Simonds SIM73498500 Bastard Knife File American 4"

The Simonds SIM73498500 is a bastard knife file, American pattern, 4 inch blade.

Note that this row uses the field name "Blade" where every other file in this range uses "Size". Minor, and worth standardising — inconsistent field names break filters.

A knife file's cross-section tapers from a thick back to a sharp edge, exactly like a blade, and that geometry exists to solve one problem no other file shape can.

The problem is the acute angle. Where two surfaces meet at less than ninety degrees — a dovetail, a V-groove, an undercut, the corner of a tapered slot — a flat file physically cannot reach the intersection. Its own thickness fouls one wall before its face contacts the other, and the corner stays rounded no matter how long anyone works at it. A round file leaves a radius. A square file will not enter.

A knife file's tapering section follows the angle in and cuts the corner clean.

At 4 inches this is a small knife file, and small is what most knife file work requires — dovetails, die work, and detail fitting are not large operations.

Bastard is the coarse grade, which on a file this small removes material at a sensible rate rather than a violent one.

Fit a handle. A small file's tang is still a spike.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73498500

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.04 lbs

Dimensions

6.00 x 0.50 x 0.15

Price

$38.95

Availability

In stock

Rating

4.52 / 5.0