the problems, and “Yes, of course” was my answer. I corrected the problems except replacing the entry lever lockset. He said he would take that up with the building property manager and have the building replace it. *Note: I indicated this on my ser- vice work order aſter I completed the job and got his signature to verify that I had made him aware of the problem. This could possibly save me in the future if the lock never gets replaced and an incident occurs. Always CYA! The few minutes to write things up are always well worth the time. Now that I had circumvented the traps, the door was swing- ing properly and the issue with the latch was resolved, it was time to install the electric strike. Installation Steps Once you have selected your electric strike, consider how best to install it. Have you ever heard the phrase “All roads lead to Rome?” (This phrase is attributed to Alain de Lille, a French theologian and poet.) The same can be said for installing an electric strike. There are many ways that we complete our jobs and many ways to install an electric strike. So, who’s to say what is the best path? Not me. If you are comfortable doing something your way and it works, stay the course and keep at it. For the novice who has not had enough experience to choose a personal favorite approach, I offer the following method to install electric strikes. It can be done by someone with mini- mal experience and basic tools. It’s a good approach for those just starting out who don’t want (or cannot afford) to spend a lot of money on installation tools. Don’t get me wrong — there are tools that can speed up the process, such as templates and special jigs for routers and they are awesome. I have some of them myself, but they, of course, cost money. Unless you know that you will definitely use the special templates and jigs in the future, the return on your investment to purchase them may not be worth it. I took the following steps to install a HES 5200C: 1. Remove the strike plate (Figure 16) from the doorframe. Make sure that there are not any problems with the mount- ing holes from where you removed the two screws. If you find a problem, such as stripped-out holes, now is the time to correct the issues. 2. Apply painters’ tape to the doorframe. This will help protect the paint from nicks, scratches and scuffs as you work. This is what you will draw your cut lines on. The extra step of using painters’ tape is well worth it. It will be the difference WWW.ALOA.ORG between ending up with a high-quality, professional-looking job and a rough-looking, unprofessional one. 3. With a pencil, mark your cutout for the electric strike on the painter’s tape (Figure 17). You can either use a carpenter’s square or a ruler to measure, and then draw your marks. I recommend using a sharpened pencil because it will leave a dark but thin line that you can see. If you choose to use a marker or Sharpie, your line will be too thick. Yes, you will be able to see it well (undoubtedly, better than the pen- cil mark). However, more than likely, the line will be about 5⁄32" thick and could lead you to cutting too much material out of the doorframe. Remember, once you cut it out, you can’t put it back. If you use a magic marker, make sure to cut on the inside of the line. Although you don’t need to use one, I used an HES tem- plate specifically made for the 5200-electric strike (Figures 18 and 19). See the note at the end of the article. 4. Time to put on your safety glasses or goggles. Use a jig- saw to cut out the marking you made on the doorframe (Figure 20). I use a jigsaw to make my cuts because it is quick, clean and accurate. The jigsaw that I use has a movable scrolling knob that permits me to freehand the cut or lock it in. Use a good-quality blade that is made for metal. Additionally, before starting your cuts, make sure that the blade is not too long. If it is too long, it will bottom out in the doorframe and cause the jigsaw to bounce back towards you. If necessary, shorten the blade before you start. If you don’t have a jigsaw, you can use a Dremel tool with a heavy-duty cut-off wheel to accomplish the task. However, I am not a big fan of using a Dremel tool for this type of job for the following reasons: It will produce a nasty dust and an offensive smell that you will be forced to breathe, so a dust mask is a necessity. Not to mention the nasty dust that will be leſt behind on the doorfame and surrounding area. It will produce sparks as you work. Sparks in an office are never a good idea. It will make the doorframe extremely hot to the touch. The heavy-duty cutting wheels will sometimes break and shatter/explode into pieces while cutting. It is easy for the wheel to catch and run, possibly cutting something you did not intend to cut. OCTOBER 2022 KEYNOTES 33
