Mickwhitt 4,642 #26 Posted March 11, 2021 Just pop along to the hardware store and buy a box of 3/8 inch square holes. Careful bringing them home as they might fall out of a hole in the box. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,202 #27 Posted March 11, 2021 24 minutes ago, Mickwhitt said: Careful bringing them home as they might fall out of a hole in the box. Unless it's a round hole. I recall something about fitting a square hole into a round one... or something like that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mickwhitt 4,642 #28 Posted March 13, 2021 This is one of my solutions to the problem. Its an Italian Opus Brevettata die filing machine. Built to file the relief angle inside press dies its a really hefty machine. Can also be used as a vertical power hacksaw. It files on the down stroke but can lift the workpiece on the up stroke so the two fingers hold the work down and stop it becoming a power hammer on your fingers! This is just a two minute job to show its operation. Much better results can be achieved with a bit of care. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mickwhitt 4,642 #29 Posted March 13, 2021 The pointed tube is an air blower fed from a diaphragm compressor built into the machine, keeps the work surface clear of filings. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjg854 11,389 #30 Posted March 13, 2021 Where's the fun in that? @Mickwhitt way to easy. Surely is quite the piece of equipment 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mickwhitt 4,642 #31 Posted March 13, 2021 This is a 1 inch square hole filed into a 2 inch thick piece of steel using the die filing machine. That would have gotten pretty boring with needle files. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,315 #34 Posted March 15, 2021 I was surprised that rebar would harden since it is often used in weldments. I guess that there is plenty of carbon in it since it is something close to scrap metal. If the guy would have used oil on his homemade broach, it would have worked better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #35 Posted March 15, 2021 On 3/11/2021 at 8:15 AM, Mickwhitt said: Just pop along to the hardware store and buy a box of 3/8 inch square holes. Careful bringing them home as they might fall out of a hole in the box. Only available in metric sizes over here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
