Talk:Pin tumbler lock

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What about disk tumbler locks, which are also cylinder locks? -- RTC 19:14, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)

That's a good question... too bad I don't have a good answer :-) I (perhaps erroneously) moved the article, since a brief inspection of search results implied that a pin tumbler is a more specific kind of lock, and was in fact the type being described in the original Cylinder lock article. I imagine there are a lot different kinds of cylinder locks, so maybe Cylinder lock should be used for listing those, and articles like Pin tumbler lock can describe them in detail. -- Wapcaplet 22:30, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)

In making some revisions to the article, I think I may have gotten something wrong. The original article stated:

The lock consists of a brass cylinder with a horizontal hole containing a plug

My version says:

In the pin tumbler cylinder lock, the plug is the cylinder in question.

The alt.locksmithing FAQ says:

cylinder: The part of the lock in which the the pins are set and which contains the plug.

Obviously my version disagrees with the other two, but I'm still a bit hazy: I've also seen the outer casing, containing the plug, referred to as the hull; I don't know if the hull and the cylinder are synonymous, or if the cylinder refers to the cavity in the hull which houses the plug. Though I know of no specific example, I see no particular reason why the hull has to be cylindrical, although the plug (and the cavity it sits in) should be, in order to turn with the key. I'd be grateful if someone with better knowledge of locks cleared it up for me! -- Wapcaplet 21:32, 20 Nov 2003 (UTC)

The cylinder is the outer part (not the hole the plug goes into) and is round so it can be rotated to unscrew it from the lock mechanism (boltwork and housing) without disturbing that lock mechanism, after removing a setscrew that prevents rotation. The plug is also sometimes called the core and the cylinder the shell. (From the book: Practical Course in Modern Locksmithing Nelson-Hall Publishing Co. copyright 1943) -- RTC 09:10, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Cool, thanks for the info. Though, according to the alt.locksmithing FAQ, a core can also be a removable cylinder and plug for changing a lock. There's an SFIC lock with a double-cylinder-shaped core which can be removed (and it's one case of the "cylinder" not actually being cylindrical, but who's counting :-) -- Wapcaplet 15:18, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)

The cylinder here is still cylindrical and screws into the lock mechanism, it is the core that is more complex than in other locks (permitting its removal with just a key) and the core contains the plug instead of the plug being the entire core. Of course we have the issue of different manufacturers using different terminology for the same things too. -- RTC 03:26, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Ah, OK, that makes sense now. So a cylinder lock is just a lock which is roughly cylindrical? -- Wapcaplet 15:26, 23 Nov 2003 (UTC)

See above "...so it can be rotated to unscrew it from the lock mechanism (boltwork and housing)...", the rest of the lock mechanism can be any shape at all (e.g., a padlock, a mortise lock in a door, an auto ignition switch). Making the complete "keyed" cylinder an "easy" to remove and replace subassembly reduces and speeds up the locksmiths work. The Best SFIC mechanism trys to improve on this, by allowing a Security Officer, with no locksmith training, to quickly swap cores using only a special key (however it can actually be cracked with the right tools, the core "borrowed", the special key determined, the core returned, and then all of its security goes away as that special key is even better than a masterkey). -- RTC 01:46, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)
Now on another issue, one could make pin tumbler locks and disk tumbler locks that did not have the removable cylinder (I suspect some padlocks might be made this way: with the plug going directly into the housing). However except for padlocks it would just make a bother for a locksmith to work on them (and many padlocks are too cheap to bother taking to a locksmith to rekey anyway). Disk tumbler locks are easier to build as a "plug only" assembly than pin tumbler locks as the springs in a disk tumbler lock are usually in the plug, but in a pin tumbler lock the springs MUST be outside of the plug. But even those locks usually have a pushed in sheet metal "cylinder" for the disks to lock against when turned with the wrong key (I've got a couple on my desk like this). -- RTC 01:46, 25 Nov 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Clarification required

Yale lock is a brand (generic brand ?) and/or a company, a pin tumbler lock is just another a type of lock. Perhaps we need Yale lock??? Peter Horn 01:31, 9 May 2008 (UTC)