Draw filing tutorial?

A

Angelus1781

Joined
Feb 22, 2003
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702
Maybe I'm being impatient but when you are draw filing does the file have to be at a certain angle? I read that jonesy tutorial(wish I saw it about a year and half ago) and it looks like he's doing it at an angle.
 
Draw filing is a finish filing technique.It is done with a single cut file. The file is held a 90 degrees to the stroke. Keep the file VERY clean, using a file card often [otherwise bits of metal in the file can deeply scratch the surface].
 
The file should be flat on the material. If you lift it up so like the corner of the file is only contacting the steel, you can certainly remove material faster, but you'll have the deepest scratches known to mankind to deal with afterward. I know because they are a trademark of mine! :D So, the file should be flat against the material and the length of the file should be 90° to the length of the knife. I have modified this part of it if I have an angled plunge cut, but other than in that area I keep the file more or less perpendicular to the knife. Make sure you use a good, sharp bastard file, and, yes, it takes some time.
 
Another tip.
I use a cratex wheel on the outside edges of the file to smooth the sharp edge of the file. I get less scratches and smoother filing this way, as the edge of the file will not dig in.
 
I do plenty of draw filing on larger knives. The blade is clamped down in front of me with the tip pointing toward me, and I pull (draw) the file toward myself from the ricasso shoulders to the tip.

The file is directional. For the pull cuts such as I do the tang of the file goes in the left hand. For a push cut tip to ricasso the tang of the file would go in your right hand.

When you start out the going is slow and you may think that it's not going to work. But just keep going with nice even strokes. Once the uneven flats start to work down you will progress quickly.

Things To Remember
  • Don't be tempted to scrub back and forth. You will ruin the file and it won't help your work at all.
  • Keep the teeth of the file clean. Little chips of the steel can get embedded in the teeth and will gall the piece. Galling means that it will score a deep scratch in your nice smooth piece. You can use a file card or a small stiff wire brush to clean out the teeth. I usually just whack the file on the workbench every couple of strokes. Of course I also check to see that it's clean before making another stroke.
  • Don't work just one area. If you have a scratch in a low spot you can't just work that area to get the scratch out. All you'll do is create a divot. The entire surface from ricasso shoulders to tip has to be brought down. When you are dealing with a low spot, an easy way to check your progress is to paint over the low spot with a Magic Marker. As the rest of the blade is brought down you will begin to "erase" the area that you've colored in.
  • Be patient. Draw filing is not as bad as some folks think, but it's certainly not like using a grinder with a 60 grit belt. It takes time and patience. The results are rewarding when you've done the job properly.
swb.jpg

This Bowie was primarily done by draw filing. After forging and annealing I did use the grinder to knock off the "bark" from the blade bevels and define the ricasso shoulders a little better.

Then I went from a 60 grit belt to draw filing with a standard bastard file. Once everything was flat I went to a finer mill bastard. The final finish was done after heat treating by hand rubbing, starting with 120 grit paper wrapped around a file, progressing through the grits to 1000 grit.


My sanding and draw filing fixture
The blade must have support. Because of the distal taper of the blade, the tip will be suspended in air. So will part of the center of the blade. So you have the problem of the middle of the blade bowing and the tip bending as you draw the file across the blade. The bow will cause you to dish out the center, and the tip will bend causing you to round it off.

Here's how I address that problem.


320_grit.jpg


I use the same fixture for my draw filing that I use for hand sanding. This helps resolve these problems of the center bowing, and the tip bending. I don't have a good shot of the fixture, so this will have to suffice for now.


blade_fixture.gif


I have a strip of leather with a hole in one end. The clamp bolt pictured above goes through that hole. The strip of leather is to protect the blade. The reason of the oblong milled hole in the clamp is so I can move the clamp left or right as needed.

The tang goes under the clamp and is secured. Then the pieces of all thread are brought up to support the blade all the way to the tip. So you don't have the bowing and bending, and you won't hear that *thunk* or *boing* as you come straight off the tip. Works like a charm. I can do anything from a 2 1/2" blade to a 12" blade with no problem.
 
Man, Terry, you've brought this to a new science! What I do, and it works okay for me since my tang/ricasso/spine are generally pretty flowing and there isn't much of a thickness change between them, is simply clamp my knife with a piece of steel under it, to the lip of my bench. Accomplishes basically the same thing, but yours is a lot nicer! I don't push that hard into the steel so I can probably get away with my el-cheapo setup for this. I always hold the file tang in my right hand when I draw file, though. I guess I've been dowing it backwards all these years!
 
howiesatwork said:
Another tip.
I use a cratex wheel on the outside edges of the file to smooth the sharp edge of the file. I get less scratches and smoother filing this way, as the edge of the file will not dig in.
Click to expand...
Let me get this straight. Are are grinding off part of the cutting face, or are you just grinding the edge smooth.

Also, a new product that might help:
05w0101s2.jpg



http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50696&cat=1,42524
 
Angelus

Rubbing chalk on the teeth of the file after cleaning with a file card helps prevent the steel chips from sticking to the file and causing the galling that Terry mentions. I don't recall who on this forum made that recommendation to me. It helped reduce the amount of filing I had to do since I didn't have those big deep scratches any more. I just used "sidewalk chalk" that is really thick.

To hold the blank, I pre-drill two holes for the pins in the tang and use some screws to attach the blank to a piece of 2x4. Clamp the 2x4 in a vice and file away. You may end up filing a way a bit of the wood. To work on the other side, undo the screws, flip the blank over and screw it down again. I tended to leave a bit of scrap at the tip, on the spine side and put a third screw through that. I have only worked with steel that is up to 1/8 inch thick so I did not need as sophisticated a system as Terry's to support the blade.

Phil
 
AKA Knife Knut said:
Let me get this straight. Are are grinding off part of the cutting face, or are you just grinding the edge smooth....
Click to expand...
Not grinding, but ever-so-slightly rounding over the very edge of the cutting surface of the file.
The file is still almost flat all the way across its width, but will not dig in and gouge when slightly uneven pressure in put on the leading edge in draw-filing.
Kind of like killing the edge of a belt on a belt grinder, which in the case of the belt cuts down the scratches caused by the edge of the belt when plunge grinding.
Clear as mud, huh?

pso mentions chalking a file. A good practice. You can also use a piece of soapstone like used in welding marking if your chalk is missing...
 
:D :) Wow, I learned a bunch off just this thread a lone. Those tips, that seem to fill in the blanks of what I'm doing wrong.

Gonna go give it another try with this new info.

Thanks everyone!!!!!
 
CHALK, huh?
I might just have to go into town today and get some.

You guys are great.

Trenton
 
Here's a few more file tricks. I try not to touch my files with my fingers so i can avoid oils from my hands to get on the teeth. To me this seems to affect the cutting affect of the file. Using chalk is one of the easiest and best methods to use to improve your files performance as it acts like a dry lube to evacuate filings. Treat your files like precision cutting tools and don't stack them on top of one another. The very first thing i do with a new file is to take it to a piece of brass and file it before using it on steel. The brass helps remove that "new" edge. I also use a sharpened piece of brass to remove any stubborn filings that get lodged in the file. (Old school machinist use to call this "pinning") Ahh the humble file. A knife can be made with one or out of one! :)

Luke Smart
 
Guys, you've helped me out more than I could imagine! The extra "handle" for the file will definetly come in handy. And Terry, your "homemade tool" will also be a great help. Thanks all!:thumbup:
Russ
 
Angelus1781 said:
Maybe I'm being impatient but when you are draw filing does the file have to be at a certain angle? I read that jonesy tutorial(wish I saw it about a year and half ago) and it looks like he's doing it at an angle.
Click to expand...

newby here, but interested in learning draw filing. where can I find "jonsey" tutorial?
 
And no1 mentions an absolute must : a jar of "Elbow Grease" (TM) ! Apply it liberally and it will make any job a breeze.
 
Now this helps me! The chalk idea is awsome! I never would have thought about that.
I need to figure out a filing jig also to get the appropriate angles for my blades.
 
I confirm: touching the file, especially with greasy hands, will produce uneven filing and the file will seem to bite less.
Chalk and a file card are essential.
For NO REASON try to lube a file with cutting oil! :eek: It will do a MESS and bits of steel will instantly embed in the file and score the piece real bad.
Don't ask me how I know (there's a reason why it's called "learning thru trial and error", and sometimes the error is a real mess :D).
Keep your files hanging from a wall or on a rack, never touching one another. The dulling action of files rattling toghether in a drawer is enormous.
Buy a large point magic marker, blue or red and, at least initially, always use it on the whole surface. If you tend to apply more pressure on one place, you'll immediately see it and correct it when it's still a mild error.
Always wear protective gloves. There's always the chance of hitting the pointy tip, and a protective glove is the difference between an "ouch!" and a trip to the E.R.
For the same reason, if you stop working on the blade, IMMEDIATELY remove it from the vise, especially if it's sticking out in open space.
 
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