This little tool will save you time when you’re mortising latch plates by hand. Rather than aligning the latch plate and cutting around it with a utility knife to score an outline, you just stick the Latch Mortiser into the bolt hole, align the face, and give it a few whacks.

Don’t be shy with the hammer; Templaco makes this 1″ by 2-1/4″ rectangular mortiser from “tough stuff,” so they claim it’ll take a beating. Sharp edges on all four sides outline the mortise, so now all you have to do is finish it with a chisel and some sweat.

Templaco’s Latch Mortiser will run you $17.

Latch Mortiser [Templaco]
Street Pricing [Google Products]