AMERICAN PATTERN FILE: A tool of hardened steel that has teeth cut or chiseled on the surface, used manually to reduce or smooth surfaces or to remove nicks or burrs.

AXIS: A central line about which the body and teeth are symmetrically arranged.

BACK: The rounded side of Half Round files, Crosscut files, etc.

BLUNT: A file that has sides parallel (not tapered).

CUT: The number of teeth per inch.

DOUBLE CUT: The crisscross arrangement of teeth formed by a series of cuts.

EDGE: The narrow cross section or side of a file.

ENGINEERING FILE: Same as American Pattern File.

HEEL: The end of the file next to the tang.

LENGTH: The distance between the point and the shoulder or heel (tang not included). On files without tangs, length is measured overall.

OVERCUT: A secondary set of teeth on a file even though they are generally struck before the primary upcut teeth. They are usually 45° to the axis and generally used as chip breakers.

POINT: The end of the file opposite the tang.

PRECISION FILE: Same as Swiss Pattern File.

RIFFLERS: Teeth cut on a small area of each end leaving a long middle portion as a handle. The cut ends are of various designs. Length is overall.

RASP CUT: A cut used on wood rifflers that is made by a punch raising a series of individual cutting teeth.

SAFE: The uncut side or edge of a tile.

SHAPE: The cross section of a file (such as Square, Round, Knife, etc.)

SHOULDER: Same as "heel".

SIDE: The broad, flat cutting surface.

SINGLE CUT: The teeth formed on a file by a single series of cuts.

SWARF: Fine particles or chips of metal or other material created in the process of filing.

SWISS PATTERN FILE: Used by precision craftsman for finishing delicate and intricate parts. Similar to American Pattern Files except narrower in width and thickness. The teeth extend all the way to the edge of the file. They are made to a more exacting tolerance and available in finer cut (more TPI).

TANG: The part of the file that tapers from the shoulder that is intended to be fitted with a handle.

TAPER: The diminishing width of a file toward its point.

TEETH: The small cutting edges on a file that actually do the job of removing material. The teeth are created one row at a time by striking with a chisel.

TPI: Teeth per inch. A method of determining the coarseness or smoothness of a file.

UPCUT: The primary cutting teeth an a double cut file.

AMERICAN PATTERN COARSENESS

The tooth spacing or number of teeth per inch. Tooth spacing varies with the shape and length of the file. It increases as the length of file is increased.

Bastard Cut

Second Cut

Smooth Cut

Bastard cut has the fewest number of teeth per inch. Second cut has more teeth per inch. Smooth cut has the greatest number of teeth per inch. In comparing degrees of coarseness, the terms bastard, second and smooth are comparable only when files of the same length and shape are considered.

SWISS PATTERN COARSENESS

The tooth spacing or number of teeth per inch. Tooth spacing varies with the shape and length of the file. It increases as the length of file is increased.

#00 Cut

#0 Cut

#2 Cut

#4 Cut

#00 cut has the fewest number of teeth per inch.
#0 cut has more teeth per inch.
#4 cut has the greatest number of teeth per inch.

Federal File Co., Inc.
3354 Winbrook Drive, Memphis TN 38116
Toll Free 1-800-238-3146
Tel. (901) 346-4433  Fax. (901) 396-7941
E-mail: fedfile@fedfile.com