Rex & Gail,
I fully support you in the fact that if a file has a tang, it MUST be fitted with a handle. A great many nasty accidents have been caused by not following that rule.
But just to mention another way.
I have been using files on the lathe with the tangs cut off for as long as I can remember, and especially now that I don't have a lot of strength in my arms and hands.
For me personally, a long file with a handle on is downright dangerous, and short files are only just acceptable with handles on. I am so far away from the pressure point of the file when using the handle that I have very little control over it and it is liable to slip off the piece I am filing or into the chuck jaws.
Another thing, I think people try to remove too much material with a file, I rough shape with the lathe tool first, then only use a file for removing the machining marks or slight adjustment to the profile. Like at the bottom of this post, where I made a shaped handle.
http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=1007.msg7755#msg7755
I also use a lot of files with the tangs cut off when dressing materials on the workbench, I find them much more controllable, holding them by fingertip, it gives a lot more 'feel'. Actually, the only time I really use files with handles on is when I am filing something being held in my bench vice, but more often than not, I use an air driven power file instead.
I am not saying that my way is correct when you look at all the documentation written about such things, but I personally find that the written way doesn't suit my way of doing things, and in fact, I feel decidedly unsafe when using files with handles on the lathe. So if you feel unsafe using files with handles on, maybe you should try them like I do.
So now when you see files in my pics, you will most probably notice that they don't have handles on, because there are no tangs. Unless it is a set up shot to explain a method.
Bogs