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File Cutter


mick851

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ive come across a job description on a census, it says file ( mj ). would that be file maker journeyman? if it is, does anybody know what one is???

thanks mick

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ive come across a job description on a census, it says file ( mj ). would that be file maker journeyman? if it is, does anybody know what one is???

thanks mick

Hi Mick

if mj stands for 'maker journeyman' ?

Here's a Definition of Journeyman

"A journeyman was a day labourer who had served his apprenticeship,

Unlike apprentices and employees engaged on a longer-term basis most journeymen lived away from their work "

And .. more definitions:

"One who has fully served an apprenticeship in a trade or craft and is a qualified worker in another's employ"

"The term 'journeyman' originally comes from the French 'journee', meaning the course of a day,

and it applied to apprentices and workers who didn't actually live at their employer's premises.

That is, they turned up for work on a daily basis and went home between times"

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Hi Mick

I was at a talk last night given by two people from the Hawley Collection. Their brief is to widen public knowledge and use of the collection, and one thing they mentioned was that if anyone had a query about tools, toolmaking or a trade, especially Sheffield related, they are welcome to contact them and they'll supply whatever information they can. Might be worth giving them a try?

There's a link on the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust site, or email for the people doing the talk is audiences@simt.co.uk

On the subject of file-cutting, this is from the Hunter Archaeological Society Transactions, by kind permission of the Society

AN OLD PICTORIAL CUT FILE.

An exhibit of considerable local interest, in more ways than one, was on view at the Open Meeting of the Society held an December, 1944, through the kindness of Mr. Riley M. Carr, of the old established firm of J. & Riley Carr, File Manufacturers, of Bailey Lane Works, whose records go back at least to the year 1810.

This took the form of a hand-cut file, some 11 inches long and 1.5 inches wide, cut with file teeth by hand on both sides, and, as will be seen from the excellent photograph taken of it by Mr. W. F. Northend, which is here reproduced - a slide from which was shown at the meeting - was cut for the firm in the year 1839.

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ive come across a job description on a census, it says file ( mj ). would that be file maker journeyman? if it is, does anybody know what one is???

thanks mick

..and what an unpleasant job file cutting could be.

Read about it in this link to another thread

File Cutters

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..and what an unpleasant job file cutting could be.

Read about it in this link to another thread

File Cutters

DaveH

funny you should say that, i went to kelham island sunday, and theirs a short video of a woman, who must be in her 70's :blink: working as a file cutter. it says they had to do 60 / 80 cuts a minute, with a hammer that could weigh upto 7lb......bet her right arm looks like Popeye's :wacko:

mick

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DaveH

funny you should say that, i went to kelham island sunday, and theirs a short video of a woman, who must be in her 70's :blink: working as a file cutter. it says they had to do 60 / 80 cuts a minute, with a hammer that could weigh upto 7lb......bet her right arm looks like Popeye's :wacko:

mick

If you read the link in my previous post mick it doesn't take much imagination to realise why the file with the heaviest cut (but not a rasp) was called, - correct engineering term and NOT swearing, - a bastard.

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If you read the link in my previous post mick it doesn't take much imagination to realise why the file with the heaviest cut (but not a rasp) was called, - correct engineering term and NOT swearing, - a poopydoo.

daveH

like i keep saying at work, you cant beat old handmade tools!, unlike the cheap rubbish that we keep getting lumbered with!!!

mick

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If you read the link in my previous post mick it doesn't take much imagination to realise why the file with the heaviest cut (but not a rasp) was called, - correct engineering term and NOT swearing, - a poopydoo.

DaveH, just read that link, anything to do with old tools ( ones made in sheffield!!!!!! ) i find really intresting. would love to have a go at file cutting, prob end up with a few split fingers lol

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DaveH

funny you should say that, i went to kelham island sunday, and theirs a short video of a woman, who must be in her 70's :blink: working as a file cutter. it says they had to do 60 / 80 cuts a minute, with a hammer that could weigh upto 7lb......bet her right arm looks like Popeye's :wacko:

mick

Somewhere on here, somewhere, I've posted about higher cut rates than that achieved by young boys, I think they were 130-140 hits per minute - remarkable and aged 13-14 working long hours too.

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Somewhere on here, somewhere, I've posted about higher cut rates than that achieved by young boys, I think they were 130-140 hits per minute - remarkable and aged 13-14 working long hours too.

Hand file cutters also known as "Nicker Peckers"

Cheers Peter

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On ‎06‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 01:51, HughW said:

A fascinating article about file cutters by Joan Unwin:

https://www.dhi.ac.uk/matshef/unwin/MSfilecutter.htm

1959 to 1965 I was an apprentice electrician at Sanderson Bros & Newbould where they had a File department making files. I don't know where the blanks were made but there was a file grinding machine where the operator ground both sides of the blanks. After that they had file cutting machines operated by women. The ground blank was put on to a block of metals with the a depression the size of the file. Then the table of the machine moved forward carrying the blank towards a chisel like cutter that was rapidly moving up and down driven by an electric motor so it cut the teeth into the file. The blank was then turned over to cut the teeth on the other side. After that the files went to the file warehouse where they were they were passed edgeways through a sandblast I was told sharpened them.

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