It is also necessary for the carpenter or superintendent to caution the painters not to paint or varnish any hardware, especially the lock faces, as this will also retard the operation of the latch bolt. As previously stated, the hardware should be fitted to the work and then replaced in the original packages, so as to protect it from abuse and damage, applying it permanently only after the painting is completed.
155. In applying cylinder, or front-door, locks, the conditions are still more difficult to overcome. When reversing cylinder locks that have swivel spindles, unscrew the cap and reverse the latch bolt; also, reverse the hubs, that is, the parts of the lock through which the spindles pass. Cylinder locks should always be mortised into the door at the proper height from the floor, and the holes for the cylinders and knob spindles then made. Insert the lock into the mortise, but do not put screws into the face; then apply the escutcheons and adjust the knob, taking care that the swivel of the spindle centers at the joint in the split hub. Now proceed to screw in the cylinder to its full extent, so that the cylinder collar is held rigidly between the cylinder and the escutcheon, and the cylinder is perfectly vertical. Then set the cylinder adjusting screw, and insert the wooden screws in lock face and drive them home with the screwdriver. Hold and adjust the escutcheon so that the knob will rotate back and forth automatically without friction, starting the screw holes with an awl. If the doors are made of hardwood, an automatic drill will have to be used to bore the screw holes. In such a case, follow the directions just given regarding escutcheons; then start the holes with a scratch awl while still holding the escutcheons, and enlarge the holes with the drill. Screws that are off center, when driven home into the countersinking, will surely draw the escutcheon so that the knobs will bind and thus destroy the most desirable feature of the lock.
156. Mechanics will find that the better the grade of the hardware, the more care must be taken in its application. Hardware for fine buildings is generally furnished with high, or bracket-bearing, collars on escutcheons and screwless knobs for adjustment without washers. These are fitted and turned carefully, so that there is very little play between knob shanks and collars, and for this reason they bind more readily when improperly applied. The mechanic should try the lock in every possible way before leaving the work. He should set the stop in the lock face, to be sure that swivel spindles are adjusted properly, and also insert the key in the cylinder, to see whether it operates smoothly while operating both bolts.
SCHEDULES AND DRAWINGS FOR
THE HARDWARE CONTRACTOR
157. Hardware Schedules.—The contractor for the hardware usually takes off his own bill of material from the general drawings and the specifications furnished by the architect. However, the architect will sometimes supply the hardware schedule and obtain prices for the same direct from the dealer, thus saving the owner the general contractor’s profit and insuring bids based on material of uniform character and quality. It is well, therefore, to give some thought to the preparation of the schedule, so as to insure a good classification and to avoid omissions.
In drafting a schedule of hardware required for a building, it must be compiled from a copy of the hardware specifications and a list of all openings, cabinets, etc. that has been taken from the drawings. The schedule should be subdivided primarily into building sections, such as first floor, second floor, etc. as headings. Under these headings, each opening or group of openings in each room or division should be listed. Under the name of each opening or series of openings should be grouped all the hardware required, itemizing each and every article necessary and stating the quantity, numbers, sizes, or dimensions, design, and finish.
Schedules thus prepared are readily priced for estimating, and such classification eliminates the possibilities of omissions. Besides, the order can be executed by the manufacturer in exact conformity with the instructions, the hardware for each opening can be combined in a separate package, and each package clearly labeled to indicate its contents and the room or opening to which it belongs. The following shows a typical form of schedule:
The foregoing schedule is merely intended as an example of a classified, brief, and at the same time comprehensive hardware schedule. A schedule of this kind shows, almost at a glance, the nature of the hardware to be supplied, and if prepared by the architect, should tend to procure bids based on uniform requirements.
158. Detail Drawings for the Hardware Contractor.—In some architects’ offices, it is the practice to provide, on a single detail sheet, cross-sections of every type of door stile in the building. The time required to make such a drawing is slight, while the results accomplished are most useful. Copies of this drawing are furnished to the contractors for the cabinet trim and to the hardware contractor, so that each of them will have identical information and that the work will assemble properly when the hardware is put in place.