I used to have a very small bubble level that I used for levelling my record deck but the underside of the plastic housing was open and only any good on a good sized level surface and the quality wasn't brilliant either but it did the job.

A few years ago, needing to get the mounting level for a servo mounted under the side deck, so space was tight, I looked around and found these, small, nicely made and stable on all faces. Just the job and I've used them many times since.

Chris

I do have two sets of those files actually Chris.

I keep one set at home and the other (well used) set in my travelling toolkit for use at the club or when I am away.

They were very inexpensive to buy and when they became available again a year or so after I bought my first set, I bought another set as the first set was so handy and had not worn too badly at all.

It's always worth looking in the middle aisle when visiting Lidle or Aldi - you never know what these supermarkets may have as their stocks tend to change from week to week.

I would never say that their quality is the best, but it is certainly not junk and works well enough for the price paid.

Bob.

Have you got two sets of those files Bob! 🤔

Hi Lew,

That is a good idea.

I worked in the Development department of a shoe factory when I first left school and was taught to be a pattern cutter.

New designs were drawn onto a last, and then the shapes were cut with a knife from cartridge paper, and these shapes were later used to have steel blade profiles wrapped and welded around them to become the cutting knives to cut leather under a hydraulic cutting press.

We used a basic "clicking knife" handle but always made our own blades from HSS hacksaw blades. The clicking knife handle also had a basic clutch to hold the blade - just like your Xacto handle that you are using.

This is basically the same idea as yours - except you are using the handle to hold the blade as a saw blade to make a very useful tool.

I still have my original clicking knives and the HSS hacksaw blades that were ground down to make the cutting blades are still in daily use 60 years later!

Old (or broken-off) hacksaw blades make very good knife blades when they are re-shaped and sharpened that can genuinely last a lifetime.

Bob.

Just five minutes ago I was cutting out a 1/8 inch plywood bulkhead in one of my Springers to add a new item. Having some problems to make the cut in a confined space I was using a hacksaw blade but it was too springy.

I am probably not the first one to do this but I thought I would share this with you all anyway: Modify a hacksaw blade, new or the less used ends of old blades, and cut into shorter length pieces. Modify (grind) one end to fit into the large XActo handle. You can make an assortment of lengths and teeth per inch.

Lew

A basic set of small files is an absolutely essential addition to any model boat builders tool set OMHO.

They don't need to be very expensive as we seldom use them to file steel or any other very hard metal, but this simple set from a well known supermarket have reasonable quality and work well enough.

Found in that middle aisle that is full of things we didn't know we needed before the weekly shop, this set came with a useful handle that can be fitted onto the files shanks which can be handy now and again.

Bob.

I used a David razor blade plane in my school days when I was shaping the aerofoil section of my control line model aircraft , and that would be over 65 years ago!

This plane took the single edge razor blades that were commonly available then, and I often held the blade in my hand to cut balsa wood as it cut better than the Xacto knives !

The David razor blade plane that I have now is probably a lot newer (maybe only 40 years old?), but I think the original one had a metal wing nut rather than the black plastic moulded one shown here.

I also had a small Xacto moulded plastic tool case that had a number 1 (small) , number 2 (medium) and number 5 (large) sized handles in it with a selection of different blades and a razor saw blade to fit the number 5 handle.

There is every possibility that the Xacto moulded "plastic" tool case was actually moulded in Bakalite as it was a bit fragile around the points where the metal hinges fitted........and sadly it has failed to survive!

The number 5 Xacto saw handle had a moulded handle on it and the razor saw blade that it took was very handy for cutting some of the hardwood engine bearers - but was not a patch on the Tamiya razor saws that I use these days.

In the Xacto moulded tool case was also this red cast iron miniature smoothing plane that came in handy when shaping leading edges although I always preferred to final shape these with sandpaper wrapped around a suitably size hardwood block.

This is my original Xacto miniature smoothing plane and so it is probably over 65 years old!

During my time at home I wanted to strip and clean these olde tools but until the wound on my thumb has mended a bit I am reluctant to risk splashing any oils etc into it, but if I can dig-out my pack of black plastic "mechanics" gloves, I may do it in-between time when waiting for the glue to dry as I continue t work on the Sprite Plus.

Xacto tools have been copied by several different manufacturers sine the 1950's, but I have never seen the Xacto miniature plane copied by anyone.

Bob.

I also have the Veritas miniature plane, very useful for shaving away paper thin layers of wood, and a David razor plane which I have had for 40 years or more but has never been used on anything harder than balsa.

Hi chris f
I tjink that looks like a small chuck i use very useful for tiny drill bits.
Philuk👍

Having mentioned the drill chuck and screw driver set earlier I had a use for it today! Needed to drill a very small hole through the end of a paint brush I was using as part of the throttle assembly - it was ideal to start the hole which I then completed using my small battery drill and the chuck.