Deadbolts for the Dummy Apartment Dweller

Gonna cut a hole for that bolt with a
chisel? Really?

The biographies that contributors to eHow submitted had to meet certain standards: they needed to be of a certain length and demonstrate some of the writer's qualifications, whether as a tradesperson or a journalist (which, according to the eHow rubric, meant a writer was qualified to discuss any subject). They did not, however, have to be verified. If the bios were verified, we wonder if Emily Beach would have been able to write "How to Install an Extra Lock on an Apartment Door"¹ for HomeSteady.com (especially while calling herself Bambi Turner).

We aren't sure why Emily/Bambi didn't just tell the OQ to have the super or landlord perform the install, but who knows: she was, after all, getting certification from "the Door and Hardware Institute" at the time. What bothered us about Beach's post was that she started out by telling her readers to,

"Choose a lock from your local home improvement store. An external deadbolt is best for novice installers, while an internal deadbolt requires more advanced tools and specialty hardware knowledge."

She then motors ahead and gives instructions (sort of) for installing a cylinder deadbolt instead of a surface-mounted lock. Go figure. Even those instructions were a bit off, according to the house locksmith. Here's why she though so:

1. "Use a drill to establish pilot holes where shown on the template. This is where your connecting rods will be installed."
2. "Snap the two sides of the lock together at the connecting rods."
3. "Trace around the strikeplate using a pencil, then use a hammer and wood chisel to cut away the hole for the bolt."

And here's what "Lock Lady" had to say about that verbiage:

1. WTF are "connecting rods"? The content editor wouldn't let you say "doohickey"?
2. More of that "connecting rods" bushwa, not to mention that the two halves of a deadbolt are almost always held together with screws.
3. No, you don't "cut away the hole for the bolt" with a hammer and chisel. You bore a bolt hole into the door jamb with a drill bit or hole saw. You use the hammer and chisel to cut the mortise for the strike plate.

Beach's sole reference/resource had none of those instructions in it; just a video of how to measure the backset for a lock. In other words, Emily was tossing around the bull. We call BS on that, and do hereby award Ms. Beach her second Dumbass of the Day. Pbbbbt.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/how_4855994_install-extra-lock-apartment-door.html

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