Major Manufacturing’s HIT-66-272 was developed for new installations and retrofitting of Sargent mortise locks. The 272 templates are mounted onto the HIT-66 Series Clamp System to accurately locate the door prep openings for Sargent 7800, 7900, 8100, 8200 and 9200 Series mortise locks. The HIT-66 Series Clamp System’s rubber lined clamping jaws accommodate door thickness of 1-1/4” to 2-7/8”. The two Sargent 272 templates are attached at the top and bottom of the HIT-66 without contacting the door. The templates are equipped with hardened drill bushings to accommodate all lock function door prep. The larger diameter drill bushings will accept holesaws. The 272 templates are machined from aluminum and hard anodized. To simplify installation, all drill bushings are labeled.
For the purpose of this article, we installed a Sargent 8291 All Purpose Holdback mortise lock with Anti-Vandal 667 Trim onto a wood block with the mortise pocket precut. The mortise pocket is 4-1/8” deep by 6-1/2” tall by 1” wide for a non-electrified mortise body installation.
The 8291 mortise lock has a mortise cylinder on the exterior and a lever mounted onto the interior. The 8291 provides the ability to set the mortise lock into passage mode by rotating the lever (fully retracting the latchbolt) and with latchbolt retracted, rotating the key towards the latchbolt. The lever will remain in the rotated position, indicating the latchbolt is retracted and the lock is in the passage mode.
Note: The Sargent 8292 has a mortise cylinder on the exterior and interior. The interior mortise cylinder places the lock in holdback and also releases it. The exterior mortise cylinder only retracts the latchbolt.
We used the Major Manufacturing HIT-66 with the 272 Templates to prep the door in order to install Sargent anti-vandal trim on the exterior and the LN rose and L lever on the interior. Sargent Anti-Vandal 667 Trim is ADA compliant, designed for exterior doors to provide protection against damage and defacement. This trim plate has the extended lip for outswing doors to provide protection for the latchbolt and deadlatch. This 12-gauge stainless steel trim plate is fully through-bolted, having no exposed exterior fasteners. On the inside of the trim are four “outside the mortise body” threaded studs and two through-bolt threaded studs. Six screws mounted from the interior side of the door secure the anti-vandal trim onto the door and the mortise lock body onto the AV trim. A matte finish plastic coating covers the grip edge.
Important: Always wear eye and ear protection when using power tools.
We started with a hardwood block that had previously cut the mortise pocket for the Sargent 8291 mortise lock body. The Major Mfg HIT-66 is designed to be located using the HIT-4509 alignment plate that fits into the mortise faceplate cutout and is secured using the screw hole used to mount the mortise body.
For this installation, we will bore holes for the exterior mortise cylinder and the six holes for mounting the anti-vandal trim plate: four outside the body mounting holes and two through-bolt holes through the exterior face of the door.
On the inside, we will bore the lever handle opening and the six holes for mounting the anti-vandal trim plate.
To ensure accuracy, through openings will be drilled through both the exterior and interior sides of the door.
Openings and drill bit sizes are:
- 1-¼” diameter holesaw for the mortise cylinder
- 4- 7/16” diameter holes for the anti-vandal trim
- ¼” diameter holes for through bolts
- 1-1/8” diameter hole for the inside lever spindle
Position the HIT-66 with the 272 Sargent Templates installed onto the door with the guide slot over the alignment plate pin. Once in position, secure the HIT-66 to the door.
Drill the seven holes through the outside face of the door and the seven holes through the inside face of the door. The mortise cylinder opening and the inside lever spindle openings are larger than one inch in diameter and will be drilled using holesaws. The remaining holes will be drilled using high speed bits.
For drilling holes one-half inch or smaller, I use high speed bit. For drilling larger diameter holes through a hardened drill bushing, I use holesaws. I do not recommend using a paddle drill bit. They are less expensive; however, they can jamb or cause the wood to splinter.
Note: Blu-Mol® sells arbored, carbon steel holesaws designed for wood only with teeth in a narrow set (kerf). Having a narrow set provides a smoother cut as the teeth will barely contact the inner walls of the hardened inserts. The carbon steel holesaw body is thinner than comparable bi-metal holesaws. This is a downside as carbon steel holesaw will not last as long as a bi-metal holesaw. A carbon steel hole saw can last for many wood door lock installations when using proper drilling techniques.
Once prepped, remove the Major Manufacturing HIT-66 with 272 Templates and the HIT-4509 alignment plate. Use sand paper to remove any burrs from the drilled holes.
The next series of steps is to install the mortise lock body and the trim. When installing the mortise lock body, do not tighten the two mounting screws. This way, the body can be adjusted to accommodate the studs from the anti-vandal trim, the mortise cylinder and the spindle shaft.
Once the anti-vandal plate, mortise cylinder and inside lever assembly have been installed, test to be certain the lock operates properly.
Tighten the mortise lock body screws and install the outside front plate. Test to be certain the lock operates properly.
For more information contact your local locksmith wholesaler or :
Sargent Manufacturing Company, 100 Sargent Drive, P.O. Box 9725, New Haven, CT 06536. Telephone: 800-727-5477. Fax: 888-863-5054. Website: www.sargentlock.com.
Major Manufacturing, 1825 Via Burton, Anaheim, CA 92806 .Telephone: 714-772-5202 .Web Site: www.majormfg.com.
Blu-Mol and other drilling products, Disston Tools, Telephone: 800-446-8890. Web Site: www.disstontools.com
Rich Franken is sales and technical support rep for the Dugmore & Duncan Group in Corona, Calif. Franken has spent 29 years in the door and hardware industry primarily in the Southern California market.
