Metal Working Files...Which?

mikey said:
Thanks Will. Not that I didn't believe you but I am not familiar with these machines and didn't know what they can do. Now I know and ... I'm resisting really hard. I assume you can change cutters and produce round edges as well? Finally, if you don't mind, what do these things cost?
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Haha! I resisted for a while because of the price. I though there would be no way I would ever buy one. Like Stefan said in his video, I have no idea why these things cost so much, I see them for well over $1K for the same style machine. There are other styles as well & even bigger.

I never thought about rounded corners, that would be very cool but not sure how to do it as you would need different cutters (or ground inserts in my case) for different size radii. It would be kind of hard to do on this machine but I still have to open it up & take a look (I'll post pics whenever I post a thread on it). It's uses like a shell mill that cuts on the side. The one I have uses SPU inserts which has 4 sides per so insert changes shouldn't be very often, not for me anyway. Plus the inserts are cheap. Palmgren makes em too but they use a stone instead of a cutter. Perhaps on those you can dress the stone for a radius but I felt like a cutter would be much better than a grinding stone.

I got mine from KBC tools. Normal price is $790. It was on sale for like $513 or something like that. Called the KBC in my area to verify they had one in stock, drove down & picked it up, 1hr each way. Some are made in China, some are made in Taiwan. Mine is made in Taiwan & it shows. Looks very well built, even down to the paint, motor runs very quiet & smooth. You can adjust depth for how much you want chamfered & you can also adjust the angle.

Here's the video by Stefan that got me interested in a chamfering machine (Can you tell I watch a lot of his videos?).


 
Simco used to market a machine like that called a Bur-Beaver, but Harig bought it out and now sells it. I've used one enough to go through a dozen cutters, and they are worth every cent in a commercial shop.
 
Hmm, not as expensive as I expected but still bank for me. The tool in the video does look very nice and simple to make, too. Thanks for pointing to it, Will. Maybe one day, I'll make one. Never knew these things existed!
 
mikey said:
Hmm, not as expensive as I expected but still bank for me. The tool in the video does look very nice and simple to make, too. Thanks for pointing to it, Will. Maybe one day, I'll make one. Never knew these things existed!
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No problemo Mike. Yup same here, I never knew either. Sure beats sitting there with a file or having to mill chamfers. I used to spend time to mill chamfers, this thing will save so much time & does a nice job.

There's a guy on ebay that sells another design using a dumore grinder. He sells it without the grinder also. Not saying to copy him but to give you some more ideas if making one. ;) I was going to make one too, probably would have taken me a year though, but then this happened.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Davis-Bevel...371903?hash=item56947c753f:g:m7MAAOSwDKtY1GG6
 
Cool, thanks, Will. I really have to think about making one of these things. I have the router motor already and just need to sort out the design.

Emilio, my apologies for participating in/instigating this tangent. Back to files now ...
 
No, this is great. Will, the fact that you have all these new tools and machines actually makes me feel better about my tool obsession. What about a corner rounding machine? I see a 5 axis cnc machine in your future. :) Thanks. That KBC tool is awesome. Nice finish.
I thought I was bad. Thanks to all. Grobet has a file set for harder steels called Inox. The Grobet Inox files look good and not too expensive.
Contenti has them now. Some file work requires a light touch with the right file, like small cutter flutes or a tight V space. This is for my FingerPlate.
I have 3 in the works. Even the cutter. It's to make the groove for holding, like the grooves on a Mitutoyo height gage, sort of. Thanks Tony. Cool video. Thanks Guys.
Bob, Mikey, Will. .............:)
 
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I meant to suggest you use some railroad chalk on your files to prevent/reduce the buildup of chips in the teeth. These files have very fine, sharp and shallow teeth that can plug up really fast. Using a wire brush to clear the teeth can dull them so its better to use the stiff bristle side of your file card. Using chalk helps reduce the chip build up so cleanup works better without dulling the teeth. My Grobet files will take a continuous cut with very fine control when all the right conditions are met - see @Bob Korves post above; rap is optional - and I have done so for well over 15 years with the same set. I always use chalk in them and if you look at them you can't even tell they're used.
 
Thanks Mikey. What is railroad chalk?
 
Around these parts "chalk" is not all that popular, so I have been using "welders chalk sticks". They are about 5" long and have a rectangular cross section.

Any comments on whether this stuff works as well as railroad chalk?

David
 
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