Replacing an old Hope Chest Lock – Part 3

After reducing the volume of the original half-mortise using two strips of wood and addressing the crack in the shallow recess of the catch plate (read part two of the story here), I decided to fill the old screw holes with dowel segments. This step was crucial because you don’t want the new mounting screws to go into wood containing cavities and holes, as they might not have enough fibers to anchor into. I used super glue to secure the dowels in place and then cut them flush with the surface.

When I rechecked the placement of the new lock and the location of the screw holes, I noticed that one screw hole (lower right) was perilously close to the edge of the mortise. My solution was to glue two wooden wedges at the bottom of the mortise. After the glue had cured, I checked again and was satisfied with the result.

Next, I traced the perimeter of the lock’s plate and created a shallow recess to accommodate it. The original lock’s plate had been installed proud of the chest’s surface, but with its slight variation, the new lock had to be installed flush to align perfectly with the catch plate. I used chisels and a router plane, and since the chest was made of soft cedar wood, this task was relatively easy.

Securing the Lid

The original chest/trunk did not include any hardware to prevent the lid from accidentally dropping backward if not supported. This was a problem I couldn’t ignore, so I looked for a suitable lid support. Unfortunately, due to the top tray’s rims reaching very close to the chest’s edge, I couldn’t find any lid support in my inventory that would fit. My solution was to use a simple rope and screw eyes.

I installed one screw eye inside the lid’s frame and embedded the other in the chest’s frame. I also drilled clearance counterbores to allow the eyes and the rope’s knots to nest while the lid was closed. Once the rope was installed, the job was done. The new lock works perfectly, and the chest can now safely store our family heirlooms.