Files- best bang per buck

In my youth I recall that our joinery manager would use nothing but Nicholson files for sharpening the saw blades in our joinery shop ( pre tipped days)

Things have moved on a bit now though & as I need to buy a selection of files for general work ( not fine needle files) online i wondered what manufacturer of file the experienced among you look for as the most economical.

Clearly I do not want to buy something that I later regret & just paying high prices does not always mean the best value

Also I seem to recall that one can extend the life of files a little by dipping in acid- is this correct or am I dreaming?????

Thanks

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 12/07/2016 17:46:51

Back when I was an electrician in the 80s/90s I bought a relatively cheap set of Eclipse files for cleaning up trunking, conduit etc. They lasted me all of my 10 years in the trade and I'm still using them today. A little blunt now in the main work area but still sharp up at the dusty end.

Ed.

Sam,

Vallorbe is probably the safest bet these days.

... Great quality and variety.

I will post a link to the catalogue, if I can find it again.

MichaelG.

.

 See previous thread, here

My old link [in the thread above-mentioned] seems to be dead ... Try here.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/07/2016 18:05:57

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/07/2016 18:14:46

To add to Michael.s "Vallorbe", you could also add "Pferd".

I'd say that Vallorbe are the best bet as well but if some one has done heavy bench fitting I don't think they match up entirely with Stubs, now long since gone. They do cut well and cleanly though.

John

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Should be a couple of threads on here, in short files and hack saw blades went down the pan around 14 years ago all makes.

Vallorbe probably still the best of current crop but not a patch on what they were even early 2000's. Since used to file for a living you get to know how long certain files last which can be as little as 5% of earlier supposedly the same files from all makes. Swear blind most new breed don't cut as well either.
As a guide one type of file we bought by the box load was the 4" knife fine cut which lasted approx. 3 months used daily. New breed last 13 years showed same wear rate at 1 1/2 days totally had it at 3 days at think it was £14 a pop.

Personally don't know what I would do if used files as much nowadays, new ones cost a fortune at best last 1/3 as long. Cant beat the older files such as Stubbs or most Sheffield stamped would certainly buy s/h at least they will last.
Baco are presentable if not pushed hard, always remember a chap we did a crash course train with in a week. Brought his own Baco dead chuffed the bees knees and proud, working at 25% pace couldn't believe how worn his files had become within 1 hour. In general averaging out quality files then would have lasted us at 75% more material removal rate a good 3 weeks and that's the difference.

Acid etching bastard files may or may not give longer usage there is a high scrap rate. The ones deemed good to use just do not last a couple of hours against brand new one which may last 3 days. Not worth while.

Grobet Vallorbe, Honauer, Pferd, Nicholson and Proutat. Tome from Portugal used to make a good range of general files but are no longer as are Proutat rifflers.

SteveB

Edited By Nick Hughes on 12/07/2016 20:30:25

Great video

Thanks, Nick

MichaelG.

Hello SteveB.

Happily the company Tomé Feteira is still alive.
See here ***LINK*** and it's easyer find their files in UK than in Portugal!

Best regards
Dias Costa

FILES you sssaid FILES ---------- don't get me going, caught one of our "skilled" fitters running one backwards over a job today.........😢 Drives me mad ---- I want Two skilled mechanical fitters for my company, where are they all hiding?😳

Bri. Not BOB

Don't know what it's like in the UK and other places but here (Canada) it's getting hard to get files with an uncut edge for filing into a corner. At least at regular hardware stores. They are all cut on four sides.

The major local Tools & Machinery dealer shows them in their catalog(ue) but I haven't tried.

.

Your average DIY punter would probably think he's being short-changed if he is sold a file with a 'safe edge'.

MichaelG.

Greetings Dias.

That is good news .Rumored they were made on Nicholson machines .W. Pond ltd of Birmingham imported many files in 1965-75 ?

Round Oak Steel Works used hundreds of them. All gone now. SteveB

I hope Dias is correct. Some one on ebay is selling 10" 2nd cut. Just bought one.

They are also around in standard quality - carbon steel. I suspect best quality would be in chrome steel. No idea what the ebay ones are but maybe old stock ?

The French ones look great - if some one needs a rasp. I have a set of Stubs riflers in rasp cut. Might be some use on aluminium but intended for wood. I saw them in Alpine House after it was just the smaller shop and thought great but they turned out to be rasps. The man offered a great price and pointed out that the chances of buying any other than this set were zero so I bought them.

John

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I am a mechanical fitter Bri, but i don't think they teach apprentices things as old fashioned as using files and hacksaws accurately anymore. When i served my time, in first year we went away to tech to learn the basics for six months.

For the first three months were were assigned tests in "bench fitting" , you would be given a drawing of say, a piece of 6mm steel plate 75mm x 75mm with a square hole 25mm x 25mm in the centre and a tolerance of 0.02mm on certain features of the piece. The piece also had to have square corners and edges square to the flats.

To be honest i enjoyed it, i always wanted to be a gunsmith and fitter was as close as i had gotten to that trade. The instructor we had was getting on, he retired shortly after we hd left, but the younger replacement instructors did not teach bench fitting.

" No one will pay you to stand at a bench filing bits of metal" was the cry. I suppose they are right, i was rarely asked to use a file after my apprenticeship ended, apart from knocking a birr off an edge on a piece coming out of a milling vice.

Here in Oz, Wiltshire files were a favourite and many turn up at the markets. Excellent quality - I grab them when I can.

Nowadays, when buying new I find these to be of reasonable quality **LINK**

They are locally available and 'apparently' worldwide. Better than some of the rubbish around. Not exactly cheap but I find them good value for money.

Appropriate models have safe edges too.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 13/07/2016 06:09:28

Edited By Danny M2Z on 13/07/2016 06:10:06

Axminster Power Tools sell Vallorbe file at reasonable prices.

Oberg Bahco files (made in Portugal) are also fine by me.

I'm fascinated by the comment running files backwards. Not sure if this means lift off for the next stroke. A new one on me if it does. I'd be inclined to say you must be joking.

I had several months of serious amounts of metal removal with a file. The first job had so much excess material on it that they reckonned people would be able to file a cube flat and square by the time they had finished it. The final sizes were determined when they reckoned people were as good as they could get. The 2nd one had enough excess for people who could file reasonably well and some excess. One part for practice with a cold chisel which had to made first and the other with a hacksaw. Just broad chamfers to be finished with a file.

Reduce pressure obviously but lift off ! No way. I have seen odd people doing that but never ever in training or in a toolroom.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 13/07/2016 11:43:19

I've just ordered some hand and round Vallorbe files from Axminster. I've been using Vallorbe needle and riffler files for some years, so I'll be a happy bunny if the larger files are of the same quality.

Andrew