Simonds SIM73401000 Round Second Cut File 10" American

The Simonds SIM73401000 is a round second cut file, American pattern, 10 inches.

A round file — the rat tail — does one thing nothing else does: it works inside a hole.

That covers more than it sounds. Enlarging a drilled hole slightly, correcting a hole that drifted, opening a hole to fit a shaft, cutting an internal radius, dressing a slot, cleaning up a punched hole in sheet: all of it needs a cylindrical cutting surface, and only a round file has one. A half round file's curve is a large radius and it cannot enter a small hole at all.

The technique is what makes it work and it is not obvious. A round file must be rotated as it is pushed — a quarter turn or so per stroke. Pushed straight without rotating, it cuts a flat on the hole's wall instead of a curve, and the hole ends up faceted rather than round. Anyone who has enlarged a hole to an odd polygon has learned this.

Round files taper toward the point, so the effective diameter varies along the length — which is how one file serves a range of holes.

Second cut is the middle grade: working removal, acceptable finish.

Fit a handle. The tang is a bare spike.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73401000

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.29 lbs

Dimensions

6.00 x 0.50 x 0.15

Price

$18.95

Availability

In stock

Rating

4.7 / 5.0