What is a Half Round file used for
It is not easy to pick the best tool for your cutting and other metalworking operations. Metal hand files are excellent for finishing wood, glass, metal, tile, ceramics, plastic leather.
The right choice of hand file is important to get your cutting and shaping tasks completed. Half-round file is a general-purpose file designed to work well on flat and curved surfaces.
Metal Hand Files
Metal files are an essential cutting tools and abrasive tool for metal and woodworking operations. These files are useful for DIY projects and other professional cutting and stock removal work. There are various types of metal hand files used in the industry. Hand files are used for various tasks such as cleaning the welded joints, cleaning the steel surfaces, and sharpening blades. But due to the availability of different types of files, people struggle to choose the suitable tool for their purposes.
Types of Metal Files
The Metal Hand Files are characterized according to their Shape and Cut type.
What is Half Round File?
The half-round file has one flat side and the other side is the shape of a semicircle (rounded). Mostly used for smoothening, stock removal, filing internal curved surfaces, and finish surfaces. Its half-round shape allows deburring inside curved spaces, round holes, and corners. A versatile and ideal tool for filing flat, concave, and convex surfaces.
Half-Round File (Bastard Cut)
The Bastard file has teeth with a grade finer than coarse. For the perfect cut, a double-cut pattern is engraved on both sides of a half-round file. The shape of the file is tapered along the width towards the top at the end. Easy-to-use files can create a variety of curved shapes and patterns at different angles.
What is a Bastard File Used for?
The coarseness of the file makes it ideal for rapid material removal and leaves a smooth finish. Different sizes of the Half-round files are available to choose for any DIY works, die casting, grooving, pipe fitting, professional operations.
Half-Round Bastard files are perfect to use on mild steel, plastics, and wood. To avoid injuries, do not use metal files without a handle.
Half-Round Aluminum File
The American pattern half-round aluminum file is ideal to use on soft metals. The coarseness of the file allows rapid material removal. Precisely designed file to eliminate the clogging while working on soft steel, aluminum alloys, and other non-ferrous metals.
The hand file is mostly used to remove material inside the cylindrical pieces to create rounded grooves.
What is an Aluminum File Used for?
The industrial applications of the file include the use on flat, convex, and concave surfaces. Its double-cut pattern with the cross design of teeth helps in various deburring, shaping, and finishing applications.
Most Common Available Sizes of the Half Round files
Bastard Cut Files
6" Half-Round File (Bastard Cut)
8" Half-Round File (Bastard Cut)
10" Half-Round File (Bastard Cut)
Aluminum Files
6" Half-Round Aluminum File
8" Half-Round Aluminum File
10" Half-Round Aluminum File
Conclusion
I hope the above information will help you to choose the suitable tool for your needs. You can use the half-round files for deburring, cleaning the holes, sharpening, reducing clogging, etc. Especially for curved surfaces, to clean the metal surfaces for a good finish.
The metal files are used by machinists, engine builders, shipbuilders, and jewelry makers, blacksmiths.