Just read through Eric's post about the handles he made for files. Made me think about them. I am a user, always have found more control, and a lot less punctures on my palm in doing so. It dawned on me I didn't remember a thread about them.
Post your thoughts.
I have a lot of wooden ones. Mostly a mix of handmade, and commercially offered ones. I have found wooden ones need to have an eye toward grain, and grain direction, or even the light sawing action with a file in one can cause the grain to split. I have broken quite a few of them anyhow. Eric added a nice ferrule, which would help with that.
My favorite is shown below, it's metal, with a nice jaw that closes on the file's tang, and so far it has held 14" down to the teeny files you see for detail work, and when tightened well the file/rasp is held firm. Being metal, I have had mine since the Summer of 1960, and though I have stripped, and repainted it a few times, it is no where near being worn out. Makes me wonder why some of the metal working wood tool makers haven't made more of the metal ones.
It is completely without markings, or stamps, but so looks mass produced. I've most often seen it attributed as a, EC Stearns, but I am not sure what others have seen, or know to make that claim? I've had mine since Summer of 1960. I've stripped, and repainted it a few times. Just gonna let it mellow now, paint just chips off anyhow. It has grabbed, and held any shaped handle I have tried in it, even the teeny ones, and the bulb of the handle works well in my hand. It's one of those gone to the grave with me tools. :-)
I call it No Name Handle.
Here it's sporting a half round float I also love. Stitched like a rasp, but cuts like a float. I forget who's it is. It's a 12" for scale of the handle. I've 2 of them, and both cut almost the same. One is marked France, the other India. Identical to look at though.
I'm still letting the file tangs jab into a slot in my palm 😳 Following w/interest! No lathe or urge to buy one for every file I have (besides, palm meat grows back!) These metal "file chucks" are cool!
your an animal splint !!!! actually ive got a bunch without handles that i should make some handles for myself. as much as i do share splints macho who cares about puncture wounds and blood mentality, as i get older the wounds do take longer to heal ! and swmbo gets nervous when she sees blood running down my arms or legs ! woman !!!!!
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
mine seeS blood thats run down my arm and says, what did you do to yourself ! i look and say, hell if i know. i get cut all the time and dont even realize it. i figure if it's bad enough ill pass out from the blood loss ? oh well !!!
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Heck Pottzie. I was thinking I was gonna try a corn cobb once Corn starts being good enough to buy a few dozen ears.
I'm laughing about the hand jabs, but at the same time am sending all of you guys a heads up about wounds. Remember I am the guy who just had a toe whacked off after my wound wouldn't heal on my foot, so I think I'm steering clear of extra holes in my person. I know, I know, I'm a Nancy girl. :-)
Getting by without a little toe really isn't a problem. Losing a finger might throw off your darts game though.
Eric I used to see those metal handles all the time at auctions. Hardly used a file, or rasp, and had never heard of a float then. Now I have one or the other in my hand most every day while in the shop. I wish I had hoarded them up. I could be a Schwarz type and start a rush on them on FleaBay.
Write a blurb about them, wait a week or two, then dump all I have on the Bay after the ones already there got bought up, and watch the war begin.
Just got a mini set, rat tail, triangle, square, half round and flat in bustard, second cut and smooth. So more handles is in the near future. I'm thinking a different wood for each cut type and going with my usual London pattern (ish).
So this kind of thing, although with the front bulb rounded out.
So far in making handles I have used copper pipe, brass compression rings, and those chisels handles came with brass pipe. So far all have worked nicely.
This is my favorite handle. It adjusts to different tang thicknesses. I have Craftsman handles which you can find on ebay. I've not owned a General Tools handle but they don't look as "good" as the Craftsman handles.
CL, that looks like either the Nicholson was based on it, or it was based on the Nicholson. The older Nicholson's were also Wood. Of course everything is plastic today.
I have a few of the older wooden Nicholson's and a few of these newer plastic ones, and as far as the clamping action it's about the same. Both are enough so if you aren't really vigorous, they will hold on OK. The new ones bring plastic to the equation, sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's too weak, kind of a crapshoot. There is also a less expensive Cresent, and it works via friction, on a plastic sleeve. Again, depending on how vigorous you get, it can do the job. I have one of these, and it comes with 2 "chucks" the one is for a standard tang, the other is a crisscross, and I evidently don't own a file that fits into that shape, at least none of mine will insert more than an inch. I like the standard one for my 4 sided files, they aren't as heavy, and work well enough in it.
