Storm Door Handle Installation

jogan

I am helping a friend with the installation of a storm door and handle / lock. The storm door is one that had a kd z-bar meaning that the door was not drilled for a handle / lock and thus could be used as either a left hand or right hand door. The door was installed with no problem. My friend did not like the normal handles that were available from Lowes or Home Depot. What he did want was a handle that Lowe's carries that is meant to be a replacement for a mortise lever handle / lock that many storm doors are equipped with today. However in order to install this type of handle on the door it is necessary to mortise out the side of the door frame approx. 6" x 5/8" for the handle / lock mechanism to fit into. In addition it is also necessary to mortise out the door z-bar for the deadbolt and the plunger. My question is what is the easiest way to do the mortise work? I have thought of a router but with the door assembled and installed I am not sure how to hold the router so that the mortise is accurate. I also thought about a small circular saw assuming I can purchase a metal blade for the smaller diameter. Last I thought about just using a hand or power hack saw after drilling a hole or two so that the hack saw blade wold fit into the opening. With a power hack saw I might have the same problem in not having a template but could probably use a couple of short pieces of 1 x 4 wood clamped to the door frame that would make using a power hack saw easier. I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance

Ron6519

You would need to hold the door ,on edge in a jig, with a table like surface, so you could keep the router stable. Sort of like those Workmate benches. But you still need to cut a deeper mortise then the depth of a router bit will give you. If this is a door with a flake board core, you could just drill it out with a hand drill.
Ron

jogan

The storm door in question is an aluminum storm door. To un-install the entire door and mount in some kind of holding device is not practible. Being aluminum the jamb face of the door is approx .070 thickness so a router bit would certainly have enough depth if you were able to stabilize the router so that you could make an even router cut on the 3/4" width jam width of the door. Suggestions on a holding device that would mount on the door to stabilize the routher or zig saw would be appreciated.

Ron6519

If you want to work on the door in it's present position, knock yourself out. Let's see, a screw gun and what, 10 screws? Should take 5 minutes to take it down. Ten, if you only have a screwdriver.
This decision is not good judgement.
Ron