You may not be able to use the longer screws in the plate due to the obstruction. Since it is a tertiary lock, they may not be needed, although ideal. Try installing shorter screws to fix the plate and see if that works. Will the bolt complete its throw?

 

Thanks, Chandler. That seems to be my only option. I laid into it with a new drill bit and got nowhere. The shorter screws go into the 'jamb' wood (if that's what it's called) to a depth of 3/4" or 1" (the thickness of that board), but there's no real strength in it. Behind the jamb, there is an empty space across which I can see the end of the lath with the plaster for the living room wall. I was trying to drill into the wood to the left/(toward the outside) of the lath, but the drill goes nowhere. I just can't imagine what is going on there. I expected to find the framing wood for my screws, but that is not the case. With the short screws holding the strike in the jamb board alone, there is no real strength in it. I feel that this deadbolt was a waste of time and money. Nowhere have I ever heard of a situation like this. The deadbolt goes well into the hole I drilled for the strike. It is aligned OK.

 

Could you post a picture down the hole of the strike plate so we can see what you are seeing. Also a picture of the exterior of the door at an angle so we can see how the trim molding is set?

 

I will try. I'm not good with cameras, though, and this is a tight spot.

 

Sometimes the first coat of plaster was like rock hard portland cement... it sometimes squished through the slats of lathe, partially filled the edges of the rough opening and covered the edge of the stud.

 

That sounds like it! It's so hard to really see in there, but the feel of it is just like you are describing. Thanks.

 

Does your drill bit come out with any metal or cement dust...?

Any chance you are just hitting a framing nail head.?

Can you penetrate any wood in the center of the bolt hole...?

Is there any near by electrical run, and could it be a nail plate...?

 

All these possibilities have been running though my mind. I reluctantly angled the drill to try to avoid a nail head, but it was the same result, and in the process, I widened the @#%ned hole and weakened the board even further. Once I drilled the 1" for the deadbolt, I found a gap behind the board. The right half of the view through the hole is the edge-on view of lath and plaster facing into the living room. The left half of the view, where I want to sink a couple long screws, appears to be old wood. Anyway, I can't make out anything else. But the drill goes into it to a depth of about a 1/4" and comes to a dead stop. What's behind there is anybody's guess. It's clear, though, that I am NOT getting those long screws in place this time.

 

So if you are hitting a cement based product, go pick up a carbide tipped masonry bit and you will probably pop right thru it.

 

I've been half thinking that, and half just ready to give it up... I've already widened the holes more than I ever wanted to, and hate to remove any more material from the board. We'll see.

 

I know this sounds stupid....

But are you sure your bit is sharp.... some of the knots in that old dry doug fir can be tough to drill.

 

Brand new bit. Same results from both holes drilled through the strike two inches apart. Thanks, though.

 

If it is concrete, its not sharp anymore. Doh!

 

IF your bolt throws to completion, why keep drilling a 1" hole. You should only be concerned with your screws and drilling pilots for them. Use a 1/8" Tapcon bit or metal bit, but be careful that it isn't a no-nail plate. You don't want to drill through that.

 

I did my best to describe this. I drilled a 1" hole initially for the deadbolt. Then, to mount the strike plate, I tried to drill two pilot holes for the long anchor screws. I didn't "keep drilling a 1" hole." The two pilot screw holes met some impenetrable barrier that I could not see. That's it. I gave up on it. Strike plate is mounted with 3/4" screws into the jamb wood. I'm done.