Toolmakers finger

[one_rod]

No, not some painful medical condition. 
Just a simple device for holding small pieces of work while you file, or do other work on them.


Easily made from whatever bits of steel happen to be available, I must have made dozens of the things over the years, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Would be surprised if many members here hadn't knocked up something similar?



Used like this for cross-filing.



Or this way on for draw-filing.


Or like this for edge filing.



I'm sure I don't need to explain to anyone on this forum how it's made. But here's an assembly shot anyway.



Can even be used as a light drilling fixture, as long as you don't mind ending up with a few holes in the base plate. Will also hold round stock more securely if you file a v-notch across the face, and a matching one on the under side of the finger itself.



one_rod.

[Divided he ad]

A very neat piece of kit.... Glad you posted it. I'm always trying to hold bits for finishing 

I have a toolmakers clamp that I made in college works in a similar fashion as some will know?

I will now have to add this to the tuit list and carry on plodding through when I get chance 






Ralph.

[cidrontmg]

Thatīs handy! And simple. And versatile.  And... How about two clamps...  And lots of tapped holes in the base board, for various (any!) sizes of workpieces...  This must be done right away. I like filing things to size, but when the pieces get smaller, it seems to get exponentially more awkward to hold them in the vise. Thanks for posting!
 

[rleete]

I was told somewhere in the distant past that it was called a file vise.  Pretty much the same thing, but bolted, not welded.  I use it all the time.

[Blade]

Nice! That is a great idea, I will have to make one of those for doing finishing on knife blades.

[Bernd]

Nice piece of equipment you made there.

[Stilldrillin]

A handy weapon that, Rod!   

We all remember the toolmaker's clamp we made in metalwork. Or have seen one, somewhere. 

But, it's nice to be reminded, with an updated handy twist tuit.....   

David D

[one_rod]

Nice! That is a great idea, I will have to make one of those for doing finishing on knife blades.

As you may be able to see in the photos, it's exactly what I'm using that one for at the moment. That piece will be the blade for a small slip joint folder.

I may get it finished one day, if "real life" ever stops getting in the way of my workshop time.   


one_rod.