Simonds SIM73501500 Bastard Knife File 8" American

The Simonds SIM73501500 is a bastard knife file, American pattern, 8 inches.

At 8 inches this is a substantial knife file, and the length changes what it is good for.

Short knife files are detail tools — dovetails, dies, small fitting. An 8 inch file has enough length for a proper stroke, which means it can be used the way a flat file is: pushed along a surface with control, taking a straight cut. That makes it the knife file for larger work, where the acute corner runs for some distance rather than sitting in a small die.

The trade is entry. A longer file is thicker in section along most of its length, so it needs more room to get into the corner in the first place. The 4 inch file in this range gets into gaps this one cannot.

The knife geometry is the whole point: a section tapering from a thick back to a sharp edge, which follows an acute angle in where a flat file's own thickness fouls the wall.

Bastard is the coarse grade — for opening the corner, with a finer file to follow.

The thin edge that makes the file work is also its weakness. A knife file used as a lever snaps.

Fit a handle.

Brand

Simonds

SKU

SIM73501500

Category

Hand Tools

Weight

0.21 lbs

Dimensions

16.00 x 1.35 x 0.35

Price

$43.95

Availability

Call for pricing

Rating

4 / 5.0