Rytan RY200 User manual

INCORPORATED
RYTAN, INC. RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES WITHOUT NOTICE. PRICES MAY VARY FROM YOUR DISTRIBUTOR.
READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS OPERATOR’S MANUAL AND BECOME
FAMILIAR WITH YOUR NEW MACHINE BEFORE YOU START CUTTING KEYS.
RY101 Wire Brush Kit
Included!
RY114 Key Gauge Protector
Included!
MA380 ADJUSTABLE STYLUS
.0005”Accurate
(1/2 thousanth!)
Included!
NEW 4-WAY JAWS
CLAMPS MORE KEYS
2-WAY
3-WAY
1-WAY
4-WAY
NEW CUTTER RY20030
and RY20028 STYLUS
CUT MORE KEYS
ADD $135.00
RY39 Auxillary Lamp Kit
ADDITIONAL COST
STRAIGHT
NOW YOU CAN CUT KEYS LIKE GM AND KWIKSET
TITAN FIRST CUT WITH ONE SIDE STRAIGHT,
LIKE THE FACTORY!
RY20005 Complete
Carriage Assembly
Included!
RYTAN, INC. - 1648 W. 134th St. - Gardena, CA. 90249 [phone] - fax [phone]
Model RY200
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
Rytan Model RY200 Semi-Automatic Key Duplicating Machine with 4-Way Jaws
for Cylinder Keys and Automotive Keys
CLAMPS MORE KEYS
NEW CUTTER AND STYLUS CUTS GM AND KWIKSET TITAN KEYS
BUILT IN MICRO-ADJUST STYLUS
Rytan Products are Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. GETTING STARTED
3. SAFETY RULES
4. MOUNTING THE MACHINE
5. CUTTING STANDARD KEYS
6. CUTTING DEEP CUTS
7. VISE JAWS
8. TOP SHOULDER GAUGING
9. CLAMPING KEYS
10. BEST and TIP GAUGING
11. RELEASING THE CARRIAGE
12. CUTTER SHAFT LOCK
13. REMOVING/REPLACING CUTTER
14. DEPTH ADJUSTMENT
15. SPACE ADJUSTMENT
16. KEY GAUGE ADJUSTMENT
17. CARRIAGE OVER TRAVEL ADJ.
18. MAINTENANCE
19. TROUBLESHOOTING
20. CUSTOMER INFORMATION
21. WARRANTY
22. PARTS BREAKDOWN

L. Secure keys properly in vises. Don’t hold key head for support when cutting. If it doesn’t
clamp properly, don’t try to cut it!
M. Maintain a sharp cutter wheel. A dull cutter wheel is not only inefficient but dangerous. A
dull cutter wheel can produce excessive cutting force on a key blank and exceed the machine’s
vise jaws clamping force to a point where the key blank could be ripped out of the machine.
N. Disconnect machine. When not in use, during servicing, or when changing cutter wheel and
accessory brush always disconnect the machine form its electrical power source.
O. Remove servicing wrenches. Remove all service tools from the machine before turning it on.
P. Always turn off machine. After cutting a key, turn off the machine before removing a cut
key and clamping another fresh blank.
Q. Always lock carriage back. After cutting a key, turn off the machine and lock the carriage
back to prevent accident or injury.
R. Outdoor use. When machine is used outdoors, use only extension cords suitable for outdoors
and that have a built-in third wire and ground terminal. NEVER CUT OFF
THE GROUND TERMINAL FROM THE MACHINE’S POWER PLUG!
S. Keep hands away from cutter and key blank. Keep hands away from rotating cutter.
Do not reach underneath or around cutter or key blank when cutter is rotating.
Do not attempt to remove key blank or key blank material while cutter is rotating.
T. Never use machine in an explosive atmosphere. For example, if your machine is in a service
vehicle with a fuel leak or spill, switching on the machine could ignite the fumes.
NOTE: A FLAMMABLE SOLVENT SPILL IN YOUR SHOP OR VAN IS EQUALLY DANGEROUS!
U. Inspect machine cord periodically. If damaged, repair at once.
V. Keep hands dry, clean and free from oil and grease.
W. Stay alert. Watch what you are doing and use common sense. Do not operate machine when
you are tired.
X. Do not use machine if switch does not turn the machine ON and OFF.
Y. Drugs, Alcohol, Medication. Do not operate machine while under the influence of drugs,
alcohol, or any medication.
Z. The operation of any key machine can result in foreign objects being thrown into the eyes,
which can result in severe eye damage. Always wear safety glasses or eye shields before
commencing key machine operation. We recommend wide vision safety mask for use
over spectacles or standard safety glasses.
AA. Save these instructions.
4. MOUNTING THE MACHINE
Drill two oversized ½” holes in your bench top to mount the machine. Use ½” – 13 bolts from your local
hardware store. Carefully turn the machine up-side-down and measure the spacing of the two tapped holes
on the bottom of your machine (be careful not to set the machine on the power switch). Turn the machine
right-side-up and place the machine where you want it on your work bench. Mark the bench and drill your
holes.
2

5. CUTTING STANDARD KEYS
A. Most key clamping requirements use the standard jaw “A” configuration. Jaw requirements to make
deeper cuts in small keys, or to clamp other types of keys simply loosen the key clamp knob a few extra
turns and lift-and-turn the jaw assemblies from A” to “B” to “C” to “D”.
B. Keys are always gauged with the full-function flip-up key gauges. We do not recommend bottom
shoulder gauging because key blank manufacturers do not always maintain a reliable correlation between
bottom and top shoulder positions on the key blanks they make.
C. Always remember to flip down your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do so will prevent the
key from being cut by the cutter wheel.
D. Always cut keys from Bow-to-Tip. NEVER MAKE YOUR FIRST CUT FROM
TIP-TO-BOW.
The RY200 is specifically designed to cut most cylinder keys and U.S. and Foreign automotive keys by operating
the machine’s “stick-shift” lever SMOOTHLY from Right-to-Left. The key will be cut properly starting at the
Bow and ending at the tip of the key. It is O.K. to make a “cleanup” cut back to the bow of the key ONLY after the
key has already been cut from Bow to tip.
NOTE: If an excessive amount of key blank material is removed on the cleanup cut (second cut) your cutter may
need replacing or re-sharpening. Rytan can sharpen your dull cutter.
6. CUTTING DEEP CUTS IN SMALL KEYS
A. Most key clamping requirements use the standard jaws “A” configuration. If you are making deep
cuts you may have to rotate to the “B” jaw configuration. You must loosen the painted key clamping
knobs a few turns,turn the vise and retighten.
Make sure your vise jaws are clean (with no chips in the way) and as you secure the vise jaw on to your key - be
sure to push the key into the jaw firmly and make sure they remain flat, and parallel into the vise jaws when
tightening the large painted key clamp knob
When clamping keys in the jaws be sure to open the jaws ONLY enough to slide the key in place.
Please see below for more Vise Jaw information.
B. Keys are always gauged with the full-function flip-up key gauges.
C. Always remember to Flip Down your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do so will
not cut the key.
D. Switch ON your machine and operate the “stick-shift” lever until the stylus is right over the left
edge of the first cut closest to the bow of the key, gently press down on the carriage with the black
tear-drop hand, then reach down and pull out the carriage release (small round black knob) and release
the carriage. You may ease up on the carriage and manipulate the carriage controls to make a smooth
gentle cut down the left edge of the first “V” cut in the key to the last cut on the tip of the key - cutting
all cuts on the key.
E. You may want to reverse the direction of the carriage and make a “clean-up” cut back to the
bow of the key.
F. Push down and lock back your carriage. Turn OFF the machine.
NOTE: CUTTING STEEL KEYS IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Cutting steel keys will accelerate cutter wear. Some steel keys will ruin your cutter wheel with just one pass.
NOTE: Some automotive presentation keys are made of Hardened Steel and can ruin the cutter wheel instantly!
Don’t be fooled by the decorative Gold, Brass, or Silver plating on these keys.
3

“D” JAW
(0.260” deep)
Fig.1
STANDARD “A” JAW
(0.142” deep) “C” JAW
(0.260” deep)
Fig.2
STANDARD “B” JAW
(0.105” deep)
A
C
D
B
Suggestion: Keep a small magnet near your key machine to identify steel keys. Before cutting a steel key
try filing a small groove where one of the deeper cuts will be made – if the key won’t file easily it won’t cut
any better in your key machine and will most likely ruin your cutter!
7. VISE JAWS
Choosing the correct vise jaw. For most key cutting work the jaws can remain in the standard “A”
configuration. In the standard configuration the entire “throat” of the jaws is used. Measuring from the
front faces of the “A” vise jaw and into the throat of the jaws – you will measure .142”. This throat
dimension of .142” is how much of the key is consumed by the vise jaws when the key is clamped.
Most keys are rarely cut deeper than .142” from the back edge of the key blade.
Some padlock keys and some General Motors keys have cuts deeper than .142” from the back edge of the
key blade. For these keys you can flip your vise jaws to “B”. Loosen the vise jaw a few turns, flip the vise
jaws to “B” and retighten the large painted knob. You must do both vise jaws for this to work. Your “B”
key machine vise jaws now have a “throat” of .105” to clamp the key.
CHANGING THE VISE JAW
Your new jaws can be rotated from the “A” jaws to “B”, “C”, or “D” vise jaws by just turning them.
VISE JAW REPLACEMENT
Either vise jaw assembly may be replaced at any time. Inspect your vise jaws for uneven clamping and referencing surfaces.
Replace when jaws appear worn. Accelerated wear occurs when you clamp double-sided steel keys such as Volkswagen.
Clamping pre 1984- ½ Ford double-sided keys too far to the right into the vise jaws may cause wear to the left edges of both
top and bottom vise jaws. The damage is due to the “wedged” shaped milling of these keys as you approach the bow of the key.
This can be observed if you open the vises only enough to insert the key.
4

CLAMPS MORE KEYS
NEW 4-WAY VISES
A
B
C
D
RY20080 KNOB WITH SHAFT ASSY.
RY82 3-PC THRUST BEARING ASSY.
RY20089 TOP VISE, JAW 4-WAY
RY20047 BOTTON VISE, 4-WAY
RY20046 VISE PLUNGER
Fig. 4
RY10054 Key Gauge
Protector (red)
RY10049Key Gauge Shaft
RY9278 Vinyl Cap (red)
Key Gauge
RY10050 Left-Hand Key Gauge
RY10048 Right-Hand Key Gauge
Key Vise Knob
(with) RY82
3-piece Thrust
Bearing Assy.
Top 4-way Jaw
Bottom 4-way Jaw
VISE JAW REPLACEMENT
Vise jaws (cartridges) are replaced in pairs as an assembly, a matched set consisting of (one top jaw and one bottom jaw),
you will need two sets for your key machine. You will disassemble and re-install the old plungers, springs, and screws.
Or you can buy a complete set with the plunger, top jaw, bottom jaw, screws and springs. Simply drop the (cartridges)
in place, you will need two cartridges. You will reuse your RY2008 Knob with Shaft assy., and the RY82 thrust bearings.
Coat all steel sliding surfaces with a light coating of grease when installing the vises.
8. TOP SHOULDER KEY GAUGING
Standard cylinder keys should always be top shoulder gauged. Use the machine’s full-function flip-up key gauges.
We do not recommend bottom shoulder gauging because key blank manufacturers do not always maintain a reliable
correlation between bottom and top shoulder positions on the key blanks they make.
Always remember to flip DOWN your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do will prevent your key machine from
cutting the key.
5
Fig. 3

BD
CA
AC
CA
Key must fit
against Top Jaw
Key must fit
against Bottom Jaw
Key ridge on
Bottom side
Key ridge on
Top side
Fig. 8
Fig. 7
Fig. 6
Fig. 5
1. CLAMPING KEYS
Open the vise jaws only wide enough to slide the key in. With the key all the way into the “throat”
of the vise jaws - put your index finger against the key blade and with moderate force against the
key in to the vise jaw, gently slide the key left and right a few times (about 1/8” will do) to “seat”
the key into the vise jaws. With the bottom shoulder of a standard cylinder key is about 1/32”
away from the edge of the vise jaws CLAMP the key with the key clamp knob –continue pressing
against the blade of the key with your finger as you tighten the key clamp knob.
When both keys have been properly gauged and clamped in the vise jaws REMEMBER to flip down
the full-function key gauges before attempting to cut the key. Failure to flip down the key gauges
will prevent you key machine from cutting the key.
KEY CLAMPING . . . (Ford double-sided keys)
Keys such as Ford double-sided ignition and door do not have a top shoulder to gauge from.
Open the vise jaws “A” vises ONLY enough to slide in the thinnest part of the key. (See Fig. 5 & 6)
Slide in the key blank and allow the full thickness “ridge” of the key to contact the face of the vise jaw.
Clamp the key into the vise jaws so that its cuts are approximately centered in the vise jaws.
Ignition key “ridge” will contact the face of the TOP vise jaw.
Door and trunk key “ridge” will contact the face of the BOTTOM vise jaw. See Fig. 5 & 6 below..
Keys such as Chicago double sided and others should use vises “D” and “C” to clamp into the groove
near the center of the blank. (See Fig. 7 & 8)
TIP OR BEHIND THE TIP KEY GAUGING.
Operate the full-function key gauges by rotating the key gauge shaft toward you - then push to the right on
the key gauge shaft while continuing to rotate the key gauge until the key gauge aligns itself with the tip of
the key. Or behind the TIP as in Best keys.
6

Fig. 10
Always remember to flip DOWN your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do so will prevent the
key from being cut.
10. BEST AND FALCON (BEHIND THE TIP) KEY GAUGING
These keys must be gauged from a “tip” location that is behind the actual tip of the key. Position the
key in the vise so that the “tip” edge of the key is about 1/32” (or less) from the right edge of the vise jaws.
Operate the full –function key gauges by rotating the key gauge shaft toward you - then push to
the right on the key gauge shaft while continuing to rotate the key gauge shaft until the key gauge
slides past the actual tip of the key. Slowly release the key gauge shaft and allow the key gauge
to rest on the “tip” location that is behind the actual tip of the key. See figure 11 and figure 12.
Always remember to flip DOWN your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do so will
prevent the key from being cut.
11. RELEASING THE CARRIAGE
For safety reasons - releasing the carriage requires two actions. With your right hand, push down
gently on the carriage’s large “teardrop” knob just enough to push the carriage down a small distance.
While holding the carriage down reach around with your thumb and index finger and grasp the small
round black knob and pull it out and hold it there. When the small round black knob is pulled out -
gently lift up on the carriage a small distance and THEN let go of the small round black knob and
continue positioning the carriage where you want it to be (you will want to move the carriage to the
beginning of the first cut nearest the bow of the key).
NOTE: You will not be able to pull the small black knob by itself to release the carriage. You must push
down on the carriage first – then pull out the small black knob to release the carriage. See figure 11.
ALWAYS REMEMBER to flip down your key gauges before cutting a key. Failure to do so will prevent
the key from being cut.
PLEASE. . . DON’T FORGET to turn off your key machine before removing a cut key and reloading
another key blank.
LOCK THE CARRIAGE BACK (after cutting a key). Push DOWN on the carriage’s large “teardrop”
knob until the carriage “clicks” into the locked position.
7

CUT STRAIGHT
New Cutter will cut
straight on left side
of key cut
Adjustable Stylus
(.0005”) one-half
thousanth INCH
NEW 4-WAY VISES
CLAMPS MORE KEYS
2-WAY
3-WAY
1-WAY
4-WAY
Cutter
Shaft
LOCK
Power Switch
UP - ON
Down - off
Fig. 12
To Release Carriage
CUT STRAIGHT
1. Using your right hand
PRESS down on the
carriage.
Then PULL the release
button.
2. PULL the release button.
PRESS DOWN
New Cutter will cut
straight on left side
Adjustable Stylus
NEW 4-WAY VISES
CLAMPS MORE KEYS
2-WAY
3-WAY
1-WAY
4-WAY
Fig. 11
SWITCH “ON” YOUR MACHINE
The power switch is located at the lower right, front of the machine. See figure 12.
To switch ON pull the power switch up.
To switch OFF push the power switch DOWN.
12. CUTTER SHAFT LOCK
To remove the cutter you must lock the cutter and cutter shaft in position before using a 1” wrench
to remove the cutter.
8

Press DOWN firmly on the cutter shaft lock. While holding the lever down - rotate the cutter by hand until
the cutter shaft lock “clicks” in to position. When turning the cutter by hand there is only ONE locking
position to be found. Once the cutter shaft lock is fully depressed - Hold it There. You may now proceed
with removing the cutter shaft lock nut and the cutter.
PLEASE . . . DON’T FORGET to pull UP on the cutter shaft lock when you are finished reinstalling the
cutter wheel. Pulling UP on the cutter shaft lock releases the cutter and the cutter shaft from the locked
position. Failure to unlock the cutter when attempting to cut a key may result in no rotation of the cutter.
Please note - the motor may be powerful enough to slip the belt and permanently damage it by wearing a
flat spot on the belt.
13. REMOVING/REPLACING THE CUTTER
REMOVING THE CUTTER
The cutter wheel is secured to the cutter shaft with a LEFT-HAND NUT. You must turn the nut to the RIGHT
(facing the cutter wheel) to remove it.
9
FIG. 13
R
Y
2
0
0
3
0
C
U
T
T
E
R
INCORPORATED
UNDO
LEFT-HAND THREAD

Remember to LOCK the cutter before removing the cutter wheel.
Use a 1” open-end or hex wrench to remove the Left-Hand Nut. See Fig. 13.
REPLACING THE CUTTER
Before your replace the cutter - clean off any cuttings from the cutter shaft with a clean rag. Apply
a small amount of grease to the cutter shaft face, shank, and threads before installing the cutter
wheel and Left-Hand Nut.
DON’T OVERTIGHTEN the cutter wheel nut - The Left-Hand Nut is self tightening as you use it.
Overtightening the cutter wheel nut may make it harder to remove later and may result in damaging
the cutter shaft lock or cutter pulley later when you remove the cutter at a later date.
Loosen TWO
SCREWS “lightly”
Strike Cutter Shaft lightly to nudge cutter
to its new position. NOTE: You can
strike the other end of the cutter shaft to
nudge the cutter in the other direction.
CARRIAGE
Over-travel
Key Gauge
Dial
Key Gauge
Fig. 14
10

14. DEPTH ADJUSTMENT
Depth is adjusted at the back end of the stylus.
To adjust the depth you will need.
 Piece of writing paper cut to approximately 1” x 4”.
Two identical key blanks – measure blade width with micrometer or dial calipers and select two that match.
Before you begin please make sure that both vise jaws are in the standard “A” configuration.
Depth is adjusted by moving the stylus forward or backward by means of an adjustment dial located at
the back of the stylus.
Secure the two matched key blanks - one in each vise jaw. Please note: Clamp the keys into the vise jaws with
about 1/32” gap between the bottom shoulder of the key and the left-side edge of the vise jaws.
DO NOT bottom shoulder the keys into the vises - there may be a small radius in the corner of the key blank’s blade
and the bottom shoulder area. Clamping in this area may ANGLE the key blank in the vise and throw off your
adjustment by cutting to shallow near the key head.
With the keys clamped in the vises and with the stylus adjusted forward about 1 turn - carefully release the carriage
and position it so the key in the left vise jaw LIGHTLY contacts the stylus about in the middle of the key blank’s
blade.
CUT STRAIGHT
New Cutter will cut
straight on left side
of key cut
Adjustable Stylus
(.0005”) one-half
thousanth INCH
NEW 4-WAY VISES
CLAMPS MORE KEYS
2-WAY
3-WAY
1-WAY
4-WAY
Cutter
Shaft
LOCK
Power Switch
UP - ON
Down - off
Fig. 15
Observe that the cutter wheel missed the key blank in the right vise by carefully turning the cutter BACKWARDS by
hand - the cutter teeth should miss the key blank blade. The reason for turning the cutter backwards is to prevent
any cutter teeth from removing material off the key blank’s blade before you make your adjustments.
Turning the cutter backwards will bump the key blank without cutting it - if the stylus was not adjusted forward
enough to miss the key blank.
Upon verifying that the cutter wheel misses the key blank – you may switch ON your key machine.
Take the 1” x 4” piece of writing paper you made earlier and hold one end of it between the spinning cutter wheel
and the blade of the key blank.
Use your hand to slowly and carefully turn the Dial – at the same time we recommend that you slowly move
the 1” x 4” piece of paper from side to side along the blade of the key blank to assist you in detecting when
the cutter wheel’s teeth first contact the paper. When the cutter wheel first contacts the paper the paper will
be shaved almost without any sound – you must back off the stylus very slowly for this to work.
Once you have the cutter wheel touching the paper you may slow down the procedure to very small increments,
1 number at a time - each time moving the piece of paper from side to side in front of the spinning cutter wheel.
Stop when the piece of paper is cut through to the last few fibers. You have now accurately adjusted the depth
of cut on your key machine.
11

screws to keep the cutter shaft assembly in place so you can’t move it with your hand – but you can move it
with gentle-to-moderate tapping with your small plastic mallet.
Turn the cutter BACKWARDS with your hand and observe which way you must move the cutter. Use your
small plastic mallet to “nudge” the cutter shaft assembly in the direction you want it to go. It is a good idea
to verify the cutter position in the “V” cut in the key after every “tap” of the small plastic mallet. Verify your
results by turning the cutter backwards with your hand. Also, verify that the stylus is properly seated in the
“V” cut in the left-hand key. Adjust the position of the carriage using the machine’s “stick-shift” lever as
required to keep the stylus seated in the “V” cut in the key.
Continue with this procedure until you are satisfied with the position of the cutter. Once you are satisfied
you may wish to turn ON your key machine and observe the spinning cutter wheel in the “V” cut in the key.
This test must only be done AFTER you have turned the cutter wheel backwards by hand and verify that no
cutter wheel teeth will contact either side of the “V” cut in the key. With the machine running you may want
to slightly “nudge” the spinning cutter a little more before retightening the two #10 –32 screws
MODERATELY.
Switch OFF the key machine.
Tighten the two screws using the 5/32” Allen Hex Wrench.
IMPORTANT – Verify that your depth adjustment is correct and readjust if necessary.
16. KEY GAUGE ADJUSTMENT
Stack two identical key blanks one on top of the other and clamp in the right-hand vise jaw. Be sure to
BOTTOM SHOULDER GAUGE them. DO NOT use the machine’s flip-up full-function key gauges.
There should be NO key blank in the left vise jaw for this part of the procedure.
Switch ON the key machine and carefully release the carriage and position it so the cutter wheel will make a
cut in about the middle of the blade of the key blanks. Hold the machine’s “stick-shift” lever steady and
carefully make a straight “V” cut into the two-piece key blank stack - go all the way to the carriage’s built-in
over-travel stop and move the machine’s “stick-shift” lever to the LEFT making a wide cut slightly more
than ¼” wide.
Pull the carriage back and SWITCH OFF the key machine.
Remove the two key blanks from the right-hand vise jaw.
Reinstall one key blank in the Right vise jaw- use BOTTOM SHOULDER GAUGING. DO NOT use the
machine’s flip-up full-function key gauges.
Install the other key blank in the Left vise jaw - use BOTTOM SHOULDER GAUGING. DO NOT use the
machine’s flip-up full function key gauges.
NOW flip up the machine’s full-function key gauges and place them in the wide grooves cut in the keys.
Adjust the key gauges as necessary by loosening the key gauge’s fastening screws - retighten the screws
when you are finished.
The key gauges now match the spacing of the vise jaws.
You MUST verify and readjust, if necessary, the machine’s spacing and adjustment.
13

17. CARRIAGE OVER TRAVEL DEPTH ADJUSTMENT
Your key machine is equipped with a depth over travel device. Its adjustment is important. The over
travel device prevents the cutter wheel from cutting into the vise jaws when there are no keys clamped in
the machine. Setting the depth over travel device too high will prevent deep cuts from being made - they
will not get cut all the way down into the key blank.
To adjust the depth over travel you will need:
 Slot Head Screwdriver
 7/16” Wrench
 Three pieces of writing paper - cut to approximately 1” x 4” each.
Close both vise jaws without keys in them. Release the carriage and position it so the stylus and cutter
wheel are in about the middle of the vise jaws.
Loosen the 7/16” Hex Jam Nut on the front of the carriage.
Loosen the ¼” – 20 slotted screw stud with your screwdriver. About 1 turn should be enough. Observe
that the stylus is touching the face of the closed vise jaw.
Gently turn the slotted screw stud with your screwdriver in the clockwise direction and stop when you
feel the stud contact the key machine’s main housing. There is a 3” long hardened roll pin in the
machine’s main housing that the slotted screw stud will contact.
Turn the slotted screw stud an additional ¼ turn – after contacting the roll pin the machine’s main
housing. The thread pitch is 20 which is approximately 12 thousands of an inch per ¼ turn. Tighten the
7/16” Hex Jam Nut on the slotted screw stud - use moderate tightness.
After tightening the 7/16” not - check the gap between the stylus and the face of the closed vise jaws.
Use three pieces of 1” x 4” writing paper you made earlier. They equal a combined thickness of about 9
thousandths of an inch. Readjust if necessary.
IMPORTANT: Carriage over travel will work only when adjusted properly. The following things can
happen if the adjustment is not done properly.
a) If adjusted to low your cutter wheel may cut into the right-hand vise jaw.
b) If adjusted to high your cutter wheel may not cut deep enough when cutting deep cuts in keys.
c) Carriage over travel will not prevent cutting the right-hand top vise jaw if the top vise jaw has
come loose and has moved forward into the cutter. PLEASE check the tightness of the knurled
knobs OFTEN.
18. MAINTENANCE
UNPLUG YOUR MACHINE PRIOR TO MAINTENANCE
Your machine is time proven with good design, engineering and modern manufacturing practices. You
can service virtually anything on your machine yourself. There are no special tools, fixtures or alignment
jigs required to install the parts used in this key machine. Because Rytan manufactures the machines
in-house you are assured a supply of new replacement parts and updates for as long as YOU want us to
make the machines.
Keep your machine clean and lubricated and it will remain a productive asset to your business for a very
long time.
14

What key machine operators often forget is if the depth adjustment is off by as little as 1-1/2 thousandths of an
inch (.0015”) they will accumulate generations. In as little as five generations the key probably won’t work in the
lock.
In reality, generation cutting is a representation of the entire key cutting process (key machine, operator, and
adjustments) and the results you get are either good or bad – but you don’t learn the reason why you are getting
good or bad results. Your results do not indicate the quality of the key machine, the quality of the operator, or the
quality of the adjustments made to the machine. All questions remain unanswered.
There is only one way to get good results on a consistent bases. Buy a quality-built heavy-duty key machine,
don’t abuse it, and keep it well maintained and adjusted at all times. Keep an eye on cutter sharpness, the integrity
of the stylus, the fit of the vise jaws, the fit of the key gauge shaft to the carriage, and the fit of the cutter shaft to
the bearings. Any situations in these areas will decrease the performance and accuracy of the machine. When
parts start to wear – replace them.
In addition to a quality machine and its maintenance you need an accurate measuring tool such as a dial caliper or
key micrometer (preferably mechanical digital).
Measuring True Key Machine Accuracy
The proper way to measure key machine accuracy is to take the key you are going to duplicate from and measure
it. Measure each cut from the back edge of the blade of the key. Measure each cut several times and record their
average. Compare the results. There is really no substitute for the procedure if you want to make accurate
duplicate keys. Generation cutting will not give you meaningful results like this procedure.
19. TROUBLESHOOTING
Machine Always Needs Adjustment
There are several things that can cause your machine to need adjustment.
1. Cutter wheel may be dull. This can cause the key to try to “float” and not cut deep enough in the deepest
cuts. Replace or resharpen the cutter.
2. Carriage spring may be weak or adjusted to light. Replace the spring or adjust the spring.
3. Stylus may be worn. Check it carefully, if there is a groove worn in the stylus you may get deep and
shallow cuts on different brands of keys. For example when cutting Ford double sided keys the ignition
key will be cut high on the stylus and the door key will cut low on the stylus – Schlage C keys are cut
more in the middle of the stylus. This may seem like an extreme case – but it happens every day.
Replace the stylus.
4. Carriage shaft and bearings are worn. Check for excess “wobble”. Replace the carriage shaft and bronze
Oilite ® bearings.
5. Cutter shaft bearings are worn. Check for any “wobble” or in-out play. Replace the cutter shaft
assembly.
6. One key cuts fine and the next doesn’t. You adjust and readjust all the time. The problem may be the
carriage depth over travel adjustment is set too high. This results in the machine’s inability to cut the
deepest cuts on a key – but shallower cuts are fine. This symptom is more common than you think.
Fix the problem by readjusting the Carriage Over travel Depth Adjustment.
7. Again – one key cuts fine and the next one doesn’t. This time it may be the key gauges. Sometimes key
machine operators don’t flip down the full-function key gauges all the way down and the left-hand key
gauge CRASHES into the stylus holder and knocks the key gauges out of position. The key they’re
cutting is O.K. but the next key they duplicate won’t work in the lock. If you ever CRASH the left-hand
key gauge into the stylus holder – fix the key gauges right away. See Key Gauge Adjustment for how to
do it.
Keys don’t always work in the lock when gauged off the bottom shoulder stop. This is a common problem caused by the
key blank manufacturers. In recent years many of the key blank manufacturers have stopped paying attention to the bottom
shoulder stop on most key blanks since they are seldom used by the lock cylinder.
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1. We’ve seen Schlage C key blanks with variations of up to 15 thousandths of an inch (.015”)
between top and bottom shoulder positions – between keys taken from the same box. It happens more
often than you think. The solution? Don’t bottom shoulder gauge your keys anymore.
Cutter Stalls Out
There are six possible causes for this problem.
1. You are cutting keys from Tip-to-Bow. This one can fool you if you’re not careful. Cutting keys
from tip to bow will work when you cut only shallow keys—sometimes a shop can cut keys all day long
and never hit upon a key with a deep cut. You think everything is O.K. when all of a sudden your cutter
stops dead halfway along the key. The problem? The deep cut put the cutter into the key past the cutter
tooth area on the left side of the cutter—you just reinvented the disk brake! SOLUTION—ALWAYS
CUT FROM BOW-TO-TIP.
2. Oil on the belt and pulleys. Clean the pulleys with safety solvent and install a new drive belt.
3. Left-hand nut securing the cutter wheel isn’t tight.
4. Belt tension needs to be increase and/or replaced the drive belt.
5. You’re in your service vehicle. You’re Redi-Line generator needs repair, or your wiring needs
replacing (usually from the battery to the Redi-Line), or your battery is weak. Another possibility is that
you’ve been using a power converter and it is marginal.
6. Your cutter wheel is really dull.
Stylus Shaves Material Off Key
The situation is caused by the fact that the cutter wheel is made to a sharp point and therefore to cut keys
accurately the stylus must also be made with a sharp edge. A key blank dragged across a sharp edged
stylus has no choice but to scrape material from the key blank. The solution is to lightly “blunt” the sharp
edge of the stylus. This has to be done carefully because if the edge of the stylus is blunted to much you
will narrow the width of the pin seat somewhere in the middle—if the stylus is sharp it will scrape the key
to much, if the stylus is blunted to much it will produce a duplicate key with a slightly narrower pin seat
area.
If you’re going to cut more than 5 or 10 duplicates off one key we recommend that you make “first”
generation keys and then make additional duplicates off of them. For example if you had to make 50
duplicates off the same key you should make 5 or 10 “first” duplicates and make 5 or 10 duplicates off of
each of them. This is a classic example of why your key machine should always be maintained in perfect
depth and space adjustment.
Cutter Leaves Ridges on Cut Key
This situation is related to the example above. The cutter wheel is made with a dead-sharp edge or point.
You will always get ridges on the cut stylus wears—until finally you have to buy a new cutter or get the
old cutter resharpened or replace the stylus. When you put on the new or resharpened cutter or stylus
you’re back to ridges again.
Machine Makes Whirring Sound
There are four possible causes.
1. The sound is coming from the motor. With the machine turned OFF-grab the motor shaft and try
to get some movement out of tit when trying to move the shaft up and down. If there is up and down
movement the motor ball bearings are worn and the motor will need replacement some time in the future.
Please ignore any motor shaft play when pushing or pulling the shaft along its length in and out of the
motor—this play is in the motor’s spring preloaded ball bearings and is not a sign of bearing wear.
2. Your drive belt is coming apart or is frayed. Replace it.
Your ball bearing cutter wheel shaft assembly is wearing out. With the machine turned OFF—grab the cutter
wheel’s left-hand nut and try to get some movement out of it. There should be absolutely no movement—if
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3. there’s movement in the bearings you need to replace the cutter shaft assembly. If there is no
movement it may be the other bearing next to the drive pulley—you will have to remove the drive
belt to be able to check it out. Another possibility is the way some of the ball bearing cages are
made inside the bearings—these ball cages have an assembly opening created at the bearing
factory. These bearings sometimes make a slight “ticking” sound. In this case the sound may not
be a problem.
4. The machine’s cutter shaft lock is partially depressed and is rubbing against the drive pulley. Pull
up on the shaft lock knob and the sound should disappear.
Machine Won’t Start
There are several things that can cause this besides the obvious—plug in the machine and check the power line.
1. If you are running 12 Volt D.C.—check the fuse and ALL the wiring and connections.
2. Key cuttings in the motor’s capacitor. Unplug the machine, remove the capacitor’s rubber cover
and blow out the chips. Remember to wear safety glasses.
3. Remove the machine’s access plate—check the wiring connections and switch. Repair or replace
as necessary.
4. Cutter shaft lock is in the locked position.
Cutter Wheel Didn’t Seem to Last Long
Several things can cause this to happen.
1. The cutter will last the longest if it only duplicates brass keys.
2. Premium quality Nickel-Silver key blanks are abrasive to the cutter wheel and will dull the cutter
more rapidly than brass keys. Here’s what you can do to get the maximum life out of your cutter
wheel on these premium blanks.
a) Duplicate them a little slower. Racing through the job, especially in large rekeying jobs will put more wear
on the cutter wheel than going a little slower. The machine’s high-speed “stick-shift” feature, extremely
powerful motor and extra large diameter cutter are a real temptation to push the machine faster and faster.
b) You should charge a little bit more money for cutting premium key blanks and put that difference aside for
the purchase of a new cutter.
3. You really cut more keys than you thought you did. Often we calculate how many months the
cutter lasted instead of how many keys you cut. If you really want to know how long your cutter
lasted—keep an accurate inventory of your key blanks—or put a simple mechanical counter on
your key machine and you’ll be surprised with results.
4. You cut steel keys. You can cut them, but we don’t recommend it. No question about it—steel
keys are hard on cutters….period!
5. You cut a beautiful brand new Automotive “Presentation” key that the customer brought in. You
cut the key and “toasted” the cutter. What you cut was a Gold plated hardened steel key. They’re
out there—they were made by mistake sometime ago and they continue to surface from time to
time. Best thing to do is:
a). Never cut a key that’s brought in by your customer. Cut only what you know and make sure it always
comes from YOUR inventory.
b). Place a small magnet near your key machine. Test any key that’s suspicious—if it’s magnetic its not
brass or Nickel-Silver...period.
Cutter Wobbles
This situation may be caused by a key cutting on the face of the cuter shaft preventing the cutter wheel from seating
properly. Fix it by removing the cutter wheel and cleaning all the surfaces and reinstalling the cutter wheel. If the cutter
wheel still wobbles its time to replace the cutter shaft assembly with a new one. REMEMBER: Cutter wheel is secured
with a Left-Hand Nut. You must “tighten” to loosen.
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Cutter Leaves Big Burrs on Cut Keys
A sharp cutter requires almost no deburring. A dull cutter requires a lot of deburring. A dull cutter
seems to make the keys “float” and you’re always “force-feeding” the keys into the stylus and cutter
wheel. Replace the cutter or get it resharpened. Call us for resharpening details.
My Resharpened Cutter Doesn’t Work Well
The cutter resharpening service didn’t have it reground – instead you went to a service that used a
different means of sharpening such as etching or striking. Simply put… your cutter wheel should
always be resharpened by grinding –and you will need a quality service to do it right. Call us for
quality resharpening details.
I’m Mobile and My Power Converter Won’t Work
Your 115 VAC motor needs a mobile generator to work properly. Power Converters work fine on
electric drills, TV’s and radios. Many split phase capacitor motors do not work well on some power
converters. Buy a Redi-Line or similar motor/generator and you’ll get the performance you need.
I’m Mobile and My Machine Won’t Cut Keys
You have your 12 Volt D.C, motor wired in reverse or you are using a small wire gauge. Reverse the
wiring connections and/or use heavier wire such as 14 Gauge or heavier.
I’m Mobile and I Keep Breaking Shoulder Screws in My “Stick-Shift” Linkages
This situation is caused by a combination of the weight of your carriage (about 9 pounds) in the locked
back position and aggravated by the bouncing around of the service vehicle driving on the roads. You
can fix the situation once and for all by releasing the carriage when it’s not in use – put a piece of
heavy cardboard, a small piece of wood or even a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet
WHEN DO I REPLACE. . .
a) Replace the cutter wheel when deburring the key seems to take longer than normal. Replace
the cutter wheel when you find yourself “assisting” or “force-feeding” the carriage more
often,especially in deep cuts. NOTE: Rytan’s key machine cutter can be resharpened.
Call us for details.
b) Resharpen your cutters in sets. Store your old cutters until you’ve accumulated at least
three cutters – then call us about resharpening them to all the same size. When you have
them all resharpened to the same size you will have to readjust your key machine only ONCE
for all your resharpened cutters.
c) Replace your key machine’s stylus when you can see a worn spot such as a slight groove
and/or excessive rounding of the otherwise sharp stylus.
d) Replace vise jaws when the edges become rounded, flaired, mushroomed or when you’ve
cut into them too many times.
e) Replace the key gauge shaft and/or carriage when the key gauge shaft wobbles in the
carriage excessively.
f) Replace the carriage shaft and bronze Oilite® bearings when you can wobble them
beyond “just noticeable”.
g) Replace the drive belt yearly if you use the machine a lot. Every 3-5 years if you have a
low volume shop.
h) Replace the cutter shaft assembly when you hear a whiring, grinding or buzzing sound
(do not mistake the drive belt sound) or when you can feel any movement in the cutter shaft
assembly when you test it.
i) Replace the power switch if you accidentally bump it, or hit it, or drop something on it.
j) Replace the power cord when it begins to show signs of wear or cracking. If your machine
is 5 years old or more you should consider replacing it just in case for safety reasons.
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HOW DO I REPLACE. . .
UNPLUG MACHINE BEFORE REPLACING PARTS
The Stylus
Loosen the two #10-32 socket head cap screws on top of the stylus holder with a 5/32”
Allen hex wrench. Pull out the stylus and reinstall a new one. Be sure to place the
groove near the back end of the stylus on to the right side of the machine. Make sure
you cannot wobble the stylus from side-to-side with your hand.
The Cutter Shaft
Remove the left-hand nut and cutter wheel. Remove the access plate and wire brush if
installed on your RY200 and loosen the four motor mounting screws to loosen the drive belt.
Loosen the two #10-32 socket head cap screws located on the top front edge of the cutter
head – use your 3/16” Allen hex wrench. Loosen them about 1 full turn each.
Pull out the entire cutter shaft assembly and replace with a new one. Reassemble in the
reverse order from above.
The Carriage Spring
Turn the machine over on a piece of thick carpet (you don’t want to damage the power switch
located on the front of the machine). Use your 3/16” Allen hex wrench and remove the ¼-20
x ¾” long socket head cap screw that secures the linkage to the “stick-shift” lever’s drive
shaft. Drop the linkage assembly and pull out the “stick-shift” lever and drive shaft
assembly. Leave the two piece linkage assembly attached to the carriage shaft.
If your carriage spring is still attached – firmly grasp the linkages with your left hand and use
the linkages as a lever to hold the carriage shaft from turning when you release the carriage.
With your right hand release the carriage in the same way you would do if you were going to
cut a key. This will require a bit of muscle in your left hand because you’re trying to hold
onto the linkages while trying to release the carriage against the carriage spring at the same
time.
When you’ve released the carriage you will notice that everything got easy all of a sudden
and the carriage spring will probably fall out by itself. At the bottom of the carriage there is
a1/4” wide slot with a pin in it – use a small hammer and drive the pin to nearly flush with
the bottom of the carriage.
From the front of the carriage install a new carriage spring and reinstall the retaining pin -
the retaining pin will lay in a milled groove on the face of the carriage. Hold the spring and
its pin in place and manipulate the other end of the carriage spring onto the ¼” diameter
grooved pin going through the carriage shaft. If the spring won’t reach to the pin you have
your carriage in the locked back position - release the carriage and manipulate the carriage
and carriage shaft (hold onto the linkages like you did before when you released the carriage)
until the end of the carriage spring can be fitted over the ¼” diameter grooved pin.
Now holding the linkages attached to the carriage shaft with your left hand at the same time holding
the carriage spring and retaining pin in place with your right hand – cock the carriage back to its
locked back position. Once again you will need some muscle power to hold onto the linkages
attached to the carriage shaft to keep the shaft from turning. Once the carriage is in the locked back
position everything gets easy again
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Remove 1/4-20 screw.
Carriage shaft.
Remove drive shaft.
Drive link.
Shaft link.
Release carriage from carriage shaft.

Reinstall the “stick-shift” and drive shaft assembly and reattach the two piece drive shaft linkage and
you’re almost done.
Turn the machine back onto its feet and observe the carriage spring attached to the ¼” diameter grooved pin
driven into the carriage shaft. Take your small hammer and a steel rod or drift and drive the pin back into
the carriage shaft. Stop when the bottom edge of the carriage spring almost touches the carriage shaft.
Test the operation of the carriage and the “feel” of the carriage spring. If the carriage spring seems a bit to
strong – drive the grooved spring pin retaining pin in a little bit further. If the carriage seems a bit too weak
- drive the grooved spring retaining pin up (from the bottom of the machine) a little bit further. Test the
carriage again.
The Carriage Shaft and Bronze Oilite® Bearings
Refer to the first part of The Carriage Spring to disconnect the linkages and remove the “stick-shift” lever
assembly and the carriage spring. Remove the linkages form the carriage shaft using a 1/8” Allen Hex
Wrench to remove the shoulder bolt.
Drive the ¼” diameter carriage shaft pin used to retain the carriage and the carriage pin.
Look down onto the carriage shaft from the top of the carriage and lightly file the ¼” diameter hole where
the grooved pin was - the knurled section of the pin probably raised up small burrs on the edge of the hole
which might damage the carriage when the shaft is pulled out of the carriage. Also turn the carriage shaft
and expose the milled notch in the carriage shaft where the carriage release mechanism locked the carriage
back. The constant locking back and unlocking of the carriage probably raised up a burr on the shaft at the
edge of the milled notch – remove any burr you may find in this area with your file before trying to remove
the carriage shaft.
Pull out the Carriage Shaft.
Use a piece of 1” diameter hard wood dowel purchased from your local hardware store. Cut off a piece
about 6” long and use it to pound out the bearings with a hammer.
Cut off a piece of 1” diameter hard wood dowel about1 foot long and trim one end to ¾” diameter about ½”
long - to fit onto the new bronze Oilite® bearing.
From the right side of the machine push the 1” hardwood dowel through the 1” diameter bearing hole – go
almost all the way through to the left side of the machine where the first bearing will be installed. Slip the
new bronze Oilite® bearing onto the modified end of the dowel and position the bearing onto the 1”
diameter hole. Notice the dowel pin going through the first hole and the bearing sitting at the entrance of
the 1” diameter hole act on their behalf for their own alignment. Use your hammer to pound on the end of
the dowel and drive the bronze Oilite® bearing into its hole. Remove the dowel and insert the new carriage
shaft – leave the end of the carriage shaft extended about ½” out of the right-side bearing hole and place
your second bearing onto this shaft. Notice that the carriage shaft now acts as an alignment guide for the
second bearing. Use your 6” piece of 1” diameter hardwood dowel and your hammer to pound in this
bronze Oilite ® bearing.
Test to see if the new carriage shaft slides between the two bearings. If you were careful and pounded them
in straight you should be able to continue with the rest of the reassembly right away. If the carriage shaft is
just a little stiff you can probably leave it alone and let it work itself in over time. If the carriage shaft
seems to be tight then use a medium size plastic mallet and tap on the shaft in all directions accessible to
“settle” in the bearings. Stop when the carriage shaft gets just loose enough to use.
Reassemble in the reverse order and refer to section in this manual titled HOW DO I REPLACE. .
The Carriage Spring and complete your assembly.
You should recheck the depth, depth overtravel and space adjustments on your machine and readjust as
necessary.
WHY DID WE DO IT THAT WAY . . .
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