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KEYCUTTING
THE ENIGMA THAT IS KEY CUTTING
This month I want to take a look at the enigma that is Key Cutting. Currently in
the UK in excess of 60 million pounds each year is spent on having keys cut. This
simple function has moved on at a rapid rate and during the past five years has
taken a whole new meaning in the overall security and locksmith sectors.
While the majority of us take the keys in
our pocket for granted, it is a situation
that has evolved over a number of years.
My earliest memories of the man who
cut the keys were in the shape of a van
which called two or three times a year, in
the street in which we lived.
His business was to sharpen knives and
cut keys. It all seemed so simple; keys
were either the small key to which we all
referred to as the Yale key (rim cylinder) or
the mortice type key.
Keys then became more readily available
as a by-product of high street shoe repair
shops with the cutting of keys part of the
service they offered. This was subsequently
carried through by the nat