|
|
|
Files & Filing |
These documents are excellent references about hand files and their use.
Some other reference videos are noted below.
National Safety Council of Australia
You should always use a file handle when using a file. Accidents happen quickly, and as noted in the picture to the right, a file handle could help prevent you getting significant damage to your hand, or at least minimize the injury.
File handles are not expensive; they are significantly less cost than a visit to the emergency room.
Wooden file holder
Some hardware stores and some online sellers carry them. These can also often be found at used tool sales: garage & yard sales, flea markets, etc.
There is one style where the file's tang is "screwed" into the handle. Other types have the file's tang pressed into the handle and the file is held using friction.
I'm a fan of the screw-in approach, and the brand I use is Scroo-zon from JTS Lutz. These are easily found with a quick search on the Internet.
If you have a wood lathe, they are easy to make, and the ferrule can be made using a piece of copper tubing. A good source for the shape of a handle is The Wood Turner's Handy Book (1887), by Paul N Hasluck (see pg. 67, fig. 40).
Plastic file handle
These have the file's tang pressed into the handle and the file is held using friction.
Some files come with attached to a plastic handle. This is convenient.
Hardware stores and big-box vendors carry these, as do many online vendors.
Husqvarna’s saw chain file handle
A spring-loaded part in the center of the handle is pressed down, and then the file's tang is pressed into the handle. The two angled edges are at 25° and 30° so it is easy to use that as a reference for the fleam angle.
I prefer this handle style for sharpening chainsaw saw chains over the wooden file handles.
Hardware stores and many big-box vendors carry these, as do many online vendors.
Solid Handle File - handle is a part of the file
Some files have a handle made as a part of the file (instead of a tang), like the one shown here. They are convenient, especially if you want to have one readily available for use (such as in a gardening tool bag). But they are not as comfortable to use.
I have seen these files sold as a “handy file” or a “farmer's file”. Hardware stores and many big-box vendors carry these, as do many online vendors.