Simonds SIM73234000 Flat Bastard File 10" American

The Simonds SIM73234000 is a flat bastard file, American pattern, 10 inches.

A bastard file clogs, and the clogging has a name and a consequence that is worth knowing.

It is called pinning. A chip lodges in the space between teeth and stays there, standing proud of the file's face. From that point on, every stroke drags a piece of embedded metal across the work — and it scores it. A deep scratch appears in a surface that was getting flatter, and the operator files harder trying to remove it, which pins the file worse.

Coarse files pin most, and soft metals pin them fastest. Aluminium is the worst.

The fix is a file card: a brush with short stiff wire bristles, drawn across the file in the direction of the cut. It costs almost nothing and it is the difference between a file that works and one that scratches. Any shop that files should own one.

The prevention is chalk. Ordinary blackboard chalk rubbed into a file's teeth fills the gullets enough that chips do not lodge, and it brushes out.

Bastard is the coarse grade: for removing stock, not for finishing.

Files cut on the push stroke only. Lift on the return.

Fit a handle.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73234000

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.44 lbs

Dimensions

12.00 x 1.15 x 0.28

Price

$22.95

Availability

Call for pricing

Rating

4.07 / 5.0