in a motor tool might dig into the adjacent surface. The other
option is to remove it by filing it off with a riffler file.
Riffler files are available in trade numbers based on the tip
design of each file. Professional quality riffler files are about
$25.00 per pattern. My set of ten riffler files was purchased
from Woodcraft
for about $25.00.
A riffler file is one those tools that you only need a few times
but, when you need to file down an area in a constrained
space, it is the answer.
Reamers
There are 20 drill bits in the range from #61 (0.0390″) to #80
(0.0135″). But sometimes we need a drill bit just a little bit
5
5. The smallest reamer in my set measures .029" at the
handle end and tapers to .019" at the tip, which means that it
can fit into a .019" diameter hole.
The Tool Shed - 3
6
6. Here is
my set of six
reamers. The
size of each
reamer overlaps
the next smaller
one so that the
set can enlarge
holes from
.019" to .100" in
diameter.
larger than one available. For example, if you try to drill a hole
slightly larger than the size of a part you need to fit into the
hole with the drill, but it still won’t fit. And the next larger drill
size is too large. Reamers are the solution [5].
Reamers are tapered cutting tools with four square sides used
to enlarge a hole to an exact size. They typically are available
in a package with several ascending sizes [6]. Unfortunately, I
don’t remember where I found my set. Micro-Mark has a set
of six reamers, but the smallest one is .024″ while mine goes
down to .019″. Otto Frei has a set of cutting broaches very sim-
ilar to my set that sells for $25.00.
These tools are the answer when something won’t quite fit in a
drilled hole.
Scrapers
If you have done any soldering other than electrical wire, you
may have realized that files don’t do a very good job at remov-
ing excess solder from a joint. Files tend to get clogged with
the solder, and it is also easy to inadvertently start removing
MRH-Nov 2014
