question about foley retoother

[mark weathersbee]

I'm new and if this is the wrong forum I'm sorry.

I've got a neighbor with a foley retoother and auto filer for sale for 100 bucks, the problem is they are both missing the tracks. can these be made or luck up and find used for sale somewhere? They are overall in running shape as best I can tell just missing the tracks.

[Jim Davis]

I would just guess those tracks can be had or made. But for $100, those machines would be in my garage by now. BTW, where do you live? Just curious, you know...

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Mark and welcome to the Creek.

If you are in the Pacific Northwest and do not want to buy those, let me know because I most likely would.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

The value is in the fixturing (ratchet bars). Several years ago, I bought the whole Foley shebang, all machines and all regular carrier bars and several special carrier bars. Paid $400.00. Got that much fun out of it in the first few weeks, but now it sits for "one of these days"! (and before someone PM's me, it is not for sale, as I do intend to spend some time with it, when I give up working for a living).

[Rick Whitehead]

You can make both the carrier bars and the ratchet bars. The carrier bars are fairly easy, and there are drawings and instructions on the internet describing their construction.
The ratchet bars are more difficult. Sometimes you can find them on eBay, but they are pretty pricey. They can be made, but are a LOT of work. I have made some using threaded rod as a base, and have hand-filed some, too.
That sounds like a decent price for both machines!
Rick

[mark weathersbee]

I just bought another instead 200 bucks for the filer, setter and toother with tracks.

[Jim Koepke]

I just bought another instead 200 bucks for the filer, setter and toother with tracks.

By any chance are you in the Pacific Norhtwest?

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

You can make both the carrier bars and the ratchet bars. The carrier bars are fairly easy, and there are drawings and instructions on the internet describing their construction.
The ratchet bars are more difficult. Sometimes you can find them on eBay, but they are pretty pricey. They can be made, but are a LOT of work. I have made some using threaded rod as a base, and have hand-filed some, too.
That sounds like a decent price for both machines!
Rick


Tip of the hat to you for the patience needed to hand-file the ratchets!

[mark weathersbee]

I'm I'm the Chicago area Unfortunately. I'd love to have your view

[Ron Bontz]

Hi Mark. I was curious what ratchet bars came with it. There are nine in a full set. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, & 16. The 12, 14, 15 and 16 are some what rare.

[george wilson]

I had a little "Burro" toother which I liked very much at the toolmaker's shop. Simpler to use than the Foley. I needed a finer ratchet bar than the finest one I had. So,I took the milling machine,and rigged up a way to mill an extra tooth in between the teeth of one of the ratchet bars.This was for about 12",and for making dovetail saws. I can't recall how I set the mill up to do this easily,but I did.

This did not hurt the original TPI of the ratchet bar,as the pawl could easily be set to jump over the finer ratchet bar area,and engage the coarser tooth settings. Or,the pawl could be set to engage the finer settings. Worked out very well. I wish I still had it.

I do have a Foley now,but haven't set it up due to space restraints,and the lack of compulsion to make more saws.

[Isaac Smith]

I had a little "Burro" filer which I liked very much at the toolmaker's shop. Simpler to use than the Foley. I needed a finer ratchet bar than the finest one I had. So,I took the milling machine,and rigged up a way to mill an extra tooth in between the teeth of one of the ratchet bars.This was for about 12",and for making dovetail saws. I can't recall how I set the mill up to do this easily,but I did..

Do you mean a punch, George, or was it a filer? If it was a totoher, did it look like the one below?

310085


The toother I bought only had a few bars with it, and they were in pretty poor shape. They were also too coarse for what I needed.

I ended up having a set made that covers anything from 5 to 16 ppi. I sent plans out to a laser cutting company and had them a few days later. Very accurate, and probably a fraction of the cost it would take to have a set milled. Those bars were for a Burr toother, not a Foley, though. I tink the Foleys have a few extra bits or tabs that need to be added so they will work.

[mark weathersbee]

Hi Mark. I was curious what ratchet bars came with it. There are nine in a full set. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, & 16. The 12, 14, 15 and 16 are some what rare.

The markings on the bars 8 - 4 1/2, 10 - 5 1/2, 9 - 5, 11 - 6, and 13 - 4.

[george wilson]

Oh,I meant a toother,and yes,it was just like the one you pictured. BTW,we used to have to remove the triangular HSS punch and grind it sharp and square sometimes. Eventually its corners would get dull.

[Isaac Smith]

Oh,I meant a toother,and yes,it was just like the one you pictured. BTW,we used to have to remove the triangular HSS punch and grind it sharp and square sometimes. Eventually its corners would get dull.

I hoped that was what you meant, as I would have felt compelled to look for a filer if that was what you had used.

The nice thing about the Burr toother is that you can use all three corners of the punch instead of a single corner on the Foleys. But if you are only toothing your own blades and not taking in work, I doubt that you would need to do this in your lifetime.

[Mel Miller]

Interesting to see the interest in saw toothers. I had a Burr a few years back and couldn't find anybody interested in it. Saved the flywheel and sent the rest out with the scrap load.

[Isaac Smith]

That's almost enough to make me cry...

[Greg Muller]

Ditto. I got lucky. Local auction had a retoother and setter, both mounted to the same stand. I got them both, and several boxes of vintage Nicholson and K&F files, all for $70. I already have the ratchet and carrier bars that came with the Foley saw filer I picked up a year ago. Picked up an extra sets of each from online. Altogether, I'm in this for under $250. I've heard good things about the Burr retoother, though, so I'm keeping an eye out for one.