How to Insert a Lock Into a Handmade Cabinet

Place the end of a measuring tape at the center of the cabinet lock. Extend it along the locking bar to the tip of the bar. Note down the length of the measurement.

Measure the lip of the cabinet from the edge of the cabinet opening to the top of the cabinet with a measuring tape. Note down this length as well.

Take a pencil and mark the location of the bottom lip of the cabinet opening onto the rear of the cabinet door. Remove the cabinet door from the cabinet face by unscrewing the door from the hinges with a screwdriver. Set the door with its rear facing up on a flat surface.

Place a straightedge across the top of the door at the pencil mark. Extend the mark into a line across the rear cabinet surface. Measure upward from that line the distance from the cabinet lip to the cabinet top. Mark a second pencil line across the rear of the door.

Put the cabinet lock on the rear of the cabinet door. Make sure the lock bar extends upward above the line marking the cabinet lip as far as possible without going over the second line marking the location of the cabinet top.

Make certain that the circular body of the lock remains at least 1/4 inch below the lip line as well. Position the lock so it’s 3 inches from the edge of the cabinet door with the handle. Outline the lock body position with a pencil.

Attach a hole saw to a drill that’s the same diameter as your lock body. Drill through the cabinet door at the marked location with the saw to create the mounting hole for your lock.

Mount the lock in the hole through the front of the cabinet door. The lock body should slip easily through the hole, with the plate around the front of the lock flush with the front of the cabinet door to prevent the lock from punching through the cabinet door body.

Slip the retaining bolt over the body of the lock at the rear of the cabinet door to hold the lock in place. Tighten the bolt with an adjustable wrench onto the threads at the rear of the lock.