Quote Originally Posted by Quivil View Post
Hey Marv, thanks for posting such a great idea. Somewhere I saw one of these that was set up for use on the bed of a lathe, using the chuck to supply the rotary motion. I love that idea.

Could you please add some words about the materials used? Specifically, the Scotch yoke, where I'd think there would eventually be some wear. Are the bearings bronze bushings?
The rotating part of the drive is a brass disk (though could be steel) to which is attached a ball bearing that rides in the channel of the steel yoke. The shaft to which the file is attached rides in bronze bushings. The frame is aluminum though it too could be steel.

Powering with a lathe has the advantage of permitting relatively slow filing speeds for more precise/delicate work. However, it means building some sort of attachment to hold it to the carriage or ways. Also, I would think that bending to use it in the lathe would be hard on the back.

Mounting in the bench vise is a lot more convenient.

Also, my device is meant for infrequent use. If you intend to do a lot of filing, consider making the one available from Metal Lathe Accessories, pictures here...

Die Filer