Hi there I use files quite a bit in my shop. I grab one & feel it's coarseness w/ my thumb & look @ it's shape to decide whether to use it or another. I've never known what I was actually using. I've decided to buy a few USA made different lengths & cuts all @ once. After looking @ some catalogs, I've come up against the same question I've been wondering about for years: How do I find out what the coarseness of 1 length file of a given cut is compared to a different length of a different cut. For example: Is a 6=94 bastard courser than a 14=94 2nd cut? Or, is a 14=94 smooth cut smoother that a 6=94 2nd cut? If so how can I find out what it is & by how much. I've read Machinery's 28th pages 962 through 965. Nothing. Nothing that gives me definitive quantitative answer. I've Googled, I've looked in Wikipedia. The only thing I found is a photo of 3 files that says something to the effect of =93a bastard has ~ 25 teeth /in; 2nd cut has ~35th /in; & a smooth cut has ~ 60th/ in=94. (These # aren't accurate, I'm not looking @ the site, they are from memory, but in the ball park)
Also I don't remember having ever used a file that the handle would stay on. I probably have but just don't remember it. The files I buy will probably not have handles. Who makes an after market handle that stays on? Maybe I should buy the cheapest wooden ones & epoxy them in place? I assume that would work.
Thanks for any info, JD