I swore hand filing was a waste of time until last Tuesday

Had to fit a drift pin into a 150 year old plow share and my angle grinder just kept eating the metal. Grabbed a Nicholson file out of desperation and had it dialed in 20 minutes. Anybody else find old methods working better than power tools on certain jobs?

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2 Comments

casey9095mo ago

Guess the plow wasn't the only thing getting filed down by that angle grinder.

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wesley835mo ago

Exactly. It's like we think because the grinder is faster it's better but sometimes it just ruins the metal. That file lets you feel the surface and take off exactly what you need. I had a similar deal with an old cast iron mower deck. Tried a flap disc and it dug grooves that made the rust worse. Switched to a mill file and had it smooth in no time. Plus you don't generate that heat that hardens the surface or warps thin metal. Did you notice the file cut cleaner without galling up the drift pin too?

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