File Handles & Case – #9 Finishing & Hardware Installation

Drilling the holes for the hinge pins is next.  The top photo shows where the shims have been reinstalled between the base and the lid along with a pair of .01” thick shims between the beveled edge on the top and base.  With the shims all in the lid and base set in their exact finished location tape is used to hold the top and base in place while the holes get drilled.  Last, shown in the bottom photo is to mark the hinge pin locations and center punch that point for reference when drilling.

This is the setup for drilling.  Everything is clamped square and tight in place so the tip of the drill bit is lined up with the punched center point.  The drill has a blue tape depth marker (red arrow) so when it touches the oak wood face the hole is drilled to the proper depth.

Once the hinge pin holes are drilled the tape holding the lid and base together along with the shims get removed.  Any final light sanding is done and the two pieces are blown off with compressed air in preparation for finishing.  However, before the finish gets applied I need to plug the hinge pin holes to keep the finish out because an unfinished surface is needed for the glue to bond to.

Since the hinge pin holes are 3/16” in diameter I went to cut a piece of 3/16” dowel and found I didn’t have any.  Rather than go and try to buy a dowel that size I decided to just turn some since only two pieces about an inch each are needed.  After cutting a ¼” square piece of soft wood it’s turned to just a bit over 3/16” then 120 grit sand paper is used to put a slight taper on the end until it fits in the hole.  It’s then parted down so there is only a little holding it on then it’s snapped it off.  Making them took way less time than driving to one of the big box places to see if they even had a dowel that size.

Just like the file handles I am going to use Danish Oil Finish (DOF).  This is my typical finish for tool handles, toys or anything that could be exposed to hard use.  DOF is a lot easier to touch up if it’s damaged as compared to the lacquer finish, I use on other items.  Like the file handles three coats of DOF are applied.  This photo shows what the lid looks like when the first coat is applied.  The red arrow points to one of the plugged hinge pin holes.

When getting ready to apply the second coat of DOF I noticed that I had missed making the finger notch in the base to make opening the lid easier.  Fortunately, with this type of finish it’s not a problem.  The notch is added using a small drum in the oscillating drum sander and fine sandpaper.  The photo shows the top of the tool tilted to 30 degrees and the small drum in the process of making the notch.

Here you can easily see the light area where the notch was sanded to the desired depth.  Only other work is to lightly soften the sharp edges with 220 grit sandpaper until they feel right.  When the second and third coats of DOF get applied the color of the notch will match perfectly.

Drilling holes for the feet is next.  A brad point bit is used for drilling since the center point helps me align the bit’s point with the punched hole to accurately locate the hole just where I want it.  The bit also cuts its perimeter with a spur on its outer edge so that helps minimize tear out there.  The bottom left photo shows the brad point drill used on the left and a regular twist drill on the right.  The bottom right photo is a closer view of the drill and hole.

Gluing in the feet is done by using a toothpick to spread a little glue inside the hole then pressing the brass foot in.  To get the feet set with the same amount exposed a spacer with a small hole is set over the foot and a clamp is used to press the foot flush with the spacer.  Installing them this way takes care of any variance in the foot length or the hole depth.

The last work on the case is to install the two brass pivot pins, one of which is shown in the lower left.  Process is to take two drill bits the same size as the pins then use them to align the holes in the lid and base with the stainless-steel spacer in-between.  Cut playing cards are used as spacers to hold the lid in place during the pin insertion.

Next the assembled case is stood on edge and a drill removed.  A drift punch (red arrow) is used to make sure the wood pieces and steel spacer are still aligned.  Using a toothpick glue is carefully put in the case hole but not the lid since the lid needs to freely rotate on the pin.  The pin is then inserted and pushed in partway by hand.  The process is repeated for the other pin.  Last is to take a clamp and press in both pins until they are flush with the lid’s sides.

This is the finished case ready to be used with the just installed brass pivot pin visible at the right.  The photo also shows the continuous flow of grain on the top between the lid and the fixed part of the base.

Here the case is shown with the lid up and with the lid rotated to act as a stand holding the tools upright.

I know that this case may be a bit much for something to hold six detail files along with their handle but I enjoy using good tools and associated items.  I like to think that there is a mental component when using them that helps me do good work.  Besides the wood is from a scrap piece that was split, cupped, bowed along its length and twisted.  The brass rod and stainless-steel washers were left over from other projects and the Danish Oil Finish was on hand.  Last but not least I enjoyed designing and building the piece.  That’s my flawed reasoning and I’m sticking to it. 😊

File Handles & Case – #8 Fitting & Assembling the Lid – Brass Feet & Hinge Pins

Working on the lid’s sides are next shown highlighted in the rendering.  After getting cut to match the height of the base assembly they get cut to length on the chop saw.  A stop is set to get close but at a slightly oversize length then playing card spacers are added to trim to a perfect fit.  The cards are right at one hundredth of an inch thick so it’s easy to make tiny adjustments and in this case, I only needed one card.

Next is to size the lid, highlighted in the top drawing that goes between the just sized sides.  First, is cutting it to width and there are some considerations to be taken into account to determine the size.  To start I am adding a small stainless-steel washer just under .04” thick on each side to act as a spacer between the base and the lid.  In addition, because I want a little play between the washer and the wood another .01” or so gets added.  This totals .05” on each side or five playing cards plus the thickness of tape to hold the cards in place.  The bottom photo shows the far side in place and the near side laying down so the cards and tape are visible.

In the left photo everything is clamped up ready for the lid to be fit.  The right photo shows the lid cut and fit in place.  Note how the grain lines up between the glued-on lid at the top and the movable lid at the bottom.  The only reason they don’t match better is when the two pieces were cut apart to make the 30-degree bevel I lost some material from the saw kerf.

Gluing the lid to the sides is next.  The left photo shows the clamps set into the bench vise to hold them securely in place.  After a test fit a narrow bead of glue is sparing applied to the lid then it’s clamped in place.  If you look at the right photo the red arrow points to the glue joint where there is very little glue squeezed out meaning there is enough glue in the joint but not enough to make cleanup a problem.  It’s important to make sure the left edges of the two pieces are aligned and that the face of the lid is flush with the sides or a tiny bit lower.  If the lid and sides don’t line up perfectly it easier to bring the narrow side down flush rather than trying to bring the much wider lid piece down flush.  Once the glue cures the process is repeated for the other side.

With the second side glued on any inconsistencies between the top and sides are sanded flush.  In this case the joints were almost dead flat so very little work was required.  With that done it’s time to smooth the exposed sharp edges of the lid and base using a 1/8” radius bit in the router table.  For clarity I am going to start with the completed routing showing the finished result.  The top photo is of the lid and base with the edges rounded.  Not shown is the bottom of the base which also has its edges rounded.  The bottom photo shows how using a 12” steel ruler I set the fence flush with the guide bearing identified with the red arrow.

Here is what the routing setup looks like for the short edges.  A push block is used to help keep the piece square to the fence and vertical.  The top and bottom edges are much easier to route since they can lay flat and be stable.  The insert is a close view of the router bit.

As mentioned before there are stainless-steel washers that go between the lid and base assembly.  They act as a spacer and bearing surface to keep the oak pieces from rubbing against each other.  Before being installed they need some finishing work.  During manufacturing when stamped the edges along the back and the where the hole was punched has sharp edges.  Those edges need to be rounded so they don’t damage the oak surfaces they will be rubbing against.  The top photos below show the washer (red arrow) set up in the lathe.  Smoothing the outside using a fine file is easy.  The hole’s edge can’t be done on the lathe but must be hand held and smoothed using a small round file.  It’s fiddly time-consuming work but then there are only two washers required.

While doing metal work I decided to make the brass feet and pivot pins.  They are shown in the drawing below.  Starting with the feet a 3/16” diameter brass rod gets marked for the length needed and is put in the lathe shown in the bottom photo along with a parting tool (red arrow) to be used in the next step.

The small parting tool is used to cut a little vee groove to provide a solid starting point for the hacksaw blade to keep it from skating around when making the cut.  The bottom photo shows a closer look at the parting tool that’s about 7 ¾” long.  While a wood turning tool it’s made from tool steel and can easily cut the groove in brass.

To make the cut I find that holding the hacksaw blade with a pair of vice grip pliers and steading my hand on the lathe’s tool rest works better than having the blade in a typical hacksaw frame and trying to cut freehand.  

I don’t’ cut the piece completely free but leave just a tiny bit left.  This is because the rod’s end is held in the tailstock and I don’t want any problem with the rod when it comes free.  After stopping the lathe it’s easy to just snap the rod off.

Finishing work is to remove the stub with a file flattening the end then putting a small bevel on there as shown in the photo below.  Last is sanding the exposed piece starting with 150 grit paper and ending with 320 grit.  Once that’s done the piece is flipped the end beveled and sanded.  One down and three to go.

The same basic process is used to make the hinge pins except the part of the brass rod that gets glued into the case gets a series of notches cut in them that will help lock them in place.  Below are all of the brass parts ready to be installed.

Next Up – Finishing & Hardware Installation