Starting to put a kit together and am going to need a “safe dovetail file” with a smooth side. The only one I could find was the one offered on the “Brownells” site for $47.00. Is there a more affordable option?
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Safe Dovetail file
- Thread starter Dwight Rutherford
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Get a good quality "3 corner" file. Carefully grind the teeth (without overheating) from one side. Go slow, keep it flat and keep it cool.
Cost you about $12.00.
Cost you about $12.00.
I bought a 3 cornered file at the hardware store and ground the teeth off of one side,works fine.
Used to do a lot of gunsmith stuff back in the day. Used a std 3 corner with one flat ground smooth. Worked well and not hard to do
I like Brownells file and also use this filing guide. It makes very precise dovetails.
I bought a hardare store triangular file and used the corner of the grinding wheel to remove the pattern from one side. Using the grinding wheel corner enables more control and also less heat is generated. Another advantage is that the safe surface is slightly hollow ground and lays flat . The file I used had corner radii so more had to be ground off to achieve sharp corners......Fred
jager43478
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Find a file a d grind one side off.
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I've used both. If you're gonna do several, the Brownells is worth every penny. Sides are parellel, not tapered. Corners are sharp, not rounded.
Way better tool.
Way better tool.
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I agree with the grind your own file replies here, but there is also another hand method. I needed to cut a dovetail in a swamped barrel and wanted to keep the removal under .015 deep.
The files I had would have made the bevel shy of top dovetail closure to hold the sight.
I used a jewelers saw to cut the bevels and a regular file for the bottom flat. Worked great.
I can vouch for the belt sander advice. I've "safed" quite a few files that way; the flat belt gives you good control. I keep a pot of water handy and use my fingers on the other side of the file to control it - when the fingers get hot, dunk the file, thus staying well away from softening the steel. Also with a wet file you can dunk again when the water boils off.
You can end up with a razor sharp edge with teeth, great for detail work.
A belt sander is a very handy tool.
You can end up with a razor sharp edge with teeth, great for detail work.
A belt sander is a very handy tool.
If you type "safe dovetail file" in the Google search box and hit <enter> dozens of sources appear. I use dovetail files for saw sharpening, and safed files are almost always listed with them at any metal working or wood working supply website. There are relatively few good file manufacturers. Good files are not cheap. They can be (partially anyway) sharpened to extend their service, and a different Google search will give many sites covering that.
Griz44Mag
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I bought one from Dawson Precision. (In Texas)
Very good file. I fit it to a piece of 3/4" dowell.
Very good file. I fit it to a piece of 3/4" dowell.
Trouble with grinding a regular triangular file smith on two sides is that it is tapered. The Brownells model is parallel, same width throughout its length. Much easier to get excellent results.
Thank all for the comments. Bit the bullet and ordered the safe file offered by Dawson Prcision as suggested by Griz44Mag.
Griz44Mag
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THATS why I bought one made specifically for dovetails.
Did you find that this jig dulls hacksaw blades & files. Thought about getting one but it seems to be getting bad feedback. What say you?
The jig is hardened and will definitely take the teeth off a file. Hacksaw blades are rather inexpensive and I don't worry about them. Dovetail files however are costly and I therefore do the initial shaping with a cheap triangle file, then do the final clean up and sizing with a dovetail file and with the jig removed.
If you are doing a LOT of dovetail cutting then spend the money and get the dedicated dovetail file - if you are only doing one or two rifles then get the hardware store file and grind off the teeth on one or two sides and go from there. If you got money to spend then get the dovetail file.
