I must admit I was a bit mystified about handles. There is probably some longstanding methods known 100 years ago that has lost its way in modern times. I'm still mystified. Some woodies I bought had a teeny pilot hole, nothing else. Is it like the Japanese knife blade, heat up the tang & burn it in? I just assumed drill them out & use my finest epoxy. Removing them is a tomorrow problem LOL. Then I got some woodies with a steel threaded insert. Fit some tangs, not others. Some refused to thread even though the size felt right. Hmmm.. there are different sizes to these then. But darned if I could find a diagram or table based on file length or whatever, they vary like crazy. When I bought a few files from Gesswein I tried a few of their (same brand) handles. They are plastic but have the threaded insert & they really bite the tang. They dohave a cross reference table (to their files) but I've used them on other files just by trial & error. They are every comfortable to the hand.
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Lee Valley Nicolson files
- Thread starter DavidR8
- Start date
I got nuthin. Absolutely nuthin meaningful anyway.
Best I can come up with is that wood can be deformed and crushed much easier than metal. Perhaps installing the tang into a wooden handle is no different than driving an old fashioned square nail into it..... Which for the record, doesn't come out very easily either.........
Dan Dubeau
Ultra Member
Heat them up and burn them in, or step drill to approximate the taper a bit and pound them in. The last one works better if there is a ferrule on the handle, or else you might just make kindling. No need for epoxy IMO. I usually just go for the last one.
If it's a straight shank, like a needle file or other shop made tool, then use epoxy. The tapered tang is pretty self locking on most files.
If it's a straight shank, like a needle file or other shop made tool, then use epoxy. The tapered tang is pretty self locking on most files.
One thing that happened to me when I joined the Handle Club is all of a sudden you need a lot more room to store files that were otherwise neatly nestled amongst one another in a drawer box. And of course if you have 20 files you commonly use, its 20X the price of handles to add to the tool investment. My metalworking files got 'upgraded' and have a spot on the table. My older basically woodworking files still reside a drawer for now, some handled, some not. Maybe a guy could come up with a slim cylindrical standardized sacrificial fitting permanently attached to the tang. Then 'click' a special handle onto the end. Sounds like an impractical solution over spending 5 bucks on a handle. I first assumed maybe that's what the screw-on style might be about (swap-ability) but I rather doubt it. The tangs might not be fully hardened but they are pretty hard. There isn't a lot of thread notching evident on the tang & part of that is due to taper. Once the handle bites & is tight, I tend to leave it alone.
When I was quite young I remember watching some old timer hitting the heel of a handle with a hammer wondering what he possibly could be doing. It does work and it is a thing. Makes sense when you stop & think about it (inertia). Also, (metalworking?) filing is supposed to be a predominantly push stroke thing which acts push the tang in vs pull it out. But I believe there are other files for other industries that vary from this standard. Push vs pull... there's another controversial subject. A YouTuber rigged up a testing apparatus, kind of entertaining to watch. Lets leave it at handles offer better control & much kinder to your hands.
Got one of these a while back.....
www.kbctools.ca
It's my go to file and probably all I needed in the first place
NICHOLSON,NICHOLSON 8" FLAT FILE SINGLE/DOUBLE CUT,1-552-06602,KBC Tools & Machinery
NICHOLSON,NICHOLSON 8 FLAT FILE SINGLE/DOUBLE CUT,1-552-06602,KBC Tools & Machinery
It's my go to file and probably all I needed in the first place
historicalarms
Ultra Member
I've never had a wood handle on a file that didnt come loose, sometimes with very little use....never had a golf ball come loose....with years of use
I saw your previous post and made a mental note - what a great idea for when you have no proper handle available.
I read this last note of yours with a different flavour. I think you are saying that the golf ball is actually preferred over a wood or plastic handle!
I'm gunna give this a go.
How do you decide what size hole to drill and how deep?
boilerhouse
Ultra Member
I made a bunch of handles for my files a few years ago. Biggest issue with mine is that they are not all exactly the same. Chalk it up to "by guess and by gar" design and fabrication. The ferrules are 1/2 inch copper pipe. Haven't had one come loose yet. Turned them on a wood lathe, but a metal lathe would work fine.
Nice @boilerhouse . I think the slight dissimilarity of handles adds to the character & maybe certian shapes led themselves better to certain files. So can you elaborate on your handle preparation for tang insertion. Is the ferrule for a final squeeze or more about keeping the end of the handle from splitting? I've never really understood. Some of the cheapos I bought the ferrule was very thin & basically loose to spin. Epoxied those down too. Glue, glue, everywhere glue LOL.
boilerhouse
Ultra Member
From memory Peter, I turned the handle and the shank for the ferrule on the lathe, then drilled 4 stepped holes using 4 different sized drill bits to ease the file tang onto the handle but still ensure it fit tight. Then used an arbour press to force the ferrule over the shank, then clamped the file in a wood vise, and tapped the handle onto the file tang. The ferrule, which was 1/2 inch copper pipe cut 1 1/4 in long, keeps the shank from expanding or splitting and also helps secure the tang. I also had found a few YouTube videos that were very helpful.
You wont like my pictures. The files are laying in segregated cardboard boxes. Yes, some are laying beside one another, taboo contact. But I take care to not just toss them or jostle them around. I see a lot of workshops with file racks on the wall. especially jewelry watchmaker types. There's all kinds of inexpensive hook hardware out there, it wouldn't take much screwed to a board.
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Sure you will. Just lay them horizontally on two hooks..... LOL!Not without handles you wont
I have found the Skroo-Zon file handles to be the best. Never come loose, removeable, different sizes, fits comfortably in the hand. Almost all my files are Nicholson and I keep most separated, though I do have two other small drawers which the files are loose, but apart, and all my needle files, about 50, loose in a cigar box, because the plastic sleeves that they came in eventually disintegrated.
Attachments
I think you need a new Avatar. The "Filestel". I've never seen so many files in one place! I love the organization too. Maybe you could get a block of Walnut (cutoff from a stock butt) and drill a matrix of small holes in it for all your needle files?
The block of walnut would work, except it would take up quite a bit of bench space, which seems I'm always lacking.
You think I have lots of files? You should see my chisels!!
historicalarms
Ultra Member
I very much prefer the ball over any wood or plastic for that mater.
Not much precision needed on hole size, I think I use a 1/8 bit usually, just need a hole through the hide for easy starting of the tang, and into the center of the rubber bands inside. If its a big tang I just use a bigger hammer LOL.
Only 2 precaution to pay attention to when drilling, use a vise to hold the ball so when you drill the rubber, it wont spin in your hand.... and wear safety glasses...some older balls don't have rubber centers, they are fluid filled center that the rubber band wrap creates a bit of internal pressure and that fluid will squirt a bit from the drill hole .