Often, a particular wood craft requires a workpiece that has certain, precisely specified dimensions. The material is prepared, cut, but a small amount of wood still needs to be removed. Sawing is irrational, and using a plane or grinder is impossible due to the complex shape of the workpiece.
Here one of the most popular carpenter's tools will come to the aid of the master - a wood file. With its help, you can remove a thin layer of wood, level the surface of the part, and correct its size and shape.
What is a file and why is it needed?
Structurally, a file is a very simple tool. It is a steel plate on which a notch is applied. The notch can have different depths and profiles, which determines the scope of application of the tool. During operation, it is held by a handle made of wood or various composite materials. A tool intended for rough (grinding) work may have two handles and externally resemble a familiar plane.
The purpose of the file is to remove a thin layer of wood, thereby leveling the surface of the workpiece and giving it the required shape. In principle, a grinding machine does all this, but it is extremely problematic to do delicate work with it.
What is being processed with a file?
Flat files are used to process (figure below) flat external and internal surfaces, as well as external convex surfaces. a - outer flat surface; b - internal flat surface. Square files (picture below) are used to process the walls of square and rectangular holes.
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Types of files
The industry offers various types of this tool, most of which are universal and can be used with equal success for fine processing of wood and metal. The tools are classified according to the type of cutting part:
- with a single notch;
- with double cross notch;
- for wood with an arc notch;
- with rasp notch;
- stamped file.
Separately, it is worth noting a tool designed for delicate work with miniature parts. A wood file is the same file, but smaller in size, which makes it indispensable for making small crafts from wood and other soft materials. For the same purposes, a type of needle file is used - riffles. Their working part is curved, which significantly facilitates the production of small parts of complex shapes.
All files, regardless of their purpose, are classified according to the cross-section of the working part. The most popular tool is the following profile:
- flat (rectangular);
- square and round section;
- triangular;
- semicircular;
- rhombic.
The shape of the tool, size, depth and type of notch are selected depending on the type of work performed. The rougher the processing, the larger the notch should be and the larger its pitch. From this we can conclude that a home workshop should have not just one file, but a whole set of similar tools with different characteristics.
Do you need construction services?
We just have to find out what musat is, and also get acquainted with other varieties of this instrument. So…
According to Wikipedia, “for sharpening knives, musat - a round file with a notch along its length. Musat, carried along the edge of a knife blade, partly cuts and partly straightens the serrations on the blade. Musat uses knife material much more carefully than, for example, round diamond files (sharpeners), sometimes used for the same purpose. There are musats made of aluminum. Their main purpose is to straighten the jagged edges, although the thin layer of hard leucosapphire (aluminum oxide) on the surface has some abrasive properties. Some manufacturers offer ceramic musats (coated metal rods)…” So, it turns out that this is a tool with such a poetic name.
But another type of file also includes another tool called a “needle file.” The TSB says about it that it is “a small file with a fine notch. It is made of steel wire, one end of which is untreated and serves as a handle. Used for fine filing, cleaning and fitting of small parts.” While a home craftsman may prefer other tools for sharpening, it is quite difficult to replace a needle file with any other tool. Perhaps the closest in spirit to a needle file is a nail file. But a home craftsman is unlikely to keep this manicure tool in his household, since nails are one thing, and the metal that needs to be processed is another.
A needle file is no less necessary in a home craftsman’s workshop than a file. Situations often arise when it is necessary to process one or another small metal part. Neither a file nor, especially, a rasp, which we will talk about a little later, are suitable for this work. The needle file, due to its small size, will be able to “get close” to hard-to-reach areas of the part, and the repairman will process them without much difficulty.
Needle files, like files, are flat, flat sharp, round, semicircular, triangular, knife, rhombic, oval and square.
But if the needle file is a type of file, then the needle file, in turn, has varieties. One of them is riffle . Wikipedia says about it that its “working part is curved (even hook-shaped). Used by jewelers for filing curved surfaces. (They are always made only from magnetic alloys so that crumbled riffle particles can be separated from precious metal filings with a magnet).” Since jewelry craftsmanship is not the topic of our conversations about individual construction, we will allow ourselves to no longer concentrate on this type of file. But we’ll definitely talk about the rasp - the “big brother” of the file.
According to TSB, a rasp is a file “with the largest cut for filing mainly soft metals, wood and plastic materials.” Wikipedia supplements the TSB information and reports that the rasp “has a notch in the form of small burrs located separately from each other... It is easy to make in a home-made environment using a small triangular chisel.” Externally, a rasp resembles a grater, only the grater at the time of its operation is in a static position, and the rasp is in motion.
There are rasps specifically designed for either processing metal, wood, or drywall. If rasps, with which metal and wood are processed, have existed since ancient times, then a rasp for drywall is a relatively “young” tool, so let’s pay a little attention to it.
The ends of plasterboard sheets often require processing. This is precisely why a special rasp was invented. Externally, this tool resembles a plane. But this is only a superficial resemblance. The principle of working with a rasp is similar to the principle of working with a regular file. But this tool differs from a file in the presence of a handle located at an angle to the working surface (which makes it look like a plane), as well as a removable blade with cutting edges, which is fixed (and dismantled) using a tension screw.
When processing the end of a plasterboard sheet with this rasp, the resulting dust accumulates inside the tool and is easily removed through the side holes. To do this, you just need to shake the tool, turning its holes towards the floor.
This concludes our conversation about files and their varieties.
The next tool (or, more precisely, device) with which we are about to get acquainted is an integral “element” of a home craftsman’s workshop. Without this device it is quite difficult to carry out a number of works. We're talking about a vice . The TSB says that they are intended “for installing and securing products in a position convenient for processing” and consist “of a body and two clamping jaws. There are machine vices and metalworking vices.
Machine vices installed on metal-cutting machines are used for milling, drilling, planing and other machining operations.” This type of vice, despite its name, is installed not only in production facilities, but also in the workshops of home craftsmen. “Made vices,” says the same source, “are installed on workbenches and used for various metalwork works: chair vices - for chopping, straightening and other types of processing with shock loads; parallel, fixed and rotary - when performing more complex and delicate operations that are not associated with impacts on the product (the strength of the jaws is low); manual - for securing small products when drilling, filing, etc., if they are inconvenient or dangerous to hold with your hands; special - for certain types of processing, for example, a vice with bent jaws for chamfering.” As we can see, bench vices (chair and manual) are “more familiar” to the home craftsman than machine tools. It is to them that special attention will be paid. But we will do this in the next part of the article.
Alexey Kaverau
The article uses photographs of the sites: profmag, 888, toprussianmarket, kalpa-vriksa, skladinstrumentov, specialinstrument, rustan, skladinstrumentov
Features and scope of application of the rasp
In carpentry, a separate type of file called a wood rasp is often used. At first glance, these two tools are similar, but there are serious differences between them. The fact is that the notch of the rasp is made in the form of separate burrs of different shapes. Thanks to this configuration, the tool does not clog and can quickly process a large surface.
Note! A rasp is indispensable in cases where it is impractical to use other methods of surface treatment (saw, plane).
For example, you need to remove a few millimeters from the end surface of a small board. The saw will most likely ruin the workpiece, it is impossible to use a plane due to the short length of the board, a simple file will take a long time to work, and besides, it will constantly become clogged with sawdust.
What is a file for?
Different types of files perform many functions. For metalworking work, tools with double teeth are suitable, the length of which can be different. Special files are a special type of device that is widely used on an industrial scale; they eliminate major imperfections and adjust large parts with differences in the size of the grooves or differences in the curvature of the surface of the product. To process small parts or work in hard-to-reach places, small files are used - needle files.
Rasp set for home workshop
A home craftsman who is engaged in or is just planning to engage in the manufacture of wood products cannot do without rasps. If the final grinding of the part can be done with sandpaper instead of a file, then for rough work you need a rasp. Of course, there should be more than one tool. Even a novice master should purchase several of the most popular varieties.
Advice! When choosing rasps for a home workshop, it is important to pay attention to the material and profile of the working part, the material and workmanship of the handle, and the number of the notch.
To produce a high-quality rasp, carbon tool steel grades U7, U7A, U8 are used. It is highly durable and holds an edge for a long time.
One of the most important characteristics of a rasp is the notch class. There are 1st and 2nd classes. They differ from each other in the number of teeth and the distance between them. It is easy to guess that the greater the distance between the teeth, the less often the tool gets clogged, but the rougher the surface becomes.
They work with a rasp, holding it by the handle, therefore, it should be comfortable and reliable. The easiest way to evaluate convenience is to take the tool in your hand. Assessing reliability is more difficult. It all depends on the manufacturer and his responsibility. We can only note that a high-quality tool must have a wooden or two-component rubberized handle. There should be no cracks or chips on it.
Marking of files
It is difficult to entrust fine processing of workpieces to machines, but with a set of files, you can cope with this task. The marking of the tool must comply with GOST; it must reflect the main characteristics of the tool:
- Class
– from 1 to 6. - Length
– looks like the number after the Latin letter L. - Type of notch
– from 0 to 5. - Tooth hardness
is double digit after abbreviation HRC. - Type of steel
– U, if the tool is made of carbon alloys, ШХ, if the file is made of alloy steel.
Purpose of some types of rasps
Perhaps the first thing you should pay attention to when choosing a rasp is the profile of its working part. The list of works that can be performed with its help depends on this characteristic. With all the diversity of the instrument, four of its varieties are most common: flat, round, semicircular, triangular.
Flat
This tool is convenient for processing smooth surfaces and recesses with a large radius of curvature. It can also be used to form the inner surface of grooves and cuts in wood.
Round
First of all, a round rasp is used to develop holes in the wood and the end surfaces of curved cuts. In addition, this tool will help smooth the ends of wood-based boards and slabs.
Semicircular
A rasp with a semicircular working part is advantageous in its versatility; one side of it performs the work of a flat rasp, the other - a round rasp. It can be used with equal success for leveling flat and curved cuts.
Triangular
This tool has three planes at once, which determines the scope of its use. It can level small flat parts, develop the inner surfaces of polygonal shaped holes. It is also used to make shaped cuts when creating tenon joint elements.
How to use a file?
Working with any tool requires skills and abilities from the master, the most important thing is compliance with safety precautions. Before work, you should decide what shape of tool you need to take to process a specific surface: a flat, round or diamond file. It is most convenient to clamp the workpiece in a vice so that it does not move, apply markings and then begin grinding. To process large surfaces, movements with a file should be alternated, moving it back and forth, left and right, and diagonally.
