GASEHOUND Posted October 15, 2018 Report Share Posted October 15, 2018 Hi there I recently bought a second hand tm800 like new actually. So i attempted to cut my first key. A copy of my Yale front door key However key does not fit . I have some engineering background so assumed it to be straight forward I fitted key and blank in vices using guide to align both key and blank and made the cut then nylon brushed it they look identical but it wont open my front door .Anyone any idea where i went wrong or what the failure rate on key cutting is how many customers come back with problems any help or funny remarks quite welcome regards GASEHOUND. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamparker Posted October 15, 2018 Report Share Posted October 15, 2018 Buy a set of digital calipers first unless you already have some it could be a depth issue. If depth measures ok then it is more than likely left to right alignment. Did you use the shoulder stop as these could be set incorrectly use a double sided key with 2 shoulders and using the jaw as a stop point then check the shoulder stop is set correctly most are adjustable. If this does not cure the problem the cutter may need alignment if this is possible (it is on Silca machines) just use 2 genuine keys from a brand new lock and if it skims a little more from one side than the other the cutter is out of alignment with the cutting guide you will need to move the cutting shaft into the correct position. Calipers are the first tool you should buy when key cutting. I use Mitutoyo and they are superb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASEHOUND Posted October 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2018 Thank you Graham I will give that a try with the vernier i was not aware that the key gauge would need calibrated but i will check that also is there any way that the guide and the cutter could be unaligned. i will check the distance between the faces of the key gauge against the faces of the guide and cutter is there anyone who services these machines ? many thanks Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelCityShoes Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 Out of curiosity, what got you into key cutting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike at Vauxhall Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 I don't know about Gasehound, but for me it was the glamour and the endless supply of women and drugs. kobblers, simon1, SteelCityShoes and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Muppet Posted October 16, 2018 Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 Was it a cylinder or mortice key you tried? you may have a Yale patented lock where the key looks the same as the standard key but has a slight difference that often goes unnoticed. If it was a 5 lever mortice lock, the B440 blank looks the same but may be too thick to go in or may not have quite cut right because of the height of the bit. Also there are a few choices on those clamps on how you can hold the key, if it’s clamped wrong it’s not going to work. You also need to check it’s not been cut at an angle due to the “rounding off” feature on this machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASEHOUND Posted October 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2018 9 hours ago, Count Muppet said: Was it a cylinder or mortice key you tried? you may have a Yale patented lock where the key looks the same as the standard key but has a slight difference that often goes unnoticed. If it was a 5 lever mortice lock, the B440 blank looks the same but may be too thick to go in or may not have quite cut right because of the height of the bit. Also there are a few choices on those clamps on how you can hold the key, if it’s clamped wrong it’s not going to work. You also need to check it’s not been cut at an angle due to the “rounding off” feature on this machine Hi count it was just a standard cylinder key regards GASEHOUND Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakeemz Posted October 17, 2018 Report Share Posted October 17, 2018 hi it seems like you need someone to explain very basics of key cutting to you and i mean basics..so usually the first point of contact is machine and blank supplier. person who sold you the machine should have given you some basic knowledge (looks like they didnt at all) on the forum not only its impractical to type in all the basic info, its also not safe to start teaching basics of key duplicating.. i would say go in to one of the blank suppliers and they will be happy to show you basics, after all you will be buying blanks from them Mike at Vauxhall, kobblers and SteelCityShoes 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Muppet Posted October 17, 2018 Report Share Posted October 17, 2018 I see the company that you got the boards from do a basic key cutting course to get you started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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