Ideas for a Belsaw key duplicator

[spongerich]

I picked up an old Belsaw key duplicating machine at an estate sale yesterday.
(It was only $15 and came with a nice motor).

Before I sell it, I'm trying to decide if I might be able to put it to good use in my shop.

Any creative ideas for what this thing might be good for?

(No, duplicating keys is not a creative idea )

 

[5lima30]

A small grinding wheel and a buffing wheel?

 

[lilredex]

Think I'd be looking for a deal on key blanks............

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I keep thinking I'd like to get an older key duplicator, a good one, might make a decent side job or retirement job. The local hardware store is run by a guy who has owned it for many years and I hate to go in there. He is strange, will not admit he doesn't have something and simply say "sorry" but rather will beat around the bush and finally give you some lame answer why "no one" will have what I need. Twice I've gone in to have a key made, one was for the camper shell of my truck, one was for a locking mail box (not a fancy key, more like an office desk key) and both times, when he didn't have the blank after much looking I got this standard pat answer from him "this is one of those 'security keys', hard to get blanks for them", so both times I drive up the road 15 miles to an ACE hardware under the same ownership for 30 or so years and noted for always having what you need. They have a huge selection of key blanks, and when I handed him the mailbox key, he asked what it was for, I told him, and he tells the guy who is going to make the key, "thats a Y eleven", and sure enough it was.

Small businessman are small for a reason......

Charles

 

[spongerich]

Think I'd be looking for a deal on key blanks............

There were about 1000 blanks at the estate sale where I got the key machine... I suppose I should have grabbed them too... DOH!

 

[BigAl62]

Man, I would love to have one of those! I can't find any for sale by me.

 

[american lockpicker]

I used to have a Cole key machine and only cut 5 keys in 2 or 3 years of having it. Its ok for cutting soft metals but keep in mind if you need to replace the cutter they cost a fuckton of money($100-200.)

 

[jeffmoss26]

I got one for 40 bucks at a hardware store that went out of business. Having previously worked at hardware stores for 5 years, I have cut my share of keys! It did not have a brush to clean the keys off so I just use my bench grinder's wire wheel.

 

[american lockpicker]

I got one for 40 bucks at a hardware store that went out of business. Having previously worked at hardware stores for 5 years, I have cut my share of keys! It did not have a brush to clean the keys off so I just use my bench grinder's wire wheel.

IIRC(could be United Kingdom regs) you can't use the brush anymore you have to use a pull through type device now.

 

[Hank McMauser]

working in a lumberyard, we have a key machine. 90-ish % of the blanks we cut are KW1 kwiksets the other 9.9% is SC1's (schlage's) or M1 master locks the other .01% are automotive keys if you would like a few blanks , let me know,they cost us only about $.15-.35 each depending on the key

 

[TheGrooveking]

I'd turn into a tubing notcher or a mini lathe, either will take some work and fabrication.

TheGrooveking

 

[spongerich]

I'd turn into a tubing notcher or a mini lathe, either will take some work and fabrication.

TheGrooveking

A mini lathe is a good idea, but I also just happened to pickup this mini lathe this weekend too

 

[jeffmoss26]

IIRC(could be United Kingdom regs) you can't use the brush anymore you have to use a pull through type device now

I've never heard of that in the US...every locksmith and hardware store I've been to (besides HD, Lowes, or Wally World) uses a brush on the key machine or a bench grinder to clean off the keys.

 

[BigAl62]

I'm sorry to post this here, but in my above post I said I was interested in a key machine. As of August 1, my financial situation is a mess. I'm off work on disability (fixed income at a percentage of my usual pay) and my wife was on unemployment. Unemployment has stopped paying and will not give a reason. So please don't tempt me with anymore key machines that I can't buy right now. Thanks for your understanding and on with the show!

 

[j-easy]

I keep thinking I'd like to get an older key duplicator, a good one, might make a decent side job or retirement job. The local hardware store is run by a guy who has owned it for many years and I hate to go in there. He is strange, will not admit he doesn't have something and simply say "sorry" but rather will beat around the bush and finally give you some lame answer why "no one" will have what I need. Twice I've gone in to have a key made, one was for the camper shell of my truck, one was for a locking mail box (not a fancy key, more like an office desk key) and both times, when he didn't have the blank after much looking I got this standard pat answer from him "this is one of those 'security keys', hard to get blanks for them", so both times I drive up the road 15 miles to an ACE hardware under the same ownership for 30 or so years and noted for always having what you need. They have a huge selection of key blanks, and when I handed him the mailbox key, he asked what it was for, I told him, and he tells the guy who is going to make the key, "thats a Y eleven", and sure enough it was.

Small businessman are small for a reason......

Charles

lol, I work at an Ace Hardware. The Y11 is about the 5th most popular single cut key we sell. It's very common.

 

[justanengineer]

I have one of those, and Im not sure I would call it a key duplicator. Its more of a trainer...sort of. Those machines came with the basic Foley Belsaw locksmithing course. I acquired mine in 96, at age 13, when I became the youngest person to ever complete their course. That machine will both copy and cut keys according to code with the mic mounted on there, if you happen to know the code/depth relationship, but wont really do either well. My parents bought a fully automatic Curtis duplicating machine and a few thousand blanks for $500 a few years prior to my taking the course, and that was what we used for many years in our lock collecting hobby. We also have a 1930-40s ILCO duplicator that is hand cranked.

Good luck with your new toys. Nice pedestal lathe. Those are very fun lil toys.

 

[american lockpicker]

lock collecting hobby.

I have some interesting locks for sale if you are interested.

 

[MoToys]

IIRC(could be United Kingdom regs) you can't use the brush anymore you have to use a pull through type device now.

I've never heard of that in the US...every locksmith and hardware store I've been to (besides HD, Lowes, or Wally World) uses a brush on the key machine or a bench grinder to clean off the keys.

I'm with Jeff. The pull through ***** *** and does not deburr. Every machine in my shop has a brush.
OSHA however has visited our shop (due to some of the locations we job on), and required a cover or cage over any moving belts/parts on the machines. They did allow the wire brush to be accessible.

To the op. Make a dedicated drill bit sharpener.

 

[jeffmoss26]

All I used until I got my machine was the Ilco KD50 machines, the motor is covered up, there is a flip down plastic shield over the blade...not safe but safer than the older ones.
The ones HD uses just ****...we re-cut so many keys from them!

 

[justanengineer]

I have some interesting locks for sale if you are interested.

I appreciate the offer, but we have been on a break from that hobby for a few years now. Unfortunately the family's collection outgrew the second living room/lock shop in my parents' house so we decided to downsize a bit. We kept a few dozen of the more interesting locks and my father's collection of railroad locks, along with all of the tools in case anyone ever wanted to pick it back up but its not looking likely. Locks were fun when I was a kid, but Ive got larger mechanical toys to collect now.

If you have never been, the lock museum in Terryville CT is definitely worth the trip if youre into the hobby.

 

[Roybill3]

Just bought a 200 Belsaw at a garage sale yesterday. Looking for a copy of a Instruction Manual for it.

 

[volleyball]

I have a couple of key cutting machines. One was a prop on the original Hawaii Five O show. The other came with a lot of blanks for 60's 70's cars.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Just bought a 200 Belsaw at a garage sale yesterday. Looking for a copy of a Instruction Manual for it.

I may be able to find one...

 

[56FordGuy]

I think I've got one of these grinders floating around somewhere.

 

[gungatim]

why not use it to make keys? I've got one and cut a couple keys a year...sure you can buy them for a buck at the hardware store but what's the fun in that? btw, I buy blanks in bulk online pretty cheap, keep all the old GM and standard house lock blanks on hand...

 

[Maui]

Volleyball, I'll send you a PM if you're interested in swapping for some of those key blanks.

Maui

 

[Maui]

Here's some photos of my Curtis Keymatic 2000. After I cleaned it up and got it running, it works like a charm! It came with the key display and a lot of keys and paperwork, including the owner's manual. It's a very nice machine.

Maui

 

[volleyball]

Hey, that's my machine. Wheres the turnstile rack full of keys?

 

[Maui]

I have the turnstile, but I wasn't able to dig it out when I took these photos. It's FULL of keys. The ones that I show in the last photo in the bag are the keys that fell off of it when I brought it home. And they are a small fraction of the total.

Maui

 

[wolf_from_wv]

I may be able to find one...

I may have an electronic copy.