Simonds SIM73403500 Round Smooth File 12" American

The Simonds SIM73403500 is a round smooth file, American pattern, 12 inches.

A smooth round file at 12 inches is a finishing tool for internal surfaces, and it is worth knowing what "finishing" means with a file rather than an abrasive.

An abrasive tears material away with random grit. A file cuts it with defined teeth. The consequence is that a filed surface is geometrically truer than an abraded one — abrasive follows the shape it finds and rounds edges, where a file's rigid body imposes its own geometry on the work. That is why a bore that must be round and straight gets finished with a file rather than sanded.

So the smooth round file is the last cutting step before a polish, and it is what makes a hand-worked bore true rather than merely smooth.

The rotation rule applies at every grade: turn the file a quarter turn or so per push. Pushed straight, even a smooth file cuts a flat.

Files work in sequence and the grades exist for that reason: bastard opens, second cut evens, smooth trues.

The taper along the length means one file covers a range of diameters.

Fit a handle. The tang is a bare spike.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73403500

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.58 lbs

Dimensions

14.00 x 1.25 x 0.31

Price

$23.95

Availability

Call for pricing

Rating

4.63 / 5.0