How A Door Handle Lock Works

Normal doorknob locks have five pairs of pins which interact with a single key to lock or unlock the door.

How a door handle lock works.

Inside the cylinder are all the parts that work together with the key to lock or unlock the door. When the door is unlocked a part called a tang is resting fully inside of the cylinder. When it s locked the cylinder engages a series of spring loaded pins which keep the cylinder from turning. When you insert a key the uneven edge pushes the pins upward to fit the key s height in that location within the lock body.

There is also quite a good diagram on this site in the section called how do yale locks work showing how the pins line up when the key is inserted. Round pocket door locks often fit in a standard 2 1 8 hole allowing you to use an existing door for a pocket door. The pins are placed in pairs with one on top of the other. Most square pocket door locks feature a simple lever that flips out from the door edge and acts as a finger pull to slide the door out of the pocket.

The latch bolt is connected to the latch which protrudes from the edge of the door and engages the door frame preventing the door from opening. The two most common types of locks in a home are simple key locks in a doorknob and deadbolt locks. A door handle controls a door by manipulation of a latch a mechanical fastener that joins two or more objects together. The key to match the particular lock lifts the pins to the correct height to allow the latch the part that protrudes into the door frame to be pulled back against the spring allowing the door to open.

A standard doorknob lock set consists of a pair of knobs one on each side of the door that are connected through the door by a spindle and held together by mounting bolts. Springs at the top of the shaft keep the pins in place. The spindle runs through the latch bolt which is inside the door perpendicular to the spindle. Key locks contain a small cylinder that runs down the middle of the doorknob and into the door.