File Terminology

• Work to be accomplished, whether roughing or finishing, will determine type of teeth and coarseness
for each application.
• Most American pattern files are available with 3 grades of cut: bastard-cut, second-cut and
smoothcut.
• The degree of coarseness is greater in longer files, but differences between bastard, second and
smooth are proportionate

• 2 sets of diagonal rows of teeth
• Second set of teeth cut in opposite diagonal direction and on top of the first set
• First set of teeth is known as the overcut, second is known as upcut
• Upcut is finer than overcut
• Double-cut file is used with heavier pressure than the single-cut and removes material faster from
the workpiece