Complicated file handle, Vintage?

[wrenchguy]

In a bucket of smalls from Saturday. Seems over engineered to me.
Not marked.

 

[4xdog]

I think the same thing is available today. I have several of 'em. US-made still.

https://www.generaltools.com/adjustable-file-tool-handle

 

[woody 73]

Expensive ask me how I know...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nicholson-5-in-Plastic-Universal-File-Handle-21474U/206077782

 

[Farmer J.]

Those look clever, well made, strong and I have never seen them before. Probably yet another desirable tool only available the other side of the ocean..!

 

[Provincial]

I bought the General one, but branded Craftsman, to hold needle files back in 1974. It is handy if you switch files often.

 

[4xdog]

Expensive ask me how I know...[/url]

I got a couple of the General handles a year or two ago from Amazon for $6.50/ea. I see they're almost $11 there now.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not marked.

Yoke patent 2,479,661, granted 1949. Yours looks that old. I've only ever seen General and Craftsman.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Seems over engineered to me.

Maybe. With other vintage approaches, including Lutz, SKROOZ-ON, SHUR-GRIP, or even Disston's coiled spring ferrule, it wasn't one size fits all. You had to have a few different file handles for different size files. I'm not sure how much time it saves, if any, since in my experience it's just as easy to reach for a separate file-in-handle combination as it is to remove a file and reach for another file to put into the same handle. But it does save some space.

 

[Username already in use]

This style is my personal favorite file handle.

I've only ever seen General and Craftsman.

I've got a General and a Blue-Point.

 

[rlitman]

Imagine how many screwdrivers you could fit in a drawer if you only stored one of each size handle. You could have at least 10x the blades. The same goes for files. The down side is that files banging into each other in the drawer is bad for them.

 

[Provincial]

I use mine for needle files so I can keep the files stored in the folding case. That way they are sorted and separated to make it easy to find the right one and protect them from damage. I rarely use more than one shape on a project, and it is even more rare to go back to the earlier shape.

 

[srvctec]

Those are my all-time favorite file handle type. You can really crank down the tightening knob so it won't slip off the file while in use. I have one similar that appears to be called "vintage" now. It's the red handled Craftsman one (I think some sort of resin instead of wood) and the jaws are rubber coated. I think I got it in the 80's (I'll add a pic later). Wish I would have gotten 2 or 3 of them, I like them so much. BUT Nicholson has one similar now that I might have to get.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014IWD3OA/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Edit to add the photo and I guess it isn't Craftsman but Sears, so no lifetime warranty.

 

[Tostal]

Those look clever, well made, strong and I have never seen them before. Probably yet another desirable tool only available the other side of the ocean..!

Even little ol' me here in Ireland had one of the Blue-Point GA 98 versions (as shown in post #9 ) back in 1979, I got it from the Snap-On tool agent.

T~

 

[Farmer J.]

Well done Tostal!
I just found it, still available, on the website
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Pla...Adjustable-Jaw-File-Handle-(Blue-Point)/GA98A
£15.78 but the item is back ordered so I will put it on my Christmas wish list..

 

[slowtwitch73]

Huh... that's new to me. Cool.

 

[y'sguy]

Yep!, excellent file handle. Best one that I own. Since the 60's at least!

 

[d42jeep]

I have a few. Here are a couple of Generals and a Craftsman. Can’t have too many file handles, although I try.

-Don

 

[Tostal]

Well done Tostal!
I just found it, still available, on the website
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Pla...Adjustable-Jaw-File-Handle-(Blue-Point)/GA98A
£15.78 but the item is back ordered so I will put it on my Christmas wish list..

Thanks Farmer J.

In 1979, I paid £1.97 + 20% vat.
Of course wages were much lower then....

I see the one you've ordered is a GA 98A possibly because they now use plastic instead of wood for the handle?

T~

 

[SuperCat]

Yet another tool I don't have....yet...lol.
But I do admit, I only have a couple of very used wooden file handles, which I can't always find when I need one, so I think a couple of these will be a big upgrade.
Thanks to everyone! Gotta go, have some shoppin' to do. ;^)

 

[JZiggy]

Wow, I never even knew I needed a file handle like this. Will keep my eyes open at the flea market!

I usually just got an adequately sized rod of hard plastic, drill a hole in one end, heat the pointy end of my file a bit and jam it in there. Takes me a while to wear out a file since I'm careful with them so this is at most a yearly operation.

 

[ALLFAST]

Cool info . Just walked by a green one from the new Crescent in my local ACE. It has 3 inserts (maybe 4) to accommodate different shapes/sizes of tangs, but I don't believe the end of collar screws on like these . It was about 7 bucks and plastic.