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Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Which files do I need?
- Thread starter DgrantD
- Start date
RHINOKNIVES
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2000
- Messages
- 6,034
i made my first few with files and paper. a bastard is your heavyist cut with the second being just what the name says. i belive cutting is on the push strock also you want to push at the angle of the teeth. get a wire clean out brush and use it after ever second strock. nicolsen or black diamond seem to be about the best brands. good luck
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2000
- Messages
- 1,370
Definitely get a file card! One with wire on one side and plastic bristles on the other. Start with a 10" or 12" double cut flat bastard or one of the magi-cut files for heavy stock removal. Then go to mill files.
Smaller mill bastard files yield a smoother finish because the files have the same number of teeth despite the length (a 6" mill bastard leaves a finer finish than a 12" mill bastard). The 2nd cut files leave a finer finish than bastard and smooth cut files leave a finer finish than 2nd cut.
It all depends on how smooth a finish you want before you go to paper. If you intend to make knives just with files and paper which is how I started out, you may want to invest in a couple of the finer cut files also.
Using finer cut files and a technique known as draw filing I can get a surface that must be close to or finer than 320 grit.
So, to start, you can get all of your flat bastard files at Lowes or Home Depot cheaper than buying them from most catalogs and just use smaller files as you work. Chainsaw files are great for making the plunge cut. They leave a smooth finish and are very agressive.
My suggested list to begin would be: 12" double cut or mill cut flat bastard; 10" mill flat bastard; 8" mill flat bastard; 6" mill flat bastard; 8" or 10" flat second cut and 8" and/or 10" smooth cut flat.
You'll have to have a few half round files also. An 8" bastard and 8" second cut are handy. I find the big 10" and 12" half round bastards very handy too and the flat side can substitute for a flat file. One of my favorite files is a Black Diamond 6" half round bastard file whaich seems to get used more than most of my other files. I got a whole box of them from eBay for next to nothing.
Don't forget the round files, triangular files and square files! My next file purchase be a good quality warding file(s).
Files are like potato chips, you can't use just one (or two or three for that matter!)
Take care of them, keep them clean (file card!)and free of rust, don't apply too much pressure and don't file too fast and make sure you lift up on the back stroke and they will last a very long time for you. You can tell I like files can't you?
Smaller mill bastard files yield a smoother finish because the files have the same number of teeth despite the length (a 6" mill bastard leaves a finer finish than a 12" mill bastard). The 2nd cut files leave a finer finish than bastard and smooth cut files leave a finer finish than 2nd cut.
It all depends on how smooth a finish you want before you go to paper. If you intend to make knives just with files and paper which is how I started out, you may want to invest in a couple of the finer cut files also.
Using finer cut files and a technique known as draw filing I can get a surface that must be close to or finer than 320 grit.
So, to start, you can get all of your flat bastard files at Lowes or Home Depot cheaper than buying them from most catalogs and just use smaller files as you work. Chainsaw files are great for making the plunge cut. They leave a smooth finish and are very agressive.
My suggested list to begin would be: 12" double cut or mill cut flat bastard; 10" mill flat bastard; 8" mill flat bastard; 6" mill flat bastard; 8" or 10" flat second cut and 8" and/or 10" smooth cut flat.
You'll have to have a few half round files also. An 8" bastard and 8" second cut are handy. I find the big 10" and 12" half round bastards very handy too and the flat side can substitute for a flat file. One of my favorite files is a Black Diamond 6" half round bastard file whaich seems to get used more than most of my other files. I got a whole box of them from eBay for next to nothing.
Don't forget the round files, triangular files and square files! My next file purchase be a good quality warding file(s).
Files are like potato chips, you can't use just one (or two or three for that matter!)
Take care of them, keep them clean (file card!)and free of rust, don't apply too much pressure and don't file too fast and make sure you lift up on the back stroke and they will last a very long time for you. You can tell I like files can't you?