Filing and other mechanic's exercises

[rdennett]

Has anyone here ever practiced the flat-filing et al. exercises such as those listed in Weyger's Complete Modern Blacksmith? I understand that at one time, a metal worker coming out of a trade or engineering school had to be able to fashion a square hole in the exact middle of a square plate and produce a square bar that could slide through the hole with no light showing (and apparently, this was a test for employment for certain Ford Motor Company employees). A co-worker of mine who got her E.E. degree in India says that this is still a part of the curriculum there. I am sure you professional smiths have better things to do with your time, but has anyone else tried to do this?

Thanks,
Rob

[pkrankow]

I spent about 8-10 hours (spread over 2 weeks) making a bolster plate out of 1 inch hot roll. I drilled, cold chiseled, and filed a clean hole for the purpose of making some hardy tools. I haven't made the tools yet, but I think I have finished making all the tools to make the tools. (man that sounds funny every time I hear or say that)

Happiness is getting a new anvil with the same size hardy as the old anvil!

Phil

[CBrann]

I actually have practiced a lot of the filing exercises from Weyger's book. I find them useful. There are some times where a file will do things a grinder or sander wont/cant do.

also I enjoy working with hand tools, and it gives me more appreciation how much work went into the old work.. and how much more productive we can be with modern tools.

[rdennett]

How long did it take you to complete the first exercise?

Thanks,
Rob

[Sam Thompson]

My father made me do these kinds of exercises before he'd let me use any of his tools or workshop space. I've always been glad of it. Some of the apprentice pieces dreamed up by trainers were much more involved, they were designed to demonstrate as many techniques as possible (and I think to give the tutors a good laugh).

[ArtWerkz]

When I took my first Machinist course almost 20 years ago our first project was to chisel a block of mild steel from parent material and draw file to perfect flatness.
Whew, that was fun. It was a 2" x 2" block, if memory serves.

[Sam Thompson]

I still get dewy eyed about keyways!

[welder19]

Over the years I have had the great advantage to get lots of training/schooling in the diesel engine trade and in the last few years (before becoming disabled) it was a lot of electronic, and most if not all instructors that I have had over the years have seemed to have those little test's that they like to try and stump students with, Caterpillar instructors especially, I've seen some get down right mad when they were not able to stump someone.

I had the pleasure of learning a lot of things from old timers (old timers at the time, many moons ago) and files and the skill of using them properly was a big thing, even though we had power tools you were still expected to know how to use files, even though it is an arduous task and skill to aquire I'm thankful that it is one I learned and still use it on occasions.

That exercise of the square hole in the center of a plat with a square rod to go through it with no light around the edges of the hole would be quite a test of skill and one that a lot of folks would have trouble doing with modern equipment.

welder19

[Jocko 58]

G'Day 4 Years in a toolmaking apprenticeship, lots of fileing drilling tapping milling bench fitting profile grinding cylindrical grinding and the list goes on ,a lot of reputition. My first week i was sharpening drill bits that was over 35 years ago ,you don't forget you just get rusty
Cheers John

[David E.]

I haven't seen my apprentice pieces for ages now,but I am 59. I had to do a perfect cube to pass through a square hole on all faces with the appropriate clearance (which wasn't much, tho' I now forget exactly what it was) all faces of the cube had also to be scraped giving a minimum number of high spots / square inch,oh yes it was a laugh a minute,not much call for it with my blacksmithing but it certainly gave me a better appreciation for what was reqd to have a job done right.

BTW John, you were lucky to actually get to sharpen drills in the first week, I had to spend ages standing facing a girder just practising the motion of offering a drill up to the grindstone, I must have done something really horrible in a previous life :lol:

[greg]

I had a trade school teacher 28 years ago before he would let us touch a machine tool he had us make a 123 block and the jaws for a gear puller using a file and a hacksaw. His point at the time was for us to develop a feel for the material we were using. At the time I did not get his point but to this day I can still use a file with a great degree of accuracy.Now when I pick up a file I can still hear his thick German accent saying "xxxx you guys must feel the material "

[chrisfrick]

The square hole that a square can pass through--lemme see, I have made hundreds of square holes using a recip saw and then filing to final dimensions. Only done it once with steel, and that was the hardie hole on my anvil (annealed 4140 about 2.5 inches thick). Most of my files are used on custom aircraft instrument panels, so final fit must be precise due to the cost involved. Much, much easier in 2024 aluminum than any form of steel. Hats off to anyone who can file a square hole, a square to fit through that hole, and have minimal light pass through!

[Frosty]

Rob:

We had to do such exercises to get to touch a power tool in metal shop I in Jr. High School. Same in metal shop II though harder exercises. When it came to Heavy Metal Shop I (after metal shop I & II) in High School we made a second steel scale starting with a piece of 1/4" x 1" x 13" long med C steel. The scale we made in Jr. High was from mild and only okay. Anyway, our next filing project was a set of 6 each 5/8" dice and they all had to mic out within a thou of each other to pass.

No square holes and pass through bars for us though we did have to do keyways, innies and outies.

I LOVED metal shop and it wasn't just because Father had a metal spinning and machine shop in the garage, he didn't have a mill and didn't do any casting. Besides, being Dad, his shop meant WORK while the school shops meant . . . Something else, stupid kids!

True hand work is a wonderful way to get to know the material. Your German instructor was dead on right Greg, the tools and materials speak to you, listening is what makes it work though learning the languages can be hard for some.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Mark Aspery]

Has anyone here ever practiced the flat-filing et al. exercises such as those listed in Weyger's Complete Modern Blacksmith? I understand that at one time, a metal worker coming out of a trade or engineering school had to be able to fashion a square hole in the exact middle of a square plate and produce a square bar that could slide through the hole with no light showing (and apparently, this was a test for employment for certain Ford Motor Company employees). A co-worker of mine who got her E.E. degree in India says that this is still a part of the curriculum there. I am sure you professional smiths have better things to do with your time, but has anyone else tried to do this?

Thanks,
Rob

My first apprentice project (not work that had to go out of the door) was to make six chisels - two of each type, Cape, Gouge and Diamond bit (one each for surface work and deep work) and then chisel a 1 inch cube void in a piece of 2 x 2 mild steel (true mild not hot rolled)

This got my forging of chisels in line - beefed up my heat treatment and then gave me a couple of weeks of fun filled evenings - with scratches from a skating chisel meaning a "start again lad".
I am just about getting the use of my thumb back now 30+ years later.

We then had to file a 1 inch cube from a piece of round bar - and you've guessed it, the cube had to fit into the void in the 2 x 2.

I think another question would be:
"Do you still use the skills?"

I know that I use some of them; typically for intersecting scroll work (French style), inlaid shoulders for tenons and cutting square holes in plate.

The cube was checked with an engineers square and machinists block for square - all six sides.

[Mainely,Bob]

Instead of hand filing a square hole why didn`t you just drill it?
I picked up 2 different ways to do it from my uncle and when I demonstrated it and my ability to weld with both OA torch and SMAW(stick welding)it allowed me to go directly to advanced metal shop as a freshman.
Of course then I had to convince the juniors and seniors that I really belonged there.The first 2 months I thought maybe I should have just went along with the hand filing exercises again.Then I brought in the head from my friend`s Triumph motorcycle and things began to look up. B)