Keyosk Dual Purpose Key Machine G888C

People need copies of their house keys. They are good to have as backups and loaner sets, if you need neighbors or family members to watch your house while you are out of town.

Copies of keys are usually obtained at hardware stores and locksmith shops. Few of these key making videos on YouTube give you any description of what is going on. I assume it is supposed to be self-explanatory. Insert a blank key and the original key into the machine and as the operator moves the carriage along, the shape of the original key gets traced as the cutting wheel creates the cuts onto the blank key.

I found a video on YouTube of the Keyosk Dual Purpose Key Machine G888C. I like this video because it shows the cutting of a skeleton key, or mortise/bit key are more proper terms. If you’ve read my earlier postings, you know I am a fan of skeleton keys. This model of key cutting machine is recommended as a basic entry- level model and is designed for the cutting of cylinder keys, mortice and bit keys that do not have sideward cuts, Abloy half circle keys, Abus, Ford Tibbe, and Chubb Ava Keys. Standalone mortise key machines are required if your key needs sideward cuts.

Tubular Pin and Tumbler Locks

Tubular pin and tumblers locks are also known as the ace lock, radial lock, and axial lock. These are the type of locks that you often see on bike locks, computer cases and peripherals, candy machines, soda machines, and on some models of safes. Rather than using a traditional key, the tubular lock uses a series of pins set up in a circle around the main tube. The lock uses six to eight pins that push themselves towards the front of the lock. The lock’s key uses a series of indentations that correspond to the pins in the lock. When the proper key is inserted, the driver pins and key pins will align over the shear line allowing the lock cylinder to turn.

Tubular locks are harder to pick than traditional locks, but it can be done. The sloppy destructive way is to try and drill out the center of the tube. To prevent destruction the central part of the lock is often made of hardened steel. There is a specialized lock pick for opening tube locks, using one of these would be your best bet at opening one. You can try traditional lock picking to open the lock, but as you turn the lock each pin you have set will reset itself in the hole of the next pin. So you will need something to hold the pins back once you’ve set them.

This video uses a clear acrylic cylinder, so that you can see the inner workings of the lock.

There are different kinds of key cutting machines. They all share the same goal of reproducing a key. The newer the style of machine, the better the accuracy of the copied key will be.

1. Manual Key Cutting Machine- Places a blank key next to an original key and then applies a blade to the original key which in turn cuts out the key blank.
2. Semi-Automatic Key Cutting Machine—Places the original key and a blank key in their designated areas. The original key gets traced by a micrometer which duplicates the shape on the blank key with a cobalt steel blade. Any metal burrs are cleaned off with a spinning wire brush. The machine is semi-automatic since it requires adjustment from the user.
3. Automatic Key Cutting Machine—Similar to the Semi-Automatic Machine. A user loads in the two keys. This time the original key get measured twice for improved accuracy, then blades cut out the pattern on the blank key.
4. Laser Key Cutting Machines—Do the same work as an Automatic Cutting machine, but uses laser beams for cutting the key. Laser Machines are used to make keys with special security designs like dimpling.
5. Key Card Cutting Machines— Hotels used to use a plastic key card that had a pattern of holes punched into it. The room locks were set to these patterns so that the door would unlock. When duplicating these keys the original pattern card is inserted into the machine. The user would then adjust the machine’s hole punchers to the pattern of that card. Key cards are widely used in hotels because it makes changing the locks easy. There is no need to worry about keys or people copying keys. One just has to change the code on a card.

To avoid potential lock bumping and lock picking, you’ve decided to move away from keys, they are an obvious security risk. Who knows how many copies have been distributed over the years. And getting the locks changed or re-keyed can get expensive. So what are your options? For your home there are buzzer systems, numbered keypad locks, and Biometric locks. There are also remote door locks that you can control with a remote. Like the ones most cars come with now.

Businesses can use the same styles of systems.

Buzzers are good for letting people into your house area or a building lobby. Someone would usually man the buzzer and allow entry only to those who have business there.

Or you often see them for apartment complex entry. They are good for basic security.

Keypad door locks are good because you don’t need to worry about having a key. But you do have to remember your combination. And there is always the possibility of someone being able to guess your code. And if your lock is electric, a power outage could potentially lock you out.

Biometric locks are good in that you don’t need to have keys or remember a combination. In most cases you just need to scan a finger tip. This has the drawback of requiring electricity.

Some locks employ combinations of the aforementioned lock systems. Some have a Biometric scanner and a keypad entry system. Or access with a key, just in case of a power failure. There are lots of choices out there, so look around and find the lock styles you like.

The Kwikset Smart Key series sells itself as being bump proof and re-keyable. I am not sure if that just means with the keys they sell or any key you have that fits. This series of locks features a side-locking bar system that is used instead of a pin and tumbler system. The side-locking bar system is what makes the lock bump proof. The Kwikset website claims that the locks are pick resistant, but still not pick proof. The other selling point is that you can re-key the locks yourself. To do this you must have the currently used key, the re-key tool they give you, and a new key you are changing the lock with. The annoying part is that the slot for the re-key tool is on the outside of the lock, which may be a potential security risk. As well as it just getting clogged or messed up from being on the outside of your house and exposed to the elements. Unfortunately, if you lose your key, you still have to get a locksmith to reset the lock. Or you have to buy the reset tool and dismantle the lock yourself, to reset the lock cylinder. So all in all, this series looks like a step in the right direction for home security. Watching all of those lock bumping video on youtube should make you want a lockset like this.

Here is one of the commercials

Re-key a lock

If you have too many different locks on your house, you get tired of looking through keys. You may have a fear of former house owners with keys to your house. If so, you do not always have to buy new locks. You can get your current locks re-keyed to work with a new key, or setup to work with a different key of the same lock series.

This is a project you can do yourself, as there are many re-keying kits for sale online. But if you are not comfortable doing it, you can take your locks to a key maker or a locksmith. If your locks are from the same company and series, you can probably get them all set to the same key. So you should be able to cut down on the amount of keys you need to carry.

The videos I’ve found on rekeying revolve around padlocks, but the idea is the same.

Though the locks they are for are not very secure, Skeleton keys are the best looking keys out there. What other keys in history were more ornately made? Skeleton keys were usually made to fit a specific lock, and that lock would have a ward or guard on it. This ward would only allow the key it was made for to pass , or maybe a smaller key. Because the design of the Skeleton key was so general , mulitple keys could be used on the same lock. This was the security issue that arose over time. From my readings I found out that skeleton key also means a key that is made to open many locks. And in most cases , like I'm doing here, I actually mean a bit key or barrel lock key when I refer to skeleton keys. But like most Americans, I was raised knowing them as skeleton keys.