Do these teeth mean there is a sidebar?

[DickAngstrom]

Hi everyone,
my friend and I were discussing this key, and we were wondering if the lock that goes to this key has a sidebar. I'm pretty new to lock technology and this is my first topic post. In general, can you tell by the key if its lock has a sidebar? There are some small teeth sticking out perpendicularly from the 2 end teeth and the one closest to the handle, which I think is just part of the key's grooves, but he thinks this may have to do with a sidebar.

(The perpindicular teeth are most visible in picture 3)

Picture 1: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/kgwv6

Picture 2: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/671d6

Picture 3: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/lupqr

Thanks for your help.

[EmCee]

They are just the peaks of those cuts, nothing to do with sidebars.

[Squelchtone]

In general, can you tell by the key if its lock has a sidebar?

A sidebar will be just that, a bar that interacts with additional cuts or milling on the side of the key, not on the top where the key pins are.

Typically look for keys that have some milling or what looks like key cuts on the side of a key, like this:





Sometimes it just helps to know the top 10 locks on the planet that use sidebars because not all of them have side millings. Two examples would be BiLock, Evva 3KS, and Medeco. These are also sidebar locks, but it would not be obvious to the casual observer.

A common US sidebar lock is the Schlage Primus. Your key is just a neutered bow, it's made so when someone goes to copy their dorm or apartment key the kid at Home Depot won't know what blank to use. =)

All hail Bo Widen!
Squelchtone

[minifhncc]

A common US sidebar lock is the Schlage Primus. Your key is just a neutered bow, it's made so when someone goes to copy their dorm or apartment key the kid at Home Depot won't know what blank to use.

What do you mean by that?

Also, haven't the patent on Primus blanks expired?

[Squelchtone]

A common US sidebar lock is the Schlage Primus. Your key is just a neutered bow, it's made so when someone goes to copy their dorm or apartment key the kid at Home Depot won't know what blank to use.

What do you mean by that?

Also, haven't the patent on Primus blanks expired?

I should have made those into 2 paragraphs. I was just continuing the list of commonly found sidebar locks and mentioned the Schlage Primus to the OP.

The other sentence was commenting on the OPs key in his links which has a neutered bow (square head bow usually with no stampings and not the same shape as a Schlage SC1 or Kwikset KW1, so it is not easy to figure out which keyway or brand of lock it is in case the OP brought his key to a hardware store or DIY store to make a copy.

As to Primus blanks and the patent.. Im not sure, but even if there were generic ones available, only real locksmiths would stock them, I don't think a local hardware store would have them. There's also the issue of regional sidebars, so you would have to stock many different blanks with different sidebar cuts on them.

Squelchtone

[zeke79]

I could be mistaken but it seems like i recall an aftermarket blank being made that has a blank sidebar on it. This would allow you to simply copy the desired sidebar in a sidewinder type duplicator.

[mechmech]

Not to highjack, but does anyone have a link to a generic Schlage Primus key with an uncut side bar? I haven't seen this before but would be very interested.

[Squelchtone]

I could be mistaken but it seems like i recall an aftermarket blank being made that has a blank sidebar on it. This would allow you to simply copy the desired sidebar in a sidewinder type duplicator.

You sure we're not talking about this thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=46559&start=0 where it was concluded that Jet and Ilco would probably not be making Primus blanks?

Squelchtone

[MBI]

I could be mistaken but it seems like i recall an aftermarket blank being made that has a blank sidebar on it. This would allow you to simply copy the desired sidebar in a sidewinder type duplicator.

You sure we're not talking about this thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=46559&start=0 where it was concluded that Jet and Ilco would probably not be making Primus blanks?

Squelchtone

Zeke is right, JET is making Primus blanks now in three different keyways, with an uncut sidebar area. Here is the link to one of them. For the other keyways as well as the cutters just search for "Primus" on their site.
http://www.jetkeys.com/proddetail.php?prod=SC4-PR-C-NS

I don't remember who told me originally or I'd credit them for the discovery, it came up in another thread and someone posted a link for these blanks. I don't even remember if it was on this forum or not.