File guides?

smitty0331

smitty0331

Joined
Dec 5, 2006
Messages
892
Can anyone tell me (1.) What are file guides? (2.) How are they used? (3.) Where can I get them? (4.) Do they work as well as a belt grinder, albeit alot slower? I am getting ready to begin my first knife and I'm a little lean in my tooling, I.E.-No belt sander, band saw, torches, grinding wheel, only files, sandpaper, and an angle grinder. I'v been planning on starting for awhile, but do to a family emergency, I'm pressed for time and money at the present moment. Thanks in advance for all the help.
 
File guides are pieces of hardened steel that you can clamp in position to guide a file to keep it from cutting into an area. For instance I use a set I made out or 5160 and hardened. They are perfectly matched 1/4" thick 3" long and 3/4" wide and have a hole on each end. One piece is threaded the other not. On a hidden tang knife I clamp them on the blade where I want the guard and file the shoulders down to meet the guides. They are hard and will not cut easily so the file can only cut the soft blank and the shoulders come out perfectly flat and even. I also use a file that has the teeth ground off on the side that meets the guide. This saves on my guides and gives me more control over what I file away. If I clamp them a little father up the blade and file on each side from the edge I will get perfectly matched plunge cuts and not accidentally cut into my raisco area. Many get a set of cheap 123 blocks from a machine supply and use those, Knife supplies usually have them in their catalogs.
 
Even with a belt grinder I still use them to keep the plunge even. I use three different sizes and made them from some scrap 01.
 
Uncle Al's (riverside machine) makes and sells 2 different file guides. The more expensive one (~$150) has a carbide face and can be used on your belt grinder without damageing the face of it. No file needed. It works great.
The cheaper one sells for about $100 and must be used with files only.

-Mike-
 
I tend to think that I would want my guide to be considerably softer than my file to reduce wear on the teeth from the guide? Almost to the point where your guide is 'sacrificial'. Isnt a hardened guide a problem in this way?
 
i'm guessing that if the guide is harder than the steel or the file you're using, it's not gonna affect anything other than the steel you're filing on.
 
Hardened file guides allow the file to slide over it without cutting into it. The only thing the file cuts is the soft steel you're clamping. I'm sure if you work at it, you could dull your files by trying to file the hardened guide, but it really acts as more of a stop. You file till your file skates on the guide and you're done. I like to use machinists files with a safe edge to butt against the file guide, no chance of dulling that! You can grind the edge of a standard file to get the same effect.
 
Very true Curt. I guess we arent likely to use the teeth on the edge of the file much anyway.
 
the 123 blocks are ok but if you grind blades like i do on a disc sander they would get heavy fast. thats why i made my clamp small and light. for thoes of you who use the file method of stock removal will not have this problem. there is a member here who made a jig for filing his blades and it looks like a really cool setup. i seen his post yesterday. that would be the way to go for stock removal with a file.
 
Im still using the same set of guides I made 10 years ago. They are 1/2" wide and I can leave them in place to size up the ricasso too. My logo stencil just happens to be slightly narrower than the guides so they space it very nicely. It speeds up production if I can file the shoulders for the guard and rough out the bevels without removing the guides. Try it, You will like it.
 
Mike Vagnino early on made a version of that carbide-face guide. If you make more than 4 knives a year the thing will pay for itself in short order. I'm getting one, even though I only make 2-3 knives per year.

John
 
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