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I broke the spindle on my ~100 year old door, and I'd like to just replace the spindle instead of the entire door knob assembly as this seems to be the original piece. Unfortunately I've been unable to find a 3.5" assembly that is the same as what I had. Here is a (very low-quality) picture of the original spindle, all the spindles I can find online seem to be threaded in some fashion. Is there anywhere I can order a spindle like my original one?

This Baldwin spindle is the closest I can find to what I had, but instead of having screw holes it looks like it has a pressure fit.

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1 Answer

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If you're in an area with older homes, try your local locksmith.

The last time I had to replace a split spindle (where the split was not in the middle), the local lockmith had 'em in steel and brass. I went with the brass, because I had to grind out a channel so it'd fit into the existing mechanism; you might have to do similar and drill it yourself.

The ones you see online probably aren't a press fit -- most of my knobs take a set screw.

You can also try a real hardware store (not a Lowes or Home Depot ... either an independant one, or an Ace, True Value, etc.)

If you strike out completely, I've also replaced the whole knob and spindle with a replacement set, and switched to a threaded spindle. It looks like Van Dykes has a few :

It looks like what you're looking for is referred to as a 'drilled spindle' (possibly drilled & tapped, if there's threading inside the holes)

Using the search "drilled door spindle", I've managed to find a shop in the UK:

... but many of the hits talk about pre-drilled doors, rather than specificall drilled spindles.

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Thanks Joe, the drilled and tapped is exactly what I was looking for. The UK site doesn't have the size I need, but at least it gives me a better starting off point. – Dugan Feb 22 '11 at 16:47
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I second the locksmith recommendation. I lived in an old house for almost ten years where the front door wouldn't latch because the mechanism was somehow broken. I used the deadbolt to hold the door closed. When I decided to sell the house, I figured I'd have to bite the bullet and take it to the locksmith to get a replacement. I assumed this would be expensive since it was 80 year old hardware I was never able to match at a hardware store. To my surprise, the locksmith replaced the spring and had it working like new for $7.00. Still can't believe I lived with it that long. – Scott Saunders Feb 22 '11 at 18:45

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