digital calipers

[freakparade3]

Should have got a manual mike

I saw one that you just push down into the cut and it measures the depth. I think i'm gonna buy that one. It's kinda pricey, around $100, but worth it for me.

[Shrub]

As an engineer i never liked digi verniers for anything other than measureing stock quickly before selecting use for machineing with real measureing done with real tools but then i got into this game and dont use anything else now,

A digi vernier (caliper is the proper name i know) is so quick and simple that its not worth messing around with $100 toys,

If you want to replicate the $100 tool then look around ebay for sprung depth mikes, if they dont have the stand simply make one,

You can also use a DTI or Verdict if you like but were getting to accuracy you dont need on a key,

A simple set up made even of solid wood will take a sprung mike and measure your keys all day long,

If you use the smae keys all the time you could make some 'go - not go' gauges for each cut i guess rather like the cut cards you can buy,

[freakparade3]

LOL Shrub. I have the cards you are refering to!! It never occured to me that I could use them to check the cut depth as well as decoding.

[globallockytoo]

I completely agree with Shrub. the Vernier Calipers first invented by the French engineer Pierre Vernier, were made without dials or read outs. Whilst the addition of guages means more accuracy (a good thing), I found that for the purpose of duplicating mortise keys (be they, Chubb or Union or whatever) or safe keys (Hubbal, Chubb, LaGard etc), a pair of dial less "Vernier's" were the best and cheapest option for me. The accuracy is dependant on sight and feel and the .000" dif in variation was too much time being spent on a key instead of realising that within .005" was possible by line of sight.

For the more podantic types...by all means...get a pair of digital or dial calipers (Vernier is but one type), but money could be better spent elsewhere, in my opinion.