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Just realized an old farrier's file works better than my expensive specialty steel
I spent two years using a fancy Nicholson farrier's rasp that cost me $45. Thought I was getting the best cuts for draw filing on my bottle openers and small blades. Then last month I dug out an old beat-up file from a guy who used to shoe horses near my shop in Fort Collins. That thing was ground down to half its original thickness. I tried it on a piece of 1095 and the cut was way smoother with less effort. The old teeth are worn just right so it bites without skidding or leaving deep gouges. I think the farrier had already heat treated it or seasoned it somehow from years of use. It took me like 20 passes to realize what I was missing. Any of you guys ever had an old tool from a retired tradesman that just worked better than new stuff?
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burns.richard5d ago
Got a buddy who restores old hand tools on the side. He picked up a beat to hell Stanley plane from an estate sale. The blade was so worn down it looked like a butter knife. He spent hours sharpening it and fixing the chip breaker. First time he used it on some hard maple the thing just glided through like nothing. He said it was way smoother than the new Lie-Nielsen he spent $300 on. Told me the old steel had this super fine grain from being forged way back. Makes you wonder what they did different back then.
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hollyramirez5d ago
oh man that thing about the old steel having super fine grain gets me every time. i had a similar thing with a old Disston handsaw i found at a flea market for like 5 bucks. the teeth were practically gone and the handle was cracked but i figured why not. spent a whole weekend filing and setting the teeth and wrapped the handle with some paracord. first time i used it to cut some oak it just ate through the wood no binding nothing. my new Japanese pull saw catches and jumps around on the same wood. there's definitely something about that old steel they dont make anymore. its like the metal had a soul from being worked over and over.
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