Some interior doors might be equipped with a warded mortise lock and the exterior doors with a pin tumbler-operated mortise lock.
Mortise locks are available as a lockset and as an auxiliary mortise deadbolt lock. These locks accommodate just about every high security lock manufacturers’ mechanisms as long as they are incorporated into a standard diameter mortise cylinder or a Mogol mortise cylinder.įrom the late 19 th to the mid-20th century, mortise locks were the preferred lockset, installed into most interior and exterior doors. Today’s mortise locks offer a higher degree of security and functionality. After the invention of the pin tumbler lock mechanism by Linus Yale Jr., pin tumbler mortise cylinders were incorporated into the mortise locks. The earliest mortise locks contained a built-in warded lock mechanism operated with a bit or barrel (skeleton) key. This type of lock is concealed and to some degree protected by the exterior and interior faces of the door. The basic concept of the mortise lock is a lock body that is installed into a mortised pocket within the lock edge of the door. Mortise locks have been installed into residences and commercial buildings for more than 100 years.