Saw a doorknob centered on a door a while back and thought it was awesome looking. Thought it would be cool to put on on mi casa, so I started googling and discovered…nothing so far.
Anybody got a clue where I can pick up such hardware? Also, any tips/anecdotes about installation would be cool. Thanks.
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Replies
I worked on a house several years ago that had one of those....I found it to be a total pain; 42" door and with a lot of in and outs during the project, I never got used to the damned thing.....
I also tried, at the time, to find a source of the hardware; HO was worried about repairs if it ever failed.
No luck, but maybe the world wide web has found a place for center knobs since I last looked.
Good luck....and think twice....:-)
Looks neat...maybe....but a real pita to use. Would never have one. If you can't find the info now, wait till you really need to.
I grew up in a house where my Dad had made the front door this way. He did it himself except that he had someone with the proper drill setup bore the hole from the edge to the centre hole.
This was always one topic of conversation for visitors either entering or leaving the house. I just always took it for granted, but they are very rare and unusual, and allow the design of the door to be symmetrical. Dad had made an escucheon plate that the handle was centred in.
It was at least a 36" heavy solid wood core door that had a mahogany veneer surface, and he made the rod/bar that extended the mechanism from a standard lockset. That original door knob and lockset (Schlage was a good name back then) were still performing perfectly 45 years later when we sold the house. I don't think it would be too hard for a person who is resonably handy to make himself.
We didn't find it difficult at all to open or close, and, as I said, it was a heavy, wide door.
One time though, someone who was an overly enthusiastic celebrant opened the door while looking back and saying goodbye whacked himself right in the head!
- Brian.
You see that all over the U.K.
For the knob to be functional, you will need special hardware. Try going to some Brit suppliers.
Pigsooie,
try going to this site and search around, if it's made somewhere you'll be able to find it.
http://www.4specs.com/
Try the second link it's all door hard ware .
http://www.4specs.com/s/08/08715.html
Vince Carbone
Edited 1/21/2006 7:59 am ET by VinceCarbone
I've used doors like that and found them cumbersome. Only thing worse is the doors where the knob is too close to the edge and you end up smashing your fingers on the jamb every time you close the door.
Yeah they take a lot of leverage and a long latchbolt. I don't like them.
Ask at http://www.elegantlocks.com if they don't have it, they may know who has.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Pigsooie,
Schlage makes a part called an extension link that you add to the latch to extend the backset of any Schlage cylindrical lock. It takes one of these units to go from 2.75" backset to 5" backset, but I have seen in there literature that you can add as many of these as you need to get the backset you want.
I don't work with much other than Schlage, but I think I have seen long extension links for Kwik-Set and Weiser over the years also.
Howard Burt