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This machine is where its at if you don't want to invest in one of the automated monsters to modify key to fit other keyways! Keyway King. I'm the hunt for one myself.
Scares me when I look through all the different cutters sold for that thing, besides I usually just grab the closest looking key I can find & fix it up a little on my mill
billdeserthills wrote:Scares me when I look through all the different cutters sold for that thing, besides I usually just grab the closest looking key I can find & fix it up a little on my mill
Honestly I think that's a better way to go. I'm no expert but from what I've read on it, the Keyway King is just a mill with limited functionality, geared specifically towards cutting key wards. I'll bet a skilled hand with a mill could do every bit as much, and more, than someone could do with a Keyway King.
And while a quality mill of course would be preferred, for much less than the price of a Keyway King a person could buy a small cheap mill from Harbor Freight and just learn to use that to modify key blanks. Those little mills have some problems but for light duty like just cutting key wards I'll bet they'd hold up OK, but there are ways to improve them if you need to get more performance out of them.
There really isn't much to learn when using a milling machine, I buy small end mills for use cutting key wards so there aren't many sizes needed. Before I had the mill I used to do the same thing with my Dremel tool & those worked fine--of course the keys I alter on my mill are much nicer looking. Most of the keys I alter on my mill are for Medeco locks, recently I bought 25 restricted key Medeco cam locks for $25, which is a fantastic deal--then I cut a bunch of blanks & keyed up a handful. I'm sure one day I will sell one and pay for all 25 plus
I finally found one... Well, needless today, I am sticker shocked. ~$3k-$4k. There are Chinese knock offs that are ~$1200-$2k I've come across.
I modify a ton of the 1638 Medeco blanks Just using my dated original Speedex. Ive even gone as far as using some of the Safety Deposit Blanks and modified them milling keyways into/ onto them.
I agree on it being just a milling machine. its the cutters that make it though. If each cutter was ~$100 on average, and came with ~16 if I remember correctly, thats ~$1600 just in cutters. Another ~$1400-$2400 for the machine alone would be on par with the Chinese knockoffs.
You could do similar things with one of the inexpensive "Laser Key" / milling key machines. Your curlers and ward shapes would be completely different, but still feasible.
Speaking of which, thats how I make the side bar cuts on the Schlage Primus and similar keys. Duplicating and Originating High Security is a breeze with the ~$200 Chinese Mill Key Machines.
skygear wrote:I agree on it being just a milling machine. its the cutters that make it though. If each cutter was ~$100 on average, and came with ~16 if I remember correctly, thats ~$1600 just in cutters. Another ~$1400-$2400 for the machine alone would be on par with the Chinese knockoffs.
You could do similar things with one of the inexpensive "Laser Key" / milling key machines. Your curlers and ward shapes would be completely different, but still feasible.
Speaking of which, thats how I make the side bar cuts on the Schlage Primus and similar keys. Duplicating and Originating High Security is a breeze with the ~$200 Chinese Mill Key Machines.
No reason you couldn't buy the same end mills I get and mill keyways, I know my machine is the old first gen Framon Sidewinder and I would be worried about the carriage moving and breaking off the end mill
skygear wrote:I agree on it being just a milling machine. its the cutters that make it though. If each cutter was ~$100 on average, and came with ~16 if I remember correctly, thats ~$1600 just in cutters. Another ~$1400-$2400 for the machine alone would be on par with the Chinese knockoffs.
You could do similar things with one of the inexpensive "Laser Key" / milling key machines. Your curlers and ward shapes would be completely different, but still feasible.
Speaking of which, thats how I make the side bar cuts on the Schlage Primus and similar keys. Duplicating and Originating High Security is a breeze with the ~$200 Chinese Mill Key Machines.
No reason you couldn't buy the same end mills I get and mill keyways, I know my machine is the old first gen Framon Sidewinder and I would be worried about the carriage moving and breaking off the end mill
Link to the end mills? It'snice to have more than one tool in the shed to do the job. I teach my kids, once they pick it, they make a key. No blank? No problem. Make one. Doesn't have to be pretty and shinny like I make them. It has to work.
skygear wrote:I agree on it being just a milling machine. its the cutters that make it though. If each cutter was ~$100 on average, and came with ~16 if I remember correctly, thats ~$1600 just in cutters. Another ~$1400-$2400 for the machine alone would be on par with the Chinese knockoffs.
You could do similar things with one of the inexpensive "Laser Key" / milling key machines. Your curlers and ward shapes would be completely different, but still feasible.
Speaking of which, thats how I make the side bar cuts on the Schlage Primus and similar keys. Duplicating and Originating High Security is a breeze with the ~$200 Chinese Mill Key Machines.
No reason you couldn't buy the same end mills I get and mill keyways, I know my machine is the old first gen Framon Sidewinder and I would be worried about the carriage moving and breaking off the end mill
Link to the end mills? It'snice to have more than one tool in the shed to do the job. I teach my kids, once they pick it, they make a key. No blank? No problem. Make one. Doesn't have to be pretty and shinny like I make them. It has to work.
I'vebeen looking for an excuse to get a nice milling machine. This could be the driving force. Going to start the search for a used floor model and see where that gets me.
skygear wrote:I'vebeen looking for an excuse to get a nice milling machine. This could be the driving force. Going to start the search for a used floor model and see where that gets me.
I got an older Enco model Mill/Drill, been using it for many years I bought it used from a neighbor
skygear wrote:I'vebeen looking for an excuse to get a nice milling machine. This could be the driving force. Going to start the search for a used floor model and see where that gets me.
+1. Been keeping my eye out on Craigslist in my area for the last couple years, though probably not regularly enough. Eventually I may just spring for something new from LittleMachineShop, their stuff is reasonably priced and gets good reviews from several people I know who do machining semi-professionally.
