Free Plan - A Light Duty Filing Machine

The latest in our series of free plans originally appeared in issue 4 of MEW and is an interesting design for a small filing machine which can use ordinary 'needle' files.

light-duty-filing-machine

May I also take this opportunity to point out that the home page has been cleaned up a bit today? We hope to make a few more improvements so that it betters reflect the changing and expanding content of the website.

Enjoy!

Neil

Nice one, Neil

Thanks

MichaelG.

I'd mistakenly listed this as subscribers only - now corrected. Although we are putting up more 'premium content' (available to any subscriber who enters their subs number in their profile, the free plans are intended tom be just that.

Neil

That's good, would be better if I could see the complete drawings, went through them all, they disappear into the border on each side. The problem is probably at this end, I'll have to have a scratch around, and see what I can find.

Ian S C

Ian,

The two big PDFs are good.

MichaelG.

The pdfs at the top are one for each side of the plan, but obviously are hard to print (though you can use the 'tile' feature .

The eight at the bottom are so you can print out on A4 and glue them together!

Neil

I was looking at a site last night about the Goodell-Pratt lathe (see thread about what too do with a Super Adept). One attachment for the G-P lathe is a fret saw, I think the little filing machine could get a mod to convert it to a fret saw to extend it's versitillity. Ian S C

I suspect the easy way to do that modification would be to make a holder for jigsaw blades. You could thin the blades from the back with a grinder to help them 'go round corners'.

Neil

Neil, I was proposing the use of ordinary fret saw blades, not coping saw blades, or you could use piercing saw blades for metal work, maybe junior hacksaw for straight cuts. Ian S C

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Ian,

I agree ... it would be very useful, adapted to take piercing saw blades.

It should be a simple matter to stiffen the "optional" safety guard [probably braze a rib along the back of it, to make a T-section] and put a tension spring inside the tube.

MichaelG.

I have just made one of these machines. Whilst pondering over where I might get a suitable motor, I remembered that I have two redundant Black and Decker screwdrivers for which new batteries are so expensive it would be cheaper to buy a new complete unit. I have always been impressed by the torque that these 3.6 volt screwdrivers produce and found that by cutting off the battery compartment and rejigging the wiring contacts it can be made to neatly fit the filing machine. I am temporarily using a 6V battery charger to run it until I can find a more appropriate power source. (The motor in the charger appears to be a Johnson 3 - 12volt). The casing is only warm after 10 minutes running. It runs well and has loads of filing power.

I have found though that all of my needle files would need to have their handles shortened to such an extent that it would render them useless for use by hand. I would have no objection to adapting a set of files but before I make an expensive mistake, what are the most appropriate files to use in this sort of machine?

Mick

What an excellent idea, Mick !!

MichaelG.

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As for the Files ... I would be very tempted to use the Diamond grit ones

... These have become very reasonably priced in recent years, and cut very well.

Save your proper needle files for hand-work.

Well done Mick!

Can we see some pictures of the machine, and may I use one in the magazine?

Neil

Mick, would it be possible to modify the file holder to take the full file handle without having to shorten it?

Ian S C

The diamond files seem a good idea, but you can get files made for filing machines with the 'cut' on backwards so they cut on the pull stroke. Diamond files will cut both ways, of course.

Neil

Thanks Mick,

Using the low voltage motor makes life a lot easier too.

Makes it all worthwhile!

Neil

Neill....photo as requested.

Ian ......yes you can get longer handled files to fit by reducing the thread on the crank pin to about 1/4" and achieving a bit more depth in the block. Even though I did this none of my files, even from different sets would fit without nipping a bit off the handle. I expect that there must be files out there that would fit without modification but I think that I shall take the advice given and modify a set of relatively cheapo diamond grit files.

It may be useful to know that the drive shaft of the cordless screwdriver has a diameter of 11mm and this must be taken account of when making up the crank. The plan called for a 6BA grub to secure the crank to the drive shaft but there was not much depth of metal left on the crank because of the greater diameter of the drive shaft, so I cross drilled and inserted a 3mm roll pin instead. Surprisingly, all other dimensions are as per plan.

The table in the photo is of aluminium and is as yet non adjustable for tilt because that is the material I had at hand. I shall replace it with steel and the tilt brackets next time I order some 1/4" steel.

Mick

Edited By mick H on 04/08/2014 16:48:52

small filing machine files have been out of production for a while........

Although I thought I had made the slide block and runners a snug fit with minimal clearance, I have discovered that on my machine there is some "slide slap" as the slide changes direction at the bottom of it's stroke, producing a slight knocking noise. At first I thought it was the slide knocking on the crank but it is definitely caused by a very small amount of excess clearance which can be cured by using grease instead of oil on the slide/runners. Grease is probably not a good idea on a filing machine which brings me to the suggestion that it might be advisable to redesign the slide/runner set up with an adjustable gib strip. I shall do it as and when. It is also a good idea to get the crank pins and connecting rod properly lined up and not as shown on the hastily taken photo I posted earlier!

Mick