Source for new saw files in the US?
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- This topic has 22 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by koth.
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20 October 2015 at 6:57 pm #131529
I need to get fresh saw files and found that Grobet was rebranded Valorrbe, and Vallorbe is changing up their files and who knows when there will be new product to retailers. All the old Grobet stock is drying up.
Paul recommended Bahco in the past, but I can’t find a reliable US source or a UK source that isn’t outrageously expensive. 13 pound for a saw file???
Anybody have a good source of reliable, quality saw files?
20 October 2015 at 7:32 pm #131531Google,, Frog Tools it a small supplier of wood working tools, a good corp. to deal with.
Frankj21 October 2015 at 2:20 am #131540I got mine 2.5 years ago (set of 7 files with storage roll) from Lee Valley. Not sure without looking who made the files, but probably Grobet.
Just looked at their website. I see some of the files are not available – maybe because of what you said.
Amazon shows sets of Grobet files as well as packs of individual Grobet file sizes.
Good luck.
I just bought bahco saw files last month from blackburntools. If I remember correctly they shipped from South Carolina.
(Edit) Blackburn shipped from PA.
Also, I bought Bahco flat files from Abolox out of Florida.- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Chris Cox.
22 October 2015 at 3:54 pm #131608Thanks, Chris! Hopefully Blackburn will have the 6″ XX Slim in stock soon, that’s the one I use the most and the one that is worn out at present.
Reminder to self: buy two saw files at a time so I always have a spare. :/
I had taken a hiatus from Woodworking for a spat, so I was surprised to hear the news about Grobet/Valorbe. Some 2 year olds threads on another WW forum were complaining about declining quality of Grobet files, and they too had been trying to track down a Bahco source.
My own research turned up both Blackburn and Abolox, as Chris had mentioned. Abolox sells loose Bahco files by the box (of 10), but also sells the singles with the “Ergo” handles that seem reasonably priced. Blackburn seemed to be out of stock on the most popular sizes.
I have never done business with Abolox. Please let us know if you purchase anything from them, and how you experience went. Seems like Bahco is largely distributed by Snap-On, who caters to professional industry.
I know I bought some tapered files a few years back. I have to go see what I have left…
Scott,
My experience with buying from Abolox was they seemed slow in shipping the items out. It was 5 days from the time I place the Order til the time they shipped. But that could have been because I placed the order on a Friday and they shipped on the following Wednesday.Blackburn shipped the following Monday (Ordered on Friday at the same time I ordered from Abolox).
The quality of the bahco files vs. Nicholson (today version) is like night and day.
Chris
Edit: I will be buying more files from Abolox soon… I need a few more variety.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Chris Cox.
23 October 2015 at 3:02 pm #131629There seems to be a definite hole in the market for saw files. Nicholson and Simonds used to be good, now they’re junk with broken edges and not a straight line to be found. Grobet started making files in India a few years ago and their quality diminished for awhile, now they seem to be fading entirely as well. It sounds like Vallorbe is getting out.
Bahco seems to be the last man standing. I would think there was sufficient demand for triangular, 60* saw files to keep production up and profitable, but maybe not. I hate to think we’re doomed to use junk files on our saws.
23 October 2015 at 3:57 pm #131631You’d like to think that in a free market economy someone would step up and sell good files. If there’s a need, someone will fill it. But with planned obsolescence the desire to “just sell something that looks like it’ll do the job and maybe nobody will know the difference”, I’m afraid the slackers are winning out.
Hopefully someone will step up. Until then, maybe there are some to be found at garage sales, etc.
I’m a beginner, two weeks in, who has yet to file his first saw. But the first thing I noticed after learning that saw files exist (!) is that they’re apparently in danger of not existing anymore (!!), so I decided to get ahead of myself and buy some.
The secret to finding Bahco files seems to be this blog post by Paul, where he gives exact part numbers:
https://paulsellers.com/2015/05/saw-files-lasting-qualities/
You can Google the part numbers. To find out what the numbers mean, one can try reading the manufacturer’s catalogue, which seems to be here:
http://extranet.snaeurope.com/ProdBlock.aspx?sectionID=15&CatalogueID=5
I’m not sure why I didn’t find Abolox or Blackburn in my searches, but I found the Bahco files for sale on Amazon. Amazon’s inventory system is a huge mess in this case. Notice how hard it is to figure out that the following link is for a saw file:
On the other hand, when I overcame my suspicions and tried ordering this, it turned out that the little image on the photo which says “10 pack” was not kidding, at least not as of two weeks ago. I now own considerably more saw files than saws.
1 November 2015 at 4:26 am #131919Good tips, Michael! Thanks.
I ordered some Bahco from Blackburn and they are super fast shippers, and affordable.
Lie Nielsen still has some Grobet in stock, too.
1 November 2015 at 5:49 am #131920I haven’t tried them yet, but I have read good things about simonds files. You can get them on amazon for about 5$
4 November 2015 at 11:26 pm #132038Has anybody heard of ICS Cutting Tools in the US? They are in Casco, Wisconsin and make saw sharpening files and more. The link below is to the catalog page for saw file (Bottom half of the page). They even make auger bits with the square end for a vintage brace.
I am curious about their quality but am a very new woodworker and not sure I could judge the quality of a file.
Note it looks like the package the files by the dozen.
TonyC
- This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by Tony Corey.
5 November 2015 at 2:01 am #132043Good find, Tony. I just bought a half dozen of each file I use the most to “hoard”, or I’d buy a pack of 12 and check them out. Maybe in a few months I’ll take a chance and experiment with them.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by Derek Long.
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