308 
F I 
“ The regulating-gear is that part of the machinery by 
which the carri .ge, and confequently the file, is drawn 
along. It confifts of a fcrew revolving between centres 
fixed to the platform, and acting upon a nut attached to 
the carriage, with the ufual precautions for working of 
meafuring fcrews ; the nut being made to open by a joint 
when the carriage is required to be difengaged and Aided 
back. The fcrew is moved either confhmt'y by a flow 
motion from the firft mover, or by interrupted equal mo¬ 
tions, fo as to draw the carriage during the interval be¬ 
tween ftroke and ftroke. And the quantities of thefe re- 
fpeftive equal motions may be produced ar.d governed at 
pleafure by wheel-work applied to the head of the fcrew, 
or by the apparatus ufed in the mathematical dividing 
engine for circles ; or by various other contrivances well 
known to workmen of competent (kill, and therefore un- 
neceifary to be dpl'cribed at large : or, otherwife, the mo¬ 
tion of the carriage may be produced by a toothed rack 
drawn by a pinion ; and this pinion moved by a ratchet- 
wheel on the fame arbor moved by a click-lever, which 
fiiall gather up and drive a greater or lefs number of 
teeth, according to the coarfenefs or finenefs intended for 
the file ; arid the click-lever itfelf may be moved by a 
tripping piece from the firft mover, or by various other 
evident means of connection : or, otherwife, the carriage 
may be moved by a fmall cylinder, and rope or chain con- 
flantly afting : or, otherwife, the faid motion may be ef¬ 
fected by a train of two or more wheels, fufFered to move 
by any of the efcapements ufed in lime-pieces; and the 
■finenefs of the.ftroke may he regulated either by changing 
the wheels, as in the common fuzee engine, or by the 
greater or lefs frequency of efcape during each turn of 
the firft mover. But in every cafe I prefer a counter¬ 
weight to the carriage, afting either conftantly againft, or 
conftantly in, the direction of its motion ; though this is 
not abfolutely neceffary when the work is well executed. 
“ The apparatus for giving theJlroke or cut, confifts of a 
chifel, which is held between the jaws of a mouth-piece 
or claws, refembling a ftrong hand-vice without teeth. 
One of the jaws is made very (tout, and the chifel is 
formed narrow from edge to back, and wide from fide to 
fide, and has a femicircular protuberance on its back, 
which refts in a circular notch in the ftrong jaw aforefaid ; 
and there are two or three bended fiat rings or waffiers of 
iron or metal under the thumb-fcrew of the mouth-piece 
or claws, which prevent the chifel from becoming loofe 
by the ftroke. Or, otherwife, the chifel may have a 
notch, or a hole, inftead of a protuberance, to meet a cor- 
refpondent part in the mouth-piece or claws; but I pre¬ 
fer the firft method. By the conftrudlions of the chifel 
as here mentioned and fixed, the edge of the inftrument 
is at liberty to apply itfelf fairly from fide to fide of the 
file, notwithftanding any winding or irregularity, what¬ 
ever may be the finenefs of the cut upon a broad furface. 
The mouth-piece, with its chifel, is firmly fixed in ano¬ 
ther piece, which by its motion gives the ftroke. This 
laft-mentioned piece may either be a lever, or a moveable 
carriage between upright fiiders; but I greatly prefer the 
lever. The chifel mult be fo fixed that the moving-piece 
fhail carry it fairly edge-onwards to the file without 
fcraping or flapping in the lead ; and the obliquity of the 
ftroke may he adjufted by fixing the centres of the lever 
either higher or lower at pleafure, or by inclining the laft- 
mentioned fiiders. The lever may be raifed and let fall 
(or the other chifel apparatus moved) by a tripping-piece 
or fnail-work, or other ufual connection with the firft 
mover, and its power of ftroke may be increafed by the 
addition of a weight, or by the action of a fpring; which 
laft method is of excellent ufe, and may be made to in- 
creafe or diminifh its power during the run, by feveral 
eafy methods or contrivances for prefting more or lefs 
.againft the fpring. Or, otherwife, the lever, or holding- 
piece, may be kept immediately above the file by the re¬ 
action of a flight fpring, or weight, and be (truck by a 
hammer moved and acted upon by the firft mover, as 
L E. 
aforefaid : and to this method T give the preference, be* 
caufe the lever will then'have lefs drain upon it* pivots; 
or, the lever may even be fupported by fpring-joints with¬ 
out any pivots or centres at all. Or, inftead of a hammer, 
the blow may be given by a ram, or a fly and fcrew, but 
I prefer the hammer. The lever may move in a vertical 
circle immediately over the file, or in an oblique circle at 
■right angles, to it, or at any intermediate angle confident 
with the foregoing inftructions: and the chifel may be 
fet with its edge at any angle whatever, with the line of 
the length of the lever; but, in general, I hav'* t the 
lever in the firfl-mentioned pofition, and have varied the 
angle between the cbifel-edge and the lever, according to 
the intended dope of the cut upon the face of the file. 
The edge-of the chifel mud be fharpened to fuch an angle 
as the intended cut and ftrength of bur may require. 
“ The general aCtion of the machinery is as follows : 
i. The file being forged and prepared for cutting, muft 
be fixed in the clip of the carriage, and the Hiding block 
brought up and fixed, to fteady its other extremity. 2. 
The nut of the fcrew being then opened, (or the other 
regulating-gear difengaged,) the carriage is Aided to its 
place, fo that the chifel may be (ituated over that part 
of the file which is to receive the firft ftroke. 3. The 
nut is then doled, and the fmall roller of the preffing 
lever is made to bear upon the face of the file. 4- The 
firft mover being then put into aftion, raifes and lefs fall 
the apparatus for giving the ftroke, by which the file re¬ 
ceives a cut. And 5, immediately afterwards, or during 
the fume adtion, as the cafe may be, (according to-the con- 
(truction as before defcribed,) the regulating-gear moves 
the carriage, and confequently the file, through a deter¬ 
minate fpace. 6 . The cut is then again given ; and in 
this manner (the ftrength of cut being duly proportioned 
to the fpace between cut and cut), the file becomes cut 
throughout. 7. The file is then taken out and cut on 
tiie other fide. 8. The bur is then taken off, or not, as 
the artift may think bed: and the crofs-ftrokes are given 
over the furfaces as before. And the machinery, by cer¬ 
tain (light and obvious changes in the ftrudture and dif- 
pofition of the chifels, and fome other of the parts there¬ 
of, is e.Tily adapted to manufacture all other forms and 
defcriptions of files, whether floats, rafps, half-round, 
three-fquare, -or of any other figure or denomination.” 
The teeth of the file receive their firmnefs and durability 
frojn Case-hardening ; for which procefs fee vol.iii, 
p. 867. 
FILE , f. [filacium, Lat. ] Inlaw, a thread, firing, or 
wire, upon which writs and other exhibits in courts and 
offices are fattened or filed, for the more fafe keeping 
and ready turning to the fame. A file is the record of 
the court; and the filing the procefs of a court, makes 
a record of it. 1 Lil. 112. An original writ may be filed 
after judgment given in the caufe, if fued forth before; 
declarations. See. are to be filed; and affidavits muft be 
filed, fome before read in court, and fome when read in 
court. Before filing a record removed by certiorari, the 
juftices of the king’s-bench may refufe to receive it, if it 
appears to be for delay, Sec. and remand it back for the 
expedition of juftice: but if the certiorari be once filed, 
the proceedings below cannot be revived. An indict¬ 
ment, Sec. cannot be amended after filed. 
To FILE, v. a. \_filum, Lat. a thread.] To firing upon 
a thread or wire. Whence to file a bill is to offer it in its 
order to the notice of the judge.—From the day his firft 
bill was filed he began to colleCt reports. Arbuthnot. — 
[From ):eolan. Sax.] To cut with a file.—Let men be 
careful how they attempt to cure a blemiffi by filing or 
cutting off the head of (rich an overgrown tooth. Ray, — 
To fmoot'h ; to poliffi.—His humour is lofty, hisdifeourfe 
peremptory, his tongue filed, and his eye ambitious. 
S/iakefpcare. —[From pilun, Sax.] To foul ; to fully; to 
pollute. This fenfe is retained in Scotland; 
His weeds divinely faftiioned, 
AH fil'd and mangl’d. Chapman. 
To 
