How to Make a Duplicate House Key

If you want to make a duplicate of a house key, you can take your original key to a hardware store or locksmith who can use a duplication machine to copy your key. But if you want to save a little bit of money, or live far away from a locksmith or hardware store, you can make your own copy at home. With the proper materials, such as a blank key, and careful filing technique, you should be able to achieve a duplicate key.

Blank key
Rotary tool
File
Clamp or vice

Instructions

- 1
  Clamp together your original key and a blank key. You can purchase a blank key, which is key without teeth, at a hardware store. When you clamp the keys together, make sure that they are facing in the same direction and that the original key's teeth are facing up.
- 2
  File down the blank key with a small file or rotary tool. You may want to use a rotary tool to work the blank key down to the tops of each of the original key's hills, then use the file to file away the key's valleys. Make sure you do not file the original key, as it can damage the key and render it unusable.
- 3
  Insert the blank key into the door and see if it works. If it does not work, you need to fine-tune the key's teeth with the file, making sure that it exactly matches the original key.

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