Hand Files, Rasps & Accessories

Files are mostly hand tools widely used in woodworking and metalworking to smooth out rough edges and remove fine amounts of material to shape a work piece. The majority of files are made of high carbon case-hardened steel. They can have a form of a short bar of square, rectangular, triangular, half-round, or round cross-section, with parallel sharp teeth cut on their surface. A pointed tang at one end allows to fit a handle to the tool or mount a file in a chuck. Files can be tapered or blunt, rough or smooth, which depends on the coarseness of their teeth.

Single-cut files are the best choice for leaving a fine-surface finish, and on the other hand, double-cut files are most suitable for removing large amounts of material. Diamond files feature fine particles embedded in their working surface instead of teeth. Such industrial diamond-impregnated files can be effectively used for shaping extremely hard materials such as glass, stone, carbide, or hardened steel. This type of a file cannot be damaged with a back-and-forth motion unlike files with teeth designed to be pushed only on a work piece. If the file is pulled, its teeth become dull quickly. Needle files have fine teeth for smaller work pieces where finish smoothness is prioritized over the amount of removed material.