File Guide

[Absinthe]

File Guide (first attempt)

Here it is! Mild steel, no dowel pins. I can glue on some carbide tool blank material later. I don't have the right reamers or drill size or dowel pins so.. if I can drill and ream appropriately square holes, I will try adding dowel pins later.

My main reason for this tool was to use the waste from my leftovers when making my portable band saw table. But the primary use will be to align bolsters to match. So getting flat/square/parallel was all it needed. Lastly, it tested my "ceramic tile" platen that I added to the 4x36. 80 grit at 1728 rpm was making the steel too hot to hold, but whenever I would turn it off, there was hardly any detectable heat buildup in the belt/platen. And it was a lot of grinding at 80 grit to get my saw lines flat and square. Oh, I wish I had a 36 for this machine...

 

[Absinthe]

I epoxied a pair of carbide tool bits to the faces. Then I tested my ability to drill a straight square hole C (0.242) and subsequently ream it to 0.2495 and 0.251.

I think I did well with the initial hole. And my plan was to replace the drill bit with the (press fit) 0.2495 reamer and ream through, then replace it with the (loose fit) 0.251 reamer and just go through the top one, leaving the bottom one press fit, and the top one loose fit.

Best laid plans...

So in my frugality to get the required pieces I hadn't noticed that I bought stubby drill (C) but for some reason ended up with 6" long reamers. I didn't notice this until after I drilled my holes. So, having to adjust the height on a DP is definitely not a precision operation. This meant that now I had to use my eye to center the reamers in the 0.242 holes. In addition, regardless of whether I was dead on or not, the reamer was going in the hole, and the 6" shank was certainly going to let it Not trusting the setup anyway, and since I moved the whole setup, I removed it from the vice completely after the press fit reaming. At this point I could easily press the 0.250 dowel pin through the reamed hole. It would kind of stay in place but not like one that would have had to be tapped in with a hammer. I then did my best to return and setup the other panel to the vice. Obviously, this was less than ideal. I reamed that to 0.251 also, centering by eye.

To overcome the fact that my press fit was pretty near a slip fit, I added a drop of CA to that side. Then after cleaning everything up I wiggled and jiggled and even gave it a little rap with the back of my wrench and on it went. If I am really gentle and particular I can get them to slide very straight, open and closed.

No one is going to mistake me for a precision machinist. However, I have a functional device, even if it is a bit sloppier than a properly machined one. It will definitely assist in placement of bolsters. We are yet to see if it will assist in setting consistent plunge lines either with a file or against the platen of the grinder.