Tips of the Trade

[Ironman]

User Manual? What's that?
Never had one, I bought this used at an auction, it spent a lifetime machining MDF for patterns and proto types.
It is a Western, which was made by Mysore Kirlosker, machined in Europe and assembled in India AFAIK

 

[Proxule]

You will never have that issue, if before you start using the file you take a stick of soapstone

I use chalk, like from a chalk board in school, Kiddo plays with them - He wont mind sharing lol
The soapstone is a good idea too, Thanks!

 

[ChazzC]

I use chalk, like from a chalk board in school, Kiddo plays with them - He wont mind sharing lol
The soapstone is a good idea too, Thanks!

Real soapstone, not a welding crayon

 

[Ironman]

Real soapstone, not a welding crayon

Yes, it feels soapy, slippery to the touch

 

[ChazzC]

Yes, it feels soapy, slippery to the touch

I'm familiar with it. use it myself for a number of purposes.

What I was trying to do was caution those not familiar with soapstone from picking up something like the Silver-Streak™ marker strips:

Silver-Streak™ on the left, soapstone on the right (difficult to see the difference, but the SS is silver & soapstone used for marking is white to light grey).

Welding and sheet metal crayons would not be a good choice for keeping files pin-free as they contain waxes which would interfere with the cutting action. Similarly, an offset from a soapstone countertop would not be a good choice if not carefully selected as finished countertops are oiler or waxed to protect the surface and to enhance its appearance.

 

[Ironman]

I have never felt chalk was any good, but I am sort of the opinion now that anything that fills the deep recesses of the file to prevent chips wedging in would work after a fashion.
I prefer soapstone and think the silver markers would be not good, but expensive too.

 

[CWret]

Mill bed cover / protection

A couple years ago I started using magnetic sheets (the type normally used for advertising signs attached to a vehicle). They worked well - here’s a couple pics of them:

They are about 0.8mm thick and give good protection.

They do not slip or slide because they are magnetic. The light magnetic strength makes them easy to wipe clean. But the swarf does not fall off.

This week I switched to using a tray to catch the swarf. I stole the idea from Clough42. I saw them on his mill (background of a video about his DIY build for a 2x72” belt grinder).
My new trays were installed today - so the verdict is not in yet, but I’m sure the magnetic covers are history. These look great, give good protection, and will be easy to remove and empty.
Pic on mill

They are new - the stainless steel is like a mirror and is difficult to take a picture.
These are common baking sheets for cookies. Available in SS, aluminum, or steel.
I cut them to fit around the mill vise. Here’s a couple more pics: