Simonds SIM73149500 Mill Bastard File 12" American

The Simonds SIM73149500 is a mill bastard file, American pattern, 12 inches.

The mill bastard is the file most people own without knowing what it is for, and its classic job is sharpening.

A mill file is single cut — parallel rows of continuous teeth rather than a crosshatch — which is what lets it produce a keen edge rather than a serrated one. That makes it the traditional tool for saw teeth, mower blades, axes, hoes, scrapers, and shears. Anything with an edge that has gone dull and is worth restoring.

Bastard is the coarse grade, which suits an edge that has taken real damage: nicks, rolled steel, a season of use. A smooth mill file refines an edge that is already close.

The technique matters more than the file. A file cuts on the push stroke only — dragging it back under pressure rubs the teeth backwards across the steel and dulls them, which is why a file that seems to have stopped working usually has been used wrong rather than worn out. Lift on the return.

At 12 inches this is the standard sharpening length: long enough for a full controlled stroke along an edge.

American pattern denotes the general trade grades — bastard, second cut, smooth — as distinct from the finer numbered Swiss pattern files.

Fit a handle.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73149500

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.75 lbs

Dimensions

10.00 x 1.00 x 0.25

Price

$24.95

Availability

In stock

Rating

4.3 / 5.0