APEX NIC03566NN Flat File Steel Doule Cut on Sides Single Cut on Edges Bastard

The NIC03566NN is a flat file, double cut on the sides and single cut on the edges, bastard cut, flat shape, 0.13 inch thick, 0.7 inch wide, 8 inch long, hard stamped, steel.

Bastard is the specification and it is the coarsest of the three standard file grades, which run bastard, second cut, and smooth. That is the whole selection logic for files: bastard removes material, second cut refines, smooth finishes. Using a bastard file for a finish leaves a surface that needs a second cut file to fix; using a smooth file to remove stock takes an afternoon and clogs the file.

Most work uses all three in sequence.

The edge treatment is worth explaining because it looks like a detail and is a genuine design decision. The faces are double cut — crosshatched teeth that cut fast. The edges are single cut, which is gentler. That combination lets the file work into a shoulder or against an adjacent face without the edge tearing into the surface it is resting against.

The critical safety point on any file: never use one without a handle. The tang is a bare spike, and a file that catches will drive it into the palm. This is one of the classic and entirely preventable workshop injuries, and the file is listed unhandled.

Files are glass-hard and brittle. Never use one as a pry bar.

Applications include metalwork, fabrication, and maintenance.

Brand

APEX

SKU

NIC03566NN

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.25 lbs

Dimensions

10.00 x 1.00 x 0.25

Price

$16.95

Availability

In stock

Rating

4.5 / 5.0