I took another side trip today to make a handle for my new saw file. I might be able to control it better if I put a handle on it. It is uncomfortable to use with the tang sticking into my hand. Maybe if I can control it better I can cut the teeth of the saw better.
To fit the file to the handle I will have to make a hole in a piece of wood that will provide a friction fit for this tang.
This Is the Tang on the File
I found a piece of scrap maple that is about 3/4" on a side and about 3" long.
This Will Become My Handle
I do not have a lathe to turn this blank into a round handle, and handles are actually easier to hold if they are not round. So I used my spokeshave to chamfer the corners off of the square blank.
The Spokeshave Works Quickly and Easily
That gave me an octagonal blank for the handle.
The Octagon Will Be Easier To Hold
On the back end of the blank I carved it mostly round, using the rasp to take off some of the corners.
This Will Be the Back End of the Handle
Since the file tang is tapered, I will have to make a tapered hole in the wood. The thickest part of the tang is just over 3/16" across.
This Will Be the Widest Part of the Hole
The skinniest end will require a hole that is about 1/8" across.
This End Will Be Deepest In the Handle
The tang is about 1 1/2" long, which will be the depth of the hole.
Measuring the Depth of the Required Hole
I will drill the hole using two drill bits, the first one 1/8" in diameter, and then enlarging part of the hole to 3/16". I clamped the handle in the vise and measured it to make sure that it was vertical.
The Bubble Tells Me That The Handle is Vertical
I am pretty good at eyeballing a drill bit vertical, so I drilled out the 1/8" hole by hand. This is what I started out with.
That Looks Pretty Good, Actually
Then, I used the 3/16" bit to enlarge half of the hole to the larger size.
Well, maybe not so good after all. After enlarging the top of the hole to 3/16" the file seems to go in a bit crooked.
This Is Not Straight
I put the 3/16" drill bit back into the hole and tried to grind it in the other direction to straighten it out.
Drilling At an Angle To Compensate for the Error
It looks good in this direction.
This is OK
But when I turned it 90° it is still crooked.
Still Crooked In This Direction
I guessed that it was the 1/8" hole that was crooked, so I put the 1/8" bit back in and tried to compensate for the erroneous angle by drilling slightly tilted in the opposite direction. That broke the drill bit.
I Guess Drills Are Not Designed for Sideways Stress
It also left the point of the drill bit embedded in the handle. I got out the needle nose pliers.
I Need to Get the Broken Bit Out of That Hole
OK. I got it.
Got It
That isn't going to be useful anymore.
The Tip of the Broken Bit
That leaves me with a crooked handle.
Still Crooked
I gave up in frustration and went off to work on something else for a while.
