It Down

I apologize I missed a picture.

After I sanded this to the correct size, I used a chop saw to cut it to the correct thickness by cutting off the piece with the bolt through it. You'll want to leave it a little bigger than your actual door. I sanded it down to size once it was glued in.

When that's done, glue the thing in place while lining up the grains as best as possible.

Step 9: Finished Product

Not much more to say here. Next up my door staining/finishing jig.....