Sawing Attachment for Milwaukee Die Filer?

I don't know about Milwaukee die filers, nor much really about die filers in general. But I have one which I'm restoring which I believe to be complete. It has an overarm sawing attachment. It's basically an overarm support with a vertical bore in which rides a rod. The rod is spring-loaded so when you pull it down the spring pulls it back up. The lower end of the rod is a chuck. I talked to various people including the ones at Oliver and Keller, both still in business, and they tell me to get little pieces of bandsaw blade, grind them flat on the ends, clamp one end in the lower chuck as though it were a file, pass it up through the workpiece, pull down the upper rod enough, clamp it to the upper end, and then release the upper rod so the blade piece is held under spring tension. It should cut on the downstroke.

Best I can do, might not apply to your machine ..

GWE

Thanks Grant - I'll probably try to cobble something like that together if no specific info on the Milwaukee/Manley turns up. I'm hoping somneone out there has the same model and can supply a picture or parts diagram. It would be nice to make it like the original but it's not essential. In large part, puzzles like this just gnaw at me until they are solved.

Patent No. 117,143 (1938 to Charles Handelman) shows a "sawing machine" that bears some resemblance to mine in case any one is looking for ideas on converting theirs.

There are several parts to mine (pictured on the link in my OP) that sort of match your description including a couple of grooved arms that lokk like they are intended to hold a spring as well as a couple of clamps that look like they are intended to hold saw blades, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious way to match all of these parts up for the intended purpose. The saw blade over arm (assuming that's what it is) appears to be unused so it's possible that some of the remaining items are just random parts.

Mike

I've got the same machine. The sliding bar on your overarm should be facing the other way. So that the round stud faces into the casting. A spring loops between that stud and the l shaped rod sticking out the top.

Mine was also missing the parts to clamp the saw blade. Drop me an email, and I'll send you some pics of how I made parts for mine

Paul K. Dickman

Thanks Paul - email is on the way.

Mike

Sent pics this morning

On mine the over arm also faced the other way, so it leans down toward the table.

In looking at your other shots of the spare parts, I think you have the other bits for the clamp. A flat plate with a slot cut in it, a chamfered block with a threaded hole and round boss on one end, and a set screw.

Hook the slotted plate over the flat bar with two holes that sticks out of the slide. Stick the boss on the block through one of the holes and the set screw through the threaded hole. The other hole, i imagine, is so you can also clamp the ends of files.

The other bits look like blade guided the fit into the other arm.

Looks like all you need is the spring.

Paul K. Dickman

Sawzall blades also work well.

-- Greg

...snippage...

Thanks a bunch for the pics - it was a huge help.

Mike