Re: [A/S] Wood Door Latch

[Thomas LaVergne <thomaslavergne@xxxxxxxxx>]

I saved that post...find it below.
TL

Terry Tyler posted a verbal description of a wooden block that will secure 
the door while underway. If you can find his post in the archives, it will be 
better than my attempt at a summary of Terry's excellent post. 

Hi Guys,

When I saw Alan's comments about a bent door, it reminded me of the
deadbolts I've made over the years for each of our Airstreams. Perhaps 
it's
the time to mention that topic again.

Terry

-----------

A wooden deadbolt is simple to make ****IF**** there's a grab handle on 
the
Airstream. 

With our '63 22', our '67 22', our '69 27', our '77 31', our '86 32' 
and our
'89 32' Airstreams, I used a piece of wood 6 inches long by 1 inch wide 
by
3/4 inch deep. 

I start by sliding the wood behind the grab handle so it rests against 
the
door and overlaps the door frame by an inch or so.

Next, I try to twist the wood so the 3/4" side bumps into the back of 
the
grab handle. If that occurs, the wood is wide enough. If it doesn't 
bump
(too narrow), I use a wider piece of wood.  With the right size wood as 
a
starter, I CAN'T twist the wood behind the grab handle.

Then, with the wood in place behind the grab handle and extending 
beyond the
door frame into the actual door area, I use a pencil to mark the wood 
along
the 3/4" edge behind the grab handle. This is to identify the exact 
width of
the backside of the grab handle. This is the area where I begin 
whittling.

I whittle a groove along the 3/'4" side between the two marks I made.
Whittling is done a little at a time to make the groove deeper. I keep
checking until the groove will fit into the back of the grab handle. I 
make
a slight curve on one side of the whittled out area to simplify 
twisting the
wood into place. The groove must align under the grab handle with the
non-whittled side flat against the Airstream's door and door frame.

If it doesn't fit, more whittling is needed to make the groove wider or
deeper. Whittling a little at a time with frequent checking makes it
possible to get it exactly right. The groove must be a tight fit.  A 
loose
fit won't keep the wooden deadbolt securely in place.

That's all there is to it. Making the first wooden deadbolt took me 
about a
half hour. Subsequent ones take less time than eating an ice cream 
cone.

Why do I do this when there is already a perfectly good (I assume) 
deadbolt
and a perfectly good (I assume) lock?

The answer is that long ago I learned how to spell ass u me and never 
forgot
it. 

Terry