On Nov 4, 10:37*am, "Wild_Bill" wrote:
I think you'll find Stan's assessment tooth patterns to be true. The only
time I've seen really coarse quality-made files in recent years, was at flea
markets/garage sales where some old stuff was dragged out of an attic or
other dry storage area.. where those great old files had been sitting for a
few decades or more.

For just about any files, aside from tiny/fine jewelers' files, one should
be able to produce 3-4 surface finishes.. each with different metal removal
rates.
Files can be pushed straight, allowed to drift/arc right or left while
cutting, or be drawn/pulled while held perpendicular to the direction of
travel while cutting.

Being a southpaw, files work differently than when being held right-handed.
Some of my most frequently used files for deburring are ones I made by
snapping the bare handle end off.. then attaching a handle suitable for
pulling, to the tip end.
These are very fast at taking off edges and corners when pulled. Narrow
three-sided ones are very handy for small parts that are easily held in one
hand, and the deburring file in the other.
Being southpaw, it's always felt natural to use a file on a lathe
workpiece.. something that would feel sorta weird if I held the handle
right-handed.

Then there are rasp/file combination tools that have very prickly teeth
raised up out of the metal, and these are really fast on aluminum, soft
metals and synthetic materials. There is a commonly available double-ended
combination rasp/file tool that I intentionally broke in half, then attached
with epoxy putty to longer pieces of aluminum bar stock to form a handled
tool that cuts on the pull stroke. With the prickly rasp teeth, it's a great
tool to prep a repair spot in fiberglas. The raised teeth really rip into
the resin and glass substrate, without raising a cloud of nasty dust such as
a grinder or sander would cause.

It seems that soapstone is a reasonable compound to put on files to keep the
teeth from clogging. I've used it for quite a while, and haven't found any
disadvantages to chalk.
Chalk will always be absorbing moisture, but I dunno if absorption is an
issue with soapstone.

--
WB
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wrote in message

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On Nov 3, 11:58 pm, jay wrote:



Hi there
I use files quite a bit in my shop.
I grab one & feel it's coarseness w/ my thumb & look @
it's shape to decide whether to use it or another. I've never
known what I was actually using. I've decided
to buy a few USA made different lengths & cuts all @ once.
After looking @ some catalogs, I've come up against the same
question I've been wondering about for years:
How do I find out what the coarseness of 1 length file of
a given cut is compared to a different length of a different cut.
For example: Is a 6” ******* courser than a 14” 2nd cut?
Or, is a 14” smooth cut smoother that a 6” 2nd cut? If so how can
I find out what it is & by how much.
I've read Machinery's 28th pages 962 through 965. Nothing.
Nothing that gives me definitive quantitative answer.
I've Googled, I've looked in Wikipedia.
The only thing I found is a photo of 3 files that says something to
the effect of “a ******* has ~ 25 teeth /in; 2nd cut has ~35th /in;
& a smooth cut has ~ 60th/ in”. (These # aren't accurate, I'm not
looking @ the site, they are from memory, but in the ball park)

Also I don't remember having ever used a file that the handle would
stay on. I probably have but just don't remember it. The files I buy
will probably not have handles. Who makes an after market handle
that stays on. Maybe I should buy the cheapest wooden ones &
epoxy them in place. I assume that would work. No?

Thanks for any info, JD

You'll find different manufacturers have their own ideas as to what
constitutes a "smooth" cut file, for example. *And needle files used
to have numbers corresponding to how fine the cut was, no
corresponding between makers. *Same cut in the same manufacturer's
line should be the same TPI no matter what size or pattern the file
is. *Somewhere I've got a really old shop manual naming the cuts
available back then with TPI ranges and photos of the various
patterns. *You'd be lucky today to find a 10th of the different ones
thay had back then.

file handles:
Best I've found has been one sort that has two ridged jaws like a
brace chuck. *Opens up in a taper, you turn a knurled disk on the end
and it draws the jaws back inside. *Doesn't lose its grip, either.
Ace has had them, ditto True Value. *You can make your own with a
little work, wood is easy to free-turn on a lathe, then use copper
plumbing pipe for ferrules. *Have several of that sort, too, they
don't come off. *You're supposed to PUSH with the things, not beat the
work on the head or drag the file with as much down pressure backwards
as what you do forwards.

Stan

Being southpaw, it's always felt natural to use a file on a lathe
workpiece.. something that would feel sorta weird if I held the handle
right-handed.

Rt. handed sounds downright dangerous, especially w/ long sleeves.
Something I did a lot when younger, but almost never do now. Wearing
Tee shirts these days. Odd when I think of it.
Being somewhat ambidextrous,I probably filled left handed on a lathe.
I hacksaw left handed when I get tired Rt. Handed.
JD