* Hand files are parallel in width and tapered in thickness they are used for general work. Some of the common shapes and their uses: Most files have teeth on all faces, but some specialty flat files have teeth only on the face or only on the edge, so that the user can come right up to another edge without damaging the finish on it. In Swiss-pattern files the teeth are cut at a shallower angle, and are graded by number, with a number 1 file being coarser than a number 2, etc. There is no unitary international standard for file nomenclature however, there are many generally accepted names for certain kinds of files.Ī file's teeth can range from rough, coarse and bastard (meaning intermediate) to second-cut, smooth and dead smooth.A single-cut or mill file has one set of parallel teeth, while a cross-cut or double-cut file has a second set at an angle to the first.

The cross-section of a file can be flat, round, half-round, triangular, square, knife edge or of a more specialized shape. Skillful filing to shape and size is still a part of diemaking, moldmaking, toolmaking, etc., but even in those fields, the goal is usually to avoid handwork when possible.įiles come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and tooth configurations. In today's manufacturing environment, milling and grinding have generally replaced this type of work, and filing (when it occurs at all) usually tends to be for deburring only. As late as the early 20th century, manufacturing often involved filing parts to precise shape and size.

Machining in the mid 19th century was heavily dependent on filing, because milling practice was slowly evolving out of its infancy. Among the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci is a sketch of a machine tool for the cutting of files (the chisel would make one strike, swaging a tooth, then automatically advance into position for the next tooth, and strike again). The rasp is a related tool which is generally larger and has raised, pointed teeth on its surface rather than straight ridges.Īrchaeologists have discovered rasps made from bronze in Egypt, dating back to the years 1200 - 1000 B.C., Archaeologists have also discovered rasps made of iron used by the Assyrians, dating back to the 7th Century B.C. Most files have a narrow, pointed tang at one end to which a handle can be fitted. A file typically takes the form of a hardened steel bar, mostly covered with a series of sharp, parallel ridges or 'teeth'. A file (or hand-file) is a hand tool used to shape material by cutting.

Flat file comparison tool