Once upon a time the mortise lock was the standard lock ofchoice for both homes and businesses. After the invention of thebored cylindrical lock by Walter Schlage in the early 1900’s, themortise lock gradually began to fall out of favor with builders.After all, the bored cylindrical lock was easier to install andprovided adequate security against tampering and break-ins. Today,however, the mortiselock is making a grand comeback. They first began reappearingin significant numbers upscale homes in the mid to late 1990’s.They continued to gain popularity in the new millennium. In fact,it’s not just upscale home builders who are installing them.Mortise locks are being installed on midsize suburban homes insubstantial numbers today. While bored cylindrical locks stilloutsell mortise locks, more modern builders are choosing mortiselocks because they provide better security. They also add an extrameasure of strength due to their design and build. Mortise locksconsist of four major components: the lock body, the lock trim, astrike plate or box keep, and the keyed cylinder. This type of lockgets its name because the lock body is installed inside of a”mortise” or cavity inside the door. The strike plate/box keep isembedded in the door jamb opposite the lock body. Since thesecomponents are recessed within the woodwork of the door and frame,they are much more difficult to tamper with than a boredcylindrical lock. The result is a locking mechanism that isdifficult to pick and even harder to break with human force.Mortise locks are also gaining more widespread popularity becauseof their aesthetics. They offer a unique look with a touch ofnostalgia. They tend to be favored by builders and owners with ataste for fine quality and detail. The major disadvantage of usingmortise locks is that they are more complicated to install. While ado-it-yourself novice may be able to easily install a boredcylindrical lock, he may find frustration trying to install amortise lock. This is because it takes a certain degree ofwoodworking knowledge to do so. Installing a mortise lock requiresprecision measuring and cutting in addition to knowledge of basicnuts-and-bolts work. Mistakes in cutting, such as creating a cavitythat is too deep, high or wide can lead to inadequate performanceof the lock, or simply being unable to install it at all. Ofcourse, mistakes in cutting are very hard to repair, and even themost professional repair job will still lead to a weakening of thestructure of the door.It’s usually recommended that mortise locks be installedprofessionally. The lock will be stronger and will last longer wheninstalled correctly. It was the complicated nature of the mortiselock that led Walter Schlage to invent the bored cylindrical lock.As Schlage’s lock gained recognition and underwent designimprovements, use of the mortise lock, particularly on new homesbuilt after the 1940’s, began to wane. Builders favored the ease ofthe bored cylindrical lock. Companies like Schlage whichmanufacture both mortise and bored cylindrical locks have made moredesign improvements to both types over time. Thanks to moderntechnology, mortise locks are easier to install than they oncewere. This, along with their unbeatable strength has brought themfull circle as viable components to home and business security.
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