Square holes

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Geoff,

The excell is supposed ot take special filing machine files 4 in long with teeth in the opposite direction to normal files so they cut on the downstroke. They have a 1/4 or 1/8 round tang. They are no longer made and stocks all used up so it is luck to find some in a car boot sale. You will have to grind part of the file to adapt it. Since the files need to be parallel not tapered the only files that come near still in production are chain saw sharpening files – not suitable for our current job.

Search the web for die filer under the following mfr names as they are all the same basic design:
Oliver
Milwaukee Milwarkee
Harvey Butterfly
Harvey model B16

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Geoff,

The excell is supposed ot take special filing machine files 4 in long with teeth in the opposite direction to normal files so they cut on the downstroke. They have a 1/4 or 1/8 round tang. They are no longer made and stocks all used up so it is luck to find some in a car boot sale. You will have to grind part of the file to adapt it. Since the files need to be parallel not tapered the only files that come near still in production are chain saw sharpening files – not suitable for our current job.

Search the web for die filer under the following mfr names as they are all the same basic design:
Oliver
Milwaukee Milwarkee
Harvey Butterfly
Harvey model B16

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

forgot they are called parallel machine files.

**LINK**

American Rotary Tools Company (ARTCO)

250 West Duarte Road, #E

Monrovia, California USA 91016-7464
(Los Angeles area)

Tel: +1 (626) 358-8466 | Fax: +1 (626) 358-0076

Toll Free (USA 48) Tel: (800) 624-2212 | Fax: (800) 624-2210

This company is listing them but not very clear about shipping. could cost a fortune. I might try ringintg them next week. Or as they have a toll free nnumber one of our American friends might check them out for us.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

forgot they are called parallel machine files.

**LINK**

American Rotary Tools Company (ARTCO)

250 West Duarte Road, #E

Monrovia, California USA 91016-7464
(Los Angeles area)

Tel: +1 (626) 358-8466 | Fax: +1 (626) 358-0076

Toll Free (USA 48) Tel: (800) 624-2212 | Fax: (800) 624-2210

This company is listing them but not very clear about shipping. could cost a fortune. I might try ringintg them next week. Or as they have a toll free nnumber one of our American friends might check them out for us.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

forgot they are called parallel machine files.

**LINK**

American Rotary Tools Company (ARTCO)

250 West Duarte Road, #E

Monrovia, California USA 91016-7464
(Los Angeles area)

Tel: +1 (626) 358-8466 | Fax: +1 (626) 358-0076

Toll Free (USA 48) Tel: (800) 624-2212 | Fax: (800) 624-2210

This company is listing them but not very clear about shipping. could cost a fortune. I might try ringintg them next week. Or as they have a toll free nnumber one of our American friends might check them out for us.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hello Bazyle,

When I got the "Excel" in 2006, I scoured the Internet and eBay for suitable files, and managed to score some on eBay in the good old USofA.

They are the proper files as you described, except for the triangular ones, all the others whether flat, square, round or part round have square 'tangs' – Thanks for the correct nomenclature that escaped me.

I reckon I was fortunate because I haven't seen any since.

Geoff – Waiting to take her indoors to Stansted, for her jolly eastwards, when I should be in land of Nod.

Saw your latest post after posting mine.

Thanks.

Geoff – Getting photos ready to upload to album

Edited By OuBallie on 08/05/2013 23:54:49

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hello Bazyle,

When I got the "Excel" in 2006, I scoured the Internet and eBay for suitable files, and managed to score some on eBay in the good old USofA.

They are the proper files as you described, except for the triangular ones, all the others whether flat, square, round or part round have square 'tangs' – Thanks for the correct nomenclature that escaped me.

I reckon I was fortunate because I haven't seen any since.

Geoff – Waiting to take her indoors to Stansted, for her jolly eastwards, when I should be in land of Nod.

Saw your latest post after posting mine.

Thanks.

Geoff – Getting photos ready to upload to album

Edited By OuBallie on 08/05/2013 23:54:49

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hello Bazyle,

When I got the "Excel" in 2006, I scoured the Internet and eBay for suitable files, and managed to score some on eBay in the good old USofA.

They are the proper files as you described, except for the triangular ones, all the others whether flat, square, round or part round have square 'tangs' – Thanks for the correct nomenclature that escaped me.

I reckon I was fortunate because I haven't seen any since.

Geoff – Waiting to take her indoors to Stansted, for her jolly eastwards, when I should be in land of Nod.

Saw your latest post after posting mine.

Thanks.

Geoff – Getting photos ready to upload to album

Edited By OuBallie on 08/05/2013 23:54:49

[DuncParticipant @dunc]

Harold Hall's MEW article, "How to Make a Filing Machine" part 3 (MEW #163, May 2010) detailed a method of adapting common files to cut on the pull stroke to diminish the tendency of the file to push the work out of the way.

This info is also available on his website at http://homews.co.uk/page497.html

[DuncParticipant @dunc]

Harold Hall's MEW article, "How to Make a Filing Machine" part 3 (MEW #163, May 2010) detailed a method of adapting common files to cut on the pull stroke to diminish the tendency of the file to push the work out of the way.

This info is also available on his website at http://homews.co.uk/page497.html

[DuncParticipant @dunc]

Harold Hall's MEW article, "How to Make a Filing Machine" part 3 (MEW #163, May 2010) detailed a method of adapting common files to cut on the pull stroke to diminish the tendency of the file to push the work out of the way.

This info is also available on his website at http://homews.co.uk/page497.html

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Thanks Dunc.

I had forgotten about that series.

Perfect timing for my needs.

Time to haul those copies out.

Geoff – Another coffee before hitting the highway.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Thanks Dunc.

I had forgotten about that series.

Perfect timing for my needs.

Time to haul those copies out.

Geoff – Another coffee before hitting the highway.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Thanks Dunc.

I had forgotten about that series.

Perfect timing for my needs.

Time to haul those copies out.

Geoff – Another coffee before hitting the highway.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Drill your hole, mark the square out carefully, stick it in the vice and hand file it to size with a square file and finish off with your three-sided file to get the corners nice and sharp. One hour's work, tops.

Depending on what size hole you are making, 10-inch files should shift the metal fairly quickly for you. You'll have it done before you would get the filing machine set up.

Another alternative is set it up in the lathe with a boring bar type tool with square corner on it and run the carriage back and forth like when doing slotting and gradually bring the tool out using cross slide. Use a small tool and do one corner at a time.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Drill your hole, mark the square out carefully, stick it in the vice and hand file it to size with a square file and finish off with your three-sided file to get the corners nice and sharp. One hour's work, tops.

Depending on what size hole you are making, 10-inch files should shift the metal fairly quickly for you. You'll have it done before you would get the filing machine set up.

Another alternative is set it up in the lathe with a boring bar type tool with square corner on it and run the carriage back and forth like when doing slotting and gradually bring the tool out using cross slide. Use a small tool and do one corner at a time.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Drill your hole, mark the square out carefully, stick it in the vice and hand file it to size with a square file and finish off with your three-sided file to get the corners nice and sharp. One hour's work, tops.

Depending on what size hole you are making, 10-inch files should shift the metal fairly quickly for you. You'll have it done before you would get the filing machine set up.

Another alternative is set it up in the lathe with a boring bar type tool with square corner on it and run the carriage back and forth like when doing slotting and gradually bring the tool out using cross slide. Use a small tool and do one corner at a time.

[russellParticipant @russell]

my tongue was rather in my cheek when i proposed blacksmithing methods, but it is a perfectly viable approach. re steel selection, absolutely, plain MS would do for both the drift and the spanner, but any form of hardening will prolong the life. Having said that, I'd probably prefer the spanner to wear than damage the machine it's being applied to. But when one starts to wear, the other probably will too.

russ

[russellParticipant @russell]

my tongue was rather in my cheek when i proposed blacksmithing methods, but it is a perfectly viable approach. re steel selection, absolutely, plain MS would do for both the drift and the spanner, but any form of hardening will prolong the life. Having said that, I'd probably prefer the spanner to wear than damage the machine it's being applied to. But when one starts to wear, the other probably will too.

russ

[russellParticipant @russell]

my tongue was rather in my cheek when i proposed blacksmithing methods, but it is a perfectly viable approach. re steel selection, absolutely, plain MS would do for both the drift and the spanner, but any form of hardening will prolong the life. Having said that, I'd probably prefer the spanner to wear than damage the machine it's being applied to. But when one starts to wear, the other probably will too.

russ

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hopper,

Thanks for your response.

Your first method is exactly how I would have approached it, if that is, I wasn't in possession of the filing machine, but if my previous examples where anything to go by, the square holes would have turned out anything but square.

The "Excel" leaves the corners nicely rounded using the machine diles I habe, which correspond to that on the nuts/drive.

I've been averse to square corners, that may induce stress/fatigue fractures, ever since a pro engine builder kept repeating that to me, when I was building my racing engines in the '70s.

Russell

You said it with such a straight face, it was pretty convincing

The "Excel" performance was exemplary, once I got used to using it that is.

Today I will put handles on, but have a dilemma:

A cranked handle for the manual ram spanner is a given, but not sure what to use on the crank gear sliding block spanner. It's 4" long and will be used on the other nuts as well, so either a straight handle welded on, or drill the end and fit a shaft, captive or sliding for leverage.

Time to use the grey matter to visualize what's needed at the machine.

Geoff – Recovered from yesterday's far too early a jaunt.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hopper,

Thanks for your response.

Your first method is exactly how I would have approached it, if that is, I wasn't in possession of the filing machine, but if my previous examples where anything to go by, the square holes would have turned out anything but square.

The "Excel" leaves the corners nicely rounded using the machine diles I habe, which correspond to that on the nuts/drive.

I've been averse to square corners, that may induce stress/fatigue fractures, ever since a pro engine builder kept repeating that to me, when I was building my racing engines in the '70s.

Russell

You said it with such a straight face, it was pretty convincing

The "Excel" performance was exemplary, once I got used to using it that is.

Today I will put handles on, but have a dilemma:

A cranked handle for the manual ram spanner is a given, but not sure what to use on the crank gear sliding block spanner. It's 4" long and will be used on the other nuts as well, so either a straight handle welded on, or drill the end and fit a shaft, captive or sliding for leverage.

Time to use the grey matter to visualize what's needed at the machine.

Geoff – Recovered from yesterday's far too early a jaunt.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Hopper,

Thanks for your response.

Your first method is exactly how I would have approached it, if that is, I wasn't in possession of the filing machine, but if my previous examples where anything to go by, the square holes would have turned out anything but square.

The "Excel" leaves the corners nicely rounded using the machine diles I habe, which correspond to that on the nuts/drive.

I've been averse to square corners, that may induce stress/fatigue fractures, ever since a pro engine builder kept repeating that to me, when I was building my racing engines in the '70s.

Russell

You said it with such a straight face, it was pretty convincing

The "Excel" performance was exemplary, once I got used to using it that is.

Today I will put handles on, but have a dilemma:

A cranked handle for the manual ram spanner is a given, but not sure what to use on the crank gear sliding block spanner. It's 4" long and will be used on the other nuts as well, so either a straight handle welded on, or drill the end and fit a shaft, captive or sliding for leverage.

Time to use the grey matter to visualize what's needed at the machine.

Geoff – Recovered from yesterday's far too early a jaunt.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

If you are worried about square corners, mark out the sqare for the hole, and drill the corners, something like 2 or 3 mm, drill the center to full dia, file the sides of the square into the holes at the corners, done. Ian S C

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

If you are worried about square corners, mark out the sqare for the hole, and drill the corners, something like 2 or 3 mm, drill the center to full dia, file the sides of the square into the holes at the corners, done. Ian S C

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