"Fewer" specialty files is not the same as "none" and any desired file can be produced today. Files are indispensable but not for high volume production processes (in most cases). Machinists, fitters, gunsmiths, farriers and weldors among millions of others use files daily. They remove an impressive amount of metal with excellent control and effortless portability. Saw files are also still widely produced. Watches today are mechanical jewelry and while horology is a niche hobby it's far from dead.
The best blessing I've ever had , is the mentoring , teaching , working with and for men like this man close to my grandfathers age if he was alive . The amount and sorts of knowledge gained from this man and the very few left , are a Godsend and irreplaceable fountain of skills and knowledge . Value them , learn from them , and work with them any chance you can muster the time to do so . You cannot put a price on knowledge of skills not much written the same in books any longer like these men possess . Priceless !
I can’t fathom why people would rather become dependent boobs than learn the most basic and useful knowledge and skills. I guess it takes away from their Twitter or Facebook time. To me, this man’s knowledge is more valuable than gold.
I love this old bloke. And I've spent quite some time in Sheffield too. Despite having many of the modern tools he describes, I still use all the hand tools he mentioned, and a lot more besides. As an old man myself, I highly respect the craftmanship and ingenuity that went into theses crafts/tools. I use them as often as I can and teach the skills to my grandsons, who complain that it "takes soooo long pop...". Thanks for this video, we are dying out, and very few want to learn the art and crafts now. It's a pity.
Wonderful that you teach your grandkids. I am learning these skills in my adulthood and have found such generosity of knowledge from the older generation. I love it! Keep sharing!
Yes there is a handful of makers of decent quality files left but there used to be hundreds. None apparently in Sheffield. I wouldnt say anything other than the bog standard types are readily available.
Now now, let the man try to make a virtue out of 'it was the only way of making it' necessity. Sadly he has the Jack Hargreaves rose tint disease. oth I have a very occasionally use some old Tyzack wood chisels which it must be said are excellent. As are the 60's yellow/red handle Marples set i inherited from my dad made with modern steels...
@@alan-sk7ky People today don't have basic metal and wood working skills. They don't know how to repair shit. I'm not an expert, but I can do basic brazing, welding, blacksmithing, etc. I've even made a few tools, and repaired a bunch of stuff.
I did my apprenticeship with the CEGB and one of our projects was to file a perfect cube from a lump of mild steel. I still have and use all my Nicholson files.
Interesting interview, but I"d love to have seen more of the original tools and to learn about that massive square file next to him. Files are still made however, but as someone who uses a lot of files it's not as easy as going down to the hardware store and getting good ones anymore, have to order them and they are not cheap. Hand made files are still made, they are expensive. The massive file cutting industry is no more however.
There are still many uses for files, I have drawers full and put them to good use regularly. The fact that Sheffield out lived its utility as a manufacturing center dosn't mean the end of the products.
While it's true files are used less, I still have quite a few, part of the reason is that new machines leave less for the files to do and the price of new files is very high and frankly, the quality is not as good as some of my used, 40-50 year old files.
Agreed, it’s not that files aren’t made anymore - they’re just no longer made by hand. Search how files are made and you’ll find automated production, exactly the same way everything else is now made.
@@m7791 Now files are typically made in India or whatever the cheapest place they can be made and still demand a premium price, I used to buy Nicholson files, now they are no better than the cheapest grade you could get 40 years ago.
I have many files, new old and use them often, along side my machine tools, as do jewelers /craftsman/woodworkers use rasps i have new rasps, i have also set my saws with a saw set and sharpened them with needle files that you can buy everyware?
Thank you for sharing this, those are nice shoes. Sadly, I grew up wearing leather soled shoes and while they are proper footwear I don't know how many times I slipped and fell from wet and slick leather soles on said shoes. I wear the man made soled shoes and boots and no longer have that problem but am NOT happy with what passes for a hand file these days! Thanks.
I love this video. It's not accurate, but it would be if the internet didn't make it possible to get any manner of specialty tools that craftsman might need. There are lots of people learning handcrafts of all kinds. Many people have been learning that handmade objects are inherently more valuable and enjoyable than mass produced items.
In the sense that the market is no longer there, he is accurate. At one time all of those files were massed produced because there was a large market. Sure, there are small manufacturers that are reproducing tools based off of old tools but they're much more expensive than the originals. Or if there are cheaper alternatives they're usually made in China or India where there is very little quality control which means you could get a file that lasts for years or only months depending on the quality of the heat treat. I think about the thousands upon thousands of Disston panel saws that were produced over the years. If you look hard enough, you can usually find them at estate sales for five or ten bucks because every man from the "Greatest Generation" used hands saws. Yet to buy something new, that can be sharpened and is the same quality or a little better, you would have to spend at least $200. Even adjusting for inflation, I guarantee the old Disston's didn't cost that much.
the file making hand industry may be dead but the memory and its craft survives still carried on by individuals, blacksmiths most of these days, like me. today I finished my file cutting work"bench" tomorrow I will cut a file for japanese saws. thank you very much for providing all the valuable examples. I do wish I knew about the chisels bevel angles and cutting angle but I'll figure it out.
As a farmer, I still use files. One type to sharpen chainsaw chain, another to set the "rakers" on the chain. And for small projects where I only want to take a little bit off. I should buy a die grinder and that would negate the use of some of the files. I have no idea how old it is, but I have a nice metal file handle with large holes in it. I found another file with a corn cob handle on it. :)
Here in Taiwan, you can go into any hardware store and choose from a variety of files, so I'd guess that here, at least, they are still being used. It's not hard to find a feather file, either, for sharpening a saw. I bought one for about NT$200 (US$6) and very quickly earned the money back by not buying new saw blades.
yeah i think he probably means files in industry.. the quantity of files and types of files made is much less now than it was 60 years ago. hardwear stores once had a file section with 100s of types of files and a machine shop supply store might have many times that. for example in 1950 there was maybe 50 producers of steel chequering files but today there is only one producer in the world based in italy
Undoubtedly machining methods have advanced meaning closer tolerances and less fitting . However , in my tool chest I still have a wide selection of files and they are used all the time . Filing , like scraping , is an art when done well .
Can anybody teach how to make a very straight flat file that has fine double cut teeth i think the quenching process warps it anywat to fix that problem
Hyper Hektor Yelp. In the old days, it took a LOT of skill to do what they did. And muscle. But, things change. Nothing against the tradesmen of today, who are skilled craftsmen, but they would be lost if forced to do things the old way. It takes years to learn the trade today, back then it took decades. : )
Andrew Vida In the US they are mainly used for deburring. In years past, they were used as precision instruments. Few people today can make an accurate cut with a file. Today they are thrown into a drower. In the past, they were treated like delicate and precision instruments.
Finding decent files these days is a nightmare.... especially needle files... good quality ones are like rocking horse droppings.... Diamon ones are OK but getting them with accurate enough substrate and fine enough grit is an exercise in frustration where I live in NZ. Not very long ago at all (less than 30 years) I could go to my local engineer's supply shop and buy high quality files of any size, shape and cut that anyone could desire. The seemed to disappear, along with the shops that sold them, very suddenly about 20 years ago.
Liogier & Auriou are proud crafstmen pursuing the tradition. I discovered the beauty of Rasps & Files because of them. They are disregarded by the Wood Working furniture community imho. For me... it's so, so direct to the relation with the Material!
Files are still used, just not in manufacturing. They are used by machinists and in repair shop[s and by craftsmen all over the world. But there are fewer and fewer of these small shops every year. Why? For the same reasons that there are no buggy whip factories or wagon wheel makers. Very low demand. Most of these archaic items are special order replacements for antiques.
Seems one might consider bringing back the old ways, breaking away from most all of modernity whilst seeking a time when men were real men and craftsmanship, being self-sufficient and like were a source of pride as well as livelihood.
Professional builder all my life. Germany/Scandinavia stole English file business by making them cheaper. Then Asia did the same. The overwhelming majority of tools have always been sold to weekend warriors & amateurs, Trades people buy the best once & rely on that fact to do the job for a long time. Less (quality) tools are sold, junk fills the market, soon nothing but low quality throw away tools. "Survival of the less fit", you might say. Now there's a shortage of tradesmen as we're all getting on. Wonder what people will do in the future ? Lower building code restrictions to accommodate ? Perhaps one huge assembly line prefab corp. will come true like they predicted years ago.
This is sad really. Files are still used, but not on an industrial capacity. I use files every so often, but I have never worn out a file, so why replace it? Without the need to replace a spent file, there is little need to them on a large scale. This is why we now have garage files from China and the premium tools of the past are long longer viable as a business.
They are still used a lot..... Why they are not made here is that companies were to big in Sheffield and did not invest in faster machines and strikes ... My grandad worked for a big company that made items for Mazda ... A Japanese guy come over and had a video camera and asked to film ..They went Ok with in a year they had a machine 2 times faster ...
I would like to see a return of show makers, if it wasn't for those elves we would still have them, hum humbug I say to the 21 century, it wasn't a sham back then.
I'd love to spend a few weeks with this guy and listen to him
"Fewer" specialty files is not the same as "none" and any desired file can be produced today. Files are indispensable but not for high volume production processes (in most cases).
Machinists, fitters, gunsmiths, farriers and weldors among millions of others use files daily. They remove an impressive amount of metal with excellent control and effortless portability. Saw files are also still widely produced. Watches today are mechanical jewelry and while horology is a niche hobby it's far from dead.
The best blessing I've ever had , is the mentoring , teaching , working with and for men like this man close to my grandfathers age if he was alive . The amount and sorts of knowledge gained from this man and the very few left , are a Godsend and irreplaceable fountain of skills and knowledge . Value them , learn from them , and work with them any chance you can muster the time to do so . You cannot put a price on knowledge of skills not much written the same in books any longer like these men possess . Priceless !
I can’t fathom why people would rather become dependent boobs than learn the most basic and useful knowledge and skills. I guess it takes away from their Twitter or Facebook time.
To me, this man’s knowledge is more valuable than gold.
i agree but there few people around that would know the old trades
I love this old bloke. And I've spent quite some time in Sheffield too. Despite having many of the modern tools he describes, I still use all the hand tools he mentioned, and a lot more besides. As an old man myself, I highly respect the craftmanship and ingenuity that went into theses crafts/tools. I use them as often as I can and teach the skills to my grandsons, who complain that it "takes soooo long pop...". Thanks for this video, we are dying out, and very few want to learn the art and crafts now. It's a pity.
Wonderful that you teach your grandkids. I am learning these skills in my adulthood and have found such generosity of knowledge from the older generation. I love it! Keep sharing!
All the files mentioned are readily available. the standard tooth handsaw is available on Amazon.
Yes there is a handful of makers of decent quality files left but there used to be hundreds. None apparently in Sheffield. I wouldnt say anything other than the bog standard types are readily available.
Now now, let the man try to make a virtue out of 'it was the only way of making it' necessity. Sadly he has the Jack Hargreaves rose tint disease. oth I have a very occasionally use some old Tyzack wood chisels which it must be said are excellent. As are the 60's yellow/red handle Marples set i inherited from my dad made with modern steels...
@@alan-sk7ky People today don't have basic metal and wood working skills. They don't know how to repair shit. I'm not an expert, but I can do basic brazing, welding, blacksmithing, etc. I've even made a few tools, and repaired a bunch of stuff.
Its fascinating to see how things where done with files only in the past but files are still around today they just dont get used as often
The David Attenborough steel. Fabulous
I would have loved to have met Ken and listened to hours of great stories about the old trades and their equipment.
I did my apprenticeship with the CEGB and one of our projects was to file a perfect cube from a lump of mild steel. I still have and use all my Nicholson files.
Interesting interview, but I"d love to have seen more of the original tools and to learn about that massive square file next to him.
Files are still made however, but as someone who uses a lot of files it's not as easy as going down to the hardware store and getting good ones anymore, have to order them and they are not cheap. Hand made files are still made, they are expensive. The massive file cutting industry is no more however.
There are still many uses for files, I have drawers full and put them to good use regularly. The fact that Sheffield out lived its utility as a manufacturing center dosn't mean the end of the products.
I just about use files for different types of processes and sharpening things that other things can't so there's that
Files are used less. Bit still obviously used in many trades. The files are no longer had made due to mechanisation.
While it's true files are used less, I still have quite a few, part of the reason is that new machines leave less for the files to do and the price of new files is very high and frankly, the quality is not as good as some of my used, 40-50 year old files.
Agreed, it’s not that files aren’t made anymore - they’re just no longer made by hand. Search how files are made and you’ll find automated production, exactly the same way everything else is now made.
@@m7791 Now files are typically made in India or whatever the cheapest place they can be made and still demand a premium price, I used to buy Nicholson files, now they are no better than the cheapest grade you could get 40 years ago.
I have many files, new old and use them often, along side my machine tools, as do jewelers /craftsman/woodworkers use rasps i have new rasps, i have also set my saws with a saw set and sharpened them with needle files that you can buy everyware?
Thank you for sharing this, those are nice shoes. Sadly, I grew up wearing leather soled shoes and while they are proper footwear I don't know how many times I slipped and fell from wet and slick leather soles on said shoes. I wear the man made soled shoes and boots and no longer have that problem but am NOT happy with what passes for a hand file these days! Thanks.
on the new types the insides wear out faster than the outsides
The wisdom of this guy. Id love to see a movie series of this guys life threw his eyes.
I love this video. It's not accurate, but it would be if the internet didn't make it possible to get any manner of specialty tools that craftsman might need. There are lots of people learning handcrafts of all kinds. Many people have been learning that handmade objects are inherently more valuable and enjoyable than mass produced items.
In the sense that the market is no longer there, he is accurate. At one time all of those files were massed produced because there was a large market. Sure, there are small manufacturers that are reproducing tools based off of old tools but they're much more expensive than the originals. Or if there are cheaper alternatives they're usually made in China or India where there is very little quality control which means you could get a file that lasts for years or only months depending on the quality of the heat treat.
I think about the thousands upon thousands of Disston panel saws that were produced over the years. If you look hard enough, you can usually find them at estate sales for five or ten bucks because every man from the "Greatest Generation" used hands saws. Yet to buy something new, that can be sharpened and is the same quality or a little better, you would have to spend at least $200. Even adjusting for inflation, I guarantee the old Disston's didn't cost that much.
Those Masters... They are our Memory.
Sad innit. :( I love Ken's videos, I wish they filmed more with him!
Thank you very much sir for being a honest truth speaking gentleman. This upside down world of today needs men like you!
the file making hand industry may be dead but the memory and its craft survives still
carried on by individuals, blacksmiths most of these days, like me.
today I finished my file cutting work"bench" tomorrow I will cut a file for japanese saws.
thank you very much for providing all the valuable examples.
I do wish I knew about the chisels bevel angles and cutting angle but I'll figure it out.
I still use files a lot for metal work. Sharpening chain saw blades, tool finishing, etc. All my files are mass produced, but I still use them a lot.
there is actually a company still making traditional saws to order not far from Sheffield, and they still sharpen the teeth with a traditional file
As a farmer, I still use files. One type to sharpen chainsaw chain, another to set the "rakers" on the chain. And for small projects where I only want to take a little bit off. I should buy a die grinder and that would negate the use of some of the files. I have no idea how old it is, but I have a nice metal file handle with large holes in it. I found another file with a corn cob handle on it. :)
Here in Taiwan, you can go into any hardware store and choose from a variety of files, so I'd guess that here, at least, they are still being used. It's not hard to find a feather file, either, for sharpening a saw. I bought one for about NT$200 (US$6) and very quickly earned the money back by not buying new saw blades.
yeah i think he probably means files in industry.. the quantity of files and types of files made is much less now than it was 60 years ago. hardwear stores once had a file section with 100s of types of files and a machine shop supply store might have many times that. for example in 1950 there was maybe 50 producers of steel chequering files but today there is only one producer in the world based in italy
Undoubtedly machining methods have advanced meaning closer tolerances and less fitting . However , in my tool chest I still have a wide selection of files and they are used all the time . Filing , like scraping , is an art when done well .
One of the Foundation Tools that help Humanity !
As a machinist i still use files almost every day.
The Why Files brought me here.
I use files still to sharpen my saw teeth and chain saw teeth
Sheffield is in Yorkshire.
Zombie Apocalypse will bring use for files back.
Gun making gear cutting simple yet precise metal parts?
I've recently been buying any file I see at car boot sales that was made in the UK. I've got some really nice ones. Got a new one today, Stubs.
Can anybody teach how to make a very straight flat file that has fine double cut teeth i think the quenching process warps it anywat to fix that problem
Not used anymore? Perhaps in jolly England, but here in the states there are all manner of people using them.
i think you forgot that he means , not used in mass production used by the industry.
Hyper Hektor Yelp. In the old days, it took a LOT of skill to do what they did. And muscle. But, things change. Nothing against the tradesmen of today, who are skilled craftsmen, but they would be lost if forced to do things the old way. It takes years to learn the trade today, back then it took decades. : )
Andrew Vida In the US they are mainly used for deburring. In years past, they were used as precision instruments. Few people today can make an accurate cut with a file. Today they are thrown into a drower. In the past, they were treated like delicate and precision instruments.
Finding decent files these days is a nightmare.... especially needle files... good quality ones are like rocking horse droppings.... Diamon ones are OK but getting them with accurate enough substrate and fine enough grit is an exercise in frustration where I live in NZ. Not very long ago at all (less than 30 years) I could go to my local engineer's supply shop and buy high quality files of any size, shape and cut that anyone could desire. The seemed to disappear, along with the shops that sold them, very suddenly about 20 years ago.
Liogier & Auriou are proud crafstmen pursuing the tradition. I discovered the beauty of Rasps & Files because of them. They are disregarded by the Wood Working furniture community imho. For me... it's so, so direct to the relation with the Material!
Auriou rasps are peerless, but at around £120 a piece its not surprising that most woodworkers don't own any.
I can tell you as saw filer in a cedar shingle mill that I routinely uses files, none hand made of course. Shingle mills are a dying trade as well.
Files are still used, just not in manufacturing. They are used by machinists and in repair shop[s and by craftsmen all over the world. But there are fewer and fewer of these small shops every year. Why? For the same reasons that there are no buggy whip factories or wagon wheel makers. Very low demand. Most of these archaic items are special order replacements for antiques.
do show some of ur tools' use on the table in the next videos... all the best.
Wrong. Files are sold in every hardware store in America. Multiple brands. I have them in each of my toolboxes.
Seems one might consider bringing back the old ways, breaking away from most all of modernity whilst seeking a time when men were real men and craftsmanship, being self-sufficient and like were a source of pride as well as livelihood.
self sufficiency was far from the source of pride. people had pride in community and eachother
Chainsaws still use files to sharpen
Professional builder all my life. Germany/Scandinavia stole English file business by making them cheaper. Then Asia did the same. The overwhelming majority of tools have always been sold to weekend warriors & amateurs, Trades people buy the best once & rely on that fact to do the job for a long time. Less (quality) tools are sold, junk fills the market, soon nothing but low quality throw away tools. "Survival of the less fit", you might say. Now there's a shortage of tradesmen as we're all getting on. Wonder what people will do in the future ? Lower building code restrictions to accommodate ? Perhaps one huge assembly line prefab corp. will come true like they predicted years ago.
I am so sorry, I wrote my previous comment without knowing that Mr. Hawley is deceased. What a loss.
This is sad really. Files are still used, but not on an industrial capacity. I use files every so often, but I have never worn out a file, so why replace it? Without the need to replace a spent file, there is little need to them on a large scale. This is why we now have garage files from China and the premium tools of the past are long longer viable as a business.
I still use files, but then I prefer to repair things than throw away
When the cell phone is brought into frame... seems so out of place in there. Shiny. No patina. Not made of iron, wood, or leather.
What are you talking about? I use files every day, as well as others I'm many trades.
i use them.
They are still used a lot..... Why they are not made here is that companies were to big in Sheffield and did not invest in faster machines and strikes ... My grandad worked for a big company that made items for Mazda ... A Japanese guy come over and had a video camera and asked to film ..They went Ok with in a year they had a machine 2 times faster ...
I can’t wait to be able to dress like this
.... Time was you could tell a man's age by how far below his chin the waistband of his trousers lies '
I would like to see a return of show makers, if it wasn't for those elves we would still have them, hum humbug I say to the 21 century, it wasn't a sham back then.
Look up Nicholson and vallorbe SWISS files
Not entirely true. Lumberjack uses files regularly to keep their chainsaw sharpened.
You are the TIME GUESSER!
Every do it your self people still uses files.
A digital clock with hands still has gears inside.
Just barely ... and they are made of plastic!
@@Offshoreorganbuilder sorry, I meant watches.
Which no one will be using anymore because they use their cellphones to know what time it is.
@@FernandoLichtschein I use a pocket-watch (c 1920s) and have done for years.
What's he talking about I see handsaws in the stores all the time
Right. Modern saws have impulse hardened teeth. They stay sharp longer but can't be resharpened. The whole saw is a consumable.
None too bright are you superpossum
If the roses are wet, there is a residual odor
Thefutureisnowoldman.jpg.exe