Simonds SIM73500500 Second Cut Knife File 6" American

The Simonds SIM73500500 is a second cut knife file, American pattern, 6 inches.

This range carries the 6 inch knife file in all three American pattern grades — bastard, second cut, and smooth — and that is worth noticing, because it says something about the work.

Most file shapes get stocked in one or two grades. Knife files get all three at the same size because knife file work is fitting work: a dovetail, a gib, a die, a tapered slot. Fitting means removing a measured amount and then removing less, and then less again until the part goes in and moves properly. That is a sequence, and a sequence needs the whole set at the size that fits the slot.

Second cut is the middle of it and, as usual, the one that does most of the work. Bastard opens the corner fast and roughly. Smooth finishes a bearing surface. Second cut is the grade that gets used between them and, frequently, the grade a fitter stops at.

The knife geometry — tapering from a thick back to a sharp edge — is what enters an acute angle. A flat file's own thickness fouls one wall before its face reaches the other.

Fit a handle. The tang is a bare spike.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73500500

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.15 lbs

Dimensions

12.00 x 1.15 x 0.28

Price

$41.95

Availability

In stock

Rating

4.48 / 5.0