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Hints & History

A half mortise lock is shown mounted in a cabinet door above. With a half mortise lock, the end and one side of the lock is exposed on the back when installed. A full mortise lock only has one end exposed. Half mortise locks became popular by craftsmen because making a wide shallow cut and fitting the lock flush on the instide wasn't too dificult. As you can imagine, installing a full mortise lock requires more precision. Usually half mortise locks do not have a strike plate. Instead the lock engages into a slot simply cut on the opposite side of the piece.