Thread: Equipping my shop with Hand Tools

MC - the metal bits look like this:

Metal bits.jpg

The shaft goes throughthe arm of the saw, & the rim takes the strain when the saw is tensioned. These are overly elaborate, & if you used a couple of bolts, the bolt heads would be what takes the strain, so there is no problem assembling the saw or changing blades. I solder the handle screw in because it is much easier to make the end-piece this way.

To drill a straight hole through a cylinder, you need a vee-block that can be clamped to the table of a drill-press (or held in a drill vise). These are easily made from a block of square hardwood if you have acces to a tilting-arbor saw. You could also cut one out with a handsaw, if you are very careful.

Cheers,

Oh ok, I misunderstood. I thought you meant using the screw as a pin to hold the blade on. If not then what do you use as the pin?

Originally Posted by Mooncabbage

Oh ok, I misunderstood. I thought you meant using the screw as a pin to hold the blade on. If not then what do you use as the pin?

A small nail. Something about 1-1.5mm diameter is good.
That requires a hole in the blade, of course, so if you are making your own blade, you need to drill the holes. This can be done with an ordinary HSS twist drill (just). Saw grade steel is very hard on HSS, so you will only manage a few holes out of a drill before it needs sharpening.

Coping saw blades & the Grammercy blades come with a small pin soldered into each end, so instead of a hole in the sahft, you need to make a small notch for the pin to slip into (just take a look at a coping saw next time you come across one & you'll immediately see what's required). You can cut the notch with a hacksaw. On a brass shaft, I use one of those flattened 4-sided files (can't think what their proper name is atm), because it makes just the right sized notch.

Cheers,

Cool, good to know. Wish the weather would stop playing silly buggers so I can get on with it.

Originally Posted by IanW

On a brass shaft, I use one of those flattened 4-sided files (can't think what their proper name is atm), because it makes just the right sized notch.

Cheers,

Warding file?

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Warding file?

Regards
Paul

Nope, Paul - warding files have bare ('safe') edges. The file I'm thinking of has a flattened diamond-shaped profile, with very acute corners. they can be used for sharpening Japanese saws, for e.g.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Nope, Paul - warding files have bare ('safe') edges. The file I'm thinking of has a flattened diamond-shaped profile, with very acute corners. they can be used for sharpening Japanese saws, for e.g.

Cheers,

Wrong! Having brain fade - a warding file doesn't have safe edges.

I did a bit of googling, and you could use a small knife-file (illustrated here)

But the file I was thinking of is the one illustrated in this article (scroll down the page a bit & you'll see it) - it looks like two knife-files back to back. Seems like it's called a 'Japanese saw file' . So why couldn't I remember that?

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Wrong! Having brain fade - a warding file doesn't have safe edges.

I did a bit of googling, and you could use a small knife-file (illustrated here)

But the file I was thinking of is the one illustrated in this article (scroll down the page a bit & you'll see it) - it looks like two knife-files back to back. Seems like it's called a 'Japanese saw file' . So why couldn't I remember that?

Cheers,

Ian

I'm glad you said that as it saved me a trip out to the shed to check mine . I am unfamiliar with the other types of file you have shown.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by IanW

Wrong! Having brain fade - a warding file doesn't have safe edges.

I did a bit of googling, and you could use a small knife-file (illustrated here)

But the file I was thinking of is the one illustrated in this article (scroll down the page a bit & you'll see it) - it looks like two knife-files back to back. Seems like it's called a 'Japanese saw file' . So why couldn't I remember that?

Cheers,

I've also seen them referred to as 'feather files'.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Berlin

I've also seen them referred to as 'feather files'.

Didn't know feathers needed filing. You learn something every day, here.....

I think some places would call it a cant file (but different to the western ones I have).

But ... if it cant file ... why buy it?

Paul

Originally Posted by pmcgee

I think some places would call it a cant file (but different to the western ones I have).

But ... if it cant file ... why buy it?

Paul

We have Cant Hooks so why not Cant Files? Not that I have heard of these files before and of course when they slip and try to remove pieces of the human body there is an almost irresistable urge to rename them.


Regards
Paul