[TheForge] File Handles

[Albin Drzewianowski]

I turn my own file handles on a wood lathe and use 3/4" or 1" long pieces of 
copper pipe as ferrules.  I have not had any problem with handles splitting 
or getting loose.

One thing that has helped is to use a "REPAIRMAN'S TAPER REAMER W/T-HANDLE" 
to shape the hole where the file tang goes into the handle.  I first drill a 
hole the size of end diameter of the file's tang and then use the taper 
reamer to open the hole up to a little less than the widest diameter of the 
tang.  Since the hole is now tapered, it seems to hold the tang better, with 
less likelihood of splitting.

The reamer and the file tang do not have the exact same taper, but it seems 
to be close enough to give a good grip on the tang.

Since I am using the reamer by hand into wood, I bought an inexpensive 
import from either MSC or ENCO when I saw it on sale.

D-ski
Westminster, MD


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Frost" <frosty at customcpu.com>
To: <zman59 at earthlink.net>; "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 12:58 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] File Handles


> An old trick is to use a chisel to cut a couple barbs on the file's tang 
> so the handle will stay on.
>
> Plastic handles at Grizzly are 5 for $3.95 right now. No old tricks 
> necessary. <grin>
>
> Thanks Larry
>
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
> http://www.artmetalradio.com/
>
>
>
> From: "Larry Zoeller" <zman59 at earthlink.net>
>
>
>> To All,
>> I have been using wooden file handles for a long time and have never been
>> happy with them.  You drive the handle on to far and you split the wood 
>> or
>> if you put any pressure on the file and it falls out of the handle. I 
>> have
>> made some out of aluminum round stock that worked fairly well. I have 
>> seen
>> people use old corn cobs and golf balls for handles   Then a while back I
>> got the new 2006  Grizzly catalog and saw were they were selling plastic
>> file handles with rubber grips on them.  Well I order them and have been
>> using them for a while and am happy to say that they are a great
>> improvement over the old wooden ones.  There are two different sizes and
>> they are less than a dollar a piece.  They are on page 401 of there 2006
>> catalog or you can see them on there web site grizzly.com, there catalog
>> numbers are H3089 and H3090.  I just thought I would pass the information
>> along, because I am sure that you have experienced the same problems that 
>> I
>> have with the old handles.
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Larry Zoeller
>> 4312 Lahnna Dr.
>> Louisville, KY 40216
>> zman59 at earthlink.net
>> http://www.geocities.com/zoellerforge/
>>
>