Thread: Long Angle Lathe file ?

I've got one, a Brazilian Nicholson fine lathe file. 360mm long, close to 7mm thick and teeth at 45 degrees. The narrow edges are safety edges. I bought it not long after acquiring my first lathe, about 16 years ago on the suggestion of a bombastic South African fitter and turner. He reckoned it was an essential bit of kit for a wannabee machinist. I will always remember his line " what the xxxk would a draughtsman know about machining! " Back then, nothing, now not much more.

Anyway, I did use the file back then, mainly on 1214, and found it to be fairly aggressive and without a sensitive touch it would tear the steel, tear to the extent that the tears were nearly impossible to remove with wet and dry paper. For the South African, who worked mainly on railway rolling stock, the file would have been perfect for quickly knocking off sharp corners, for a wannabee working on nothing larger than maybe 3" diameter bar, it was overkill.

The file sits in a draw with the rest of my files and when I do occasionally use it it's wrapped in far less aggressive carborundum paper. The files I do use on the lathe are fine toothed Warding Smooths. Great for removing the fine burr on a piece of 4140 after after a bit of chamfering. I also use my Stubbs and Vallorbe needle files for a bit of discreet arising.

I, like Grahame, hold the file in the dangerous manner, handle in the right , tip in the left. Probably dangerous wearing a kaftan but I don't wear one.

BT

If I remember rightly I probably bought my Brazillian lathe file from Blackwoods in Perth round about the time Anorak Bob bought his. Like him the file new was fairly aggressive so I stoned one side to just take the edge of it . This really transformed it as far as aggressiveness went but I rarely use it preferring the doctored mill file.Of course, filing is pretty useless on hardened steel and for this I have the facility for cylindrical grinding. These days of carbide and ceramic tooling pretty good turned finishes are possible with a lathe providing the lathe is capable of handling the parameters necessary for carbide use, . Some of the Cermets can produce the goods on small lathes.

Peter Fou

Bob & Peter,
Thanks for measuring your files, it looks like 45 degrees is the angle for lathe files. It sounds like they are made for ripping large amounts off. I use my ones with light stroking pressure only and they can normally get a near mirror finish, you do have to clean the teeth after every stroke or the fillings will dig in.Whenever I use abrasive cloth/paper I always protect my ways with a large cloth topped up with wet newspaper on top of to catch the grindings. I notice that a lot of professional machinist do not use any protection at all, even if it their lathe.
Bob

Hi,

I often use a file on the lathe. On the Hercus I can hold the file handle in my right hand and the tip in my left hand with my body over the headstock and chuck without too much danger. On the bigger lathes at my old work, I held files the opposite way.

Ben.

You are right in saying that some professional machinists don't bother protecting their lathe beds but I guess that firstly, time is money, and secondly their lathes are simply tools to be used and written off/replaced when they can't hold tolerance due to wear. Production lathes are normally flogged out well before toolroom lathes which are generally of a better quality and thus looked after properly.

Peter Fou

Just out of curiosity how much use of emery requires you fellas to protect your lathe bed?

Every time a piece of abrasive cloth/paper is used. If the lathe has a coolant system it is critical to prevent any abrasive dust from entering the system by blocking off the drain to the tank so that the coolant pump cannot circulate it in the coolant. A good wipe down with shop tissue will clean things up pretty well. not rag which might be used again, contaminated with abrasive. Al- foil is pretty good for covering vulnerable parts of the lathe. Some lathes have better protection than others with things such as way covers but they are not designed to deal with grinding residue, Dedicated grinding machines have overhung slideways and other design features to prevent the ingress of grit. Likewise the coolant systems have various ways of filtering the returning contaminated coolant, the more classy the machine the better the system. Many good workshops and particularly toolrooms have the grinding section physically separated from the rest of the machine tools for the sole purpose of preventing dust contamination
While you may think that precautions outlined above is overkill in a home workshop environment just remember that any bit of abrasive which has worked its way under the saddle is going the start a lapping process, hardened ways get abraded by the abrasive embedded in the softer cast iron of the saddle. Soft bed lathes are a disaster waiting to happen. Expecting way wipers designed to deal with swarf and metal particles are no match for a determined bit of abrasive grit!

Peter Fou

I have a couple of the Pferd lathe files and wouldn’t be without them. I like that they have smooth edges and push away from the chuck in use.


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Originally Posted by jack620

I have a couple of the Pferd lathe files and wouldn’t be without them. I like that they have smooth edges and push away from the chuck in use.


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Any idea where you got the Pferd files? No-one in Adelaide seems to want to source them.

I bought them in Singapore Gavin. I can't help you with a local supplier sorry.