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Just noticed that a hand file that I have had for at least ten years is a "Mill Bastard." At the base of the file, just above the wooden handle, that is what it says. On the other side it says Nicholson Tools, Made in the USA.

Is my file a second rate file? How did it come into this woodworking world labeled as a bastard?

Tony,
Don't get upset and throw it away. The term "bastard" simply means it is a medium blade file or the type of teeth the file has.

Check it out at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard_file

eldyfig wrote:Just noticed that a hand file that I have had for at least ten years is a "Mill Bastard." At the base of the file, just above the wooden handle, that is what it says. On the other side it says Nicholson Tools, Made in the USA.

Is my file a second rate file? How did it come into this woodworking world labeled as a bastard?

Hi Tony,
I have sold tools for many years, many years ago. We carried two lines of files]http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/3816[/URL]

I hope this helps.

edit: Simonds is still 100 % USA made, in Newcomerstown, OH. Nicholson files are now owned by the American company Cooper. Cooper does not say on the web page where they are made, but I sent them correspondence asking. We will see.

Sorry I was a bit slow in getting this together
What George Said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_(tool)
...
Files come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and tooth configurations. The cross-section of a file can be flat, round, half-round, triangular, square, knife edge or of a more specialized shape. There is no unitary international standard for file nomenclature; however, there are many generally accepted names for certain kinds of files.

A file's teeth can range from rough, coarse and bastard (meaning intermediate) to second-cut, smooth and dead smooth. A single-cut or mill file has one set of parallel teeth, while a cross-cut or double-cut file has a second set at an angle to the first. In Swiss-pattern files the teeth are cut at a shallower angle, and are graded by number, with a number 1 file being coarser than a number 2, etc. Most files have teeth on all faces, but some specialty flat files have teeth only on the face or only on the edge, so that the the user can come right up to another edge without damaging the finish on it.

Regards
Sandy

Thank you,everyone, for the replies. I have learned something today.

So now when the file falls out of the wooden handle and hits the floor, it isn't so bad for me to call it a bastard!

When I was a teenager, we were visiting family in Estes Park Colorado for a few weeks in the summer and my father had a birthday while we were there.. Needless to say, the one item he wanted was a "rat tail bastard".. Anyway, my mother and I went to the local (very small) hardware store and felt somewhat sheepish asking the man behind the counter if he had a rat-tail bastard and his immediate answer was "yes"! Anyway, that story has stuck in my head for many years now..

eldyfig wrote:Just noticed that a hand file that I have had for at least ten years is a "Mill Bastard." At the base of the file, just above the wooden handle, that is what it says. On the other side it says Nicholson Tools, Made in the USA.

Is my file a second rate file? How did it come into this woodworking world labeled as a bastard?

Tony
Being somewhat of a pysche (ala Daphney Moon of the Fraiser Show fame) I sense a distrubing occurance in the history of the that file. I sense a relationship taking place without the benefit of a wedding first taking place. Oh wait! I'm now sensing a very sensitive file with a serious self respect issue. Perhaps instead of suggesting that your file might be second rate based on a malicious label you should give the file a fair try. The question you really want to concern yourself with is does it file or does it not?

I hope we have all learned a lesson here, labels and names can not always be used to judge something's worth. Frankly I'm amazed at the labels we will saddle on things without even giving them a try. Shame on us!

Oh! Wait what's that you say? Bastard file is a common name given to a file with a particular cut rather than having anything to do with a relationship inside or outside wedlock?

Oh! (bushing) Never mind then!!!

From "Sanding and Planing" by Nick Engler:

"Files are classified in three ways -- by how coarse or fine they cut, by their tooth pattern, and by their shape.

"Cut -- The way in which a files cuts is determined by the spacing between the teeth. The more teeth per inch (tpi), the smoother the cut. The teeth on comon files vary from 14 tpi (the coarsest) to 100 tpi (the finest) Manufacturers rarely label their files according to tpi, however. Instead, they divide them into threee broad (and somewhat arbitrary) grades. From coarse to fine, these grades are bastard cut, second cut, and smooth. You can sometimes find additional grades among older files -- rough, coarse, dead smooth, and dead-dead smooth. Coarser grades cut quicker, finer grades cut smoother. Extremely fine files don't cut wood worth a darn because the teeth clog too quickly. These work better on metals.

"Tooth pattern -- The teeth are cut into files in two different patterns, single-cut (parallel cutting edges) and double-cut (crossed cutting edges) Of the two, the double-cut pattern usually works better in wood. Unless they are fairly coarse, single-cut files are better suited for metalworking.

"Note: On most files, all the surfaces have teeth. But a few types have one or more safe edges, without any teeth.

Shapes -- Files are available in many different shapes -- flat, round, half-round, tapered, triangular -- and these shapes often come in different sizes, with a variety of cuts and tooth patterns as well. Refer to "Files and Rasps...for an illustrated list of the common shapes."

By the way, "mill" refers to the shape and tooth pattern of a common file -- single-cut, rectangular cross-section, tapers along the width and thickness. It may also refer to the cut as most mill files are either bastard, second-cut, or smooth. A rough or coarse mill file was once commonly called a "float."

If you'd like to have the illustrated reference referred to in the book, I've attached it as a .pdf file -- http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Files&Rasps.pdf -- RIGHT-click on the URL and choose "Save Target As" or "Open in New Window." The file was too big (1.2M) to upload to the Forum.

With all good wishes,

Nick wrote:................If you'd like to have the illustrated reference referred to in the book, I've attached it as a .pdf file -- http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Files&Rasps.pdf -- RIGHT-click on the URL and choose "Save Target As" or "Open in New Window." The file was too big (1.2M) to upload to the Forum.

With all good wishes,

I RIGHT clicked it this time O.K.?
Thanks Nick:D

a1gutterman wrote:I RIGHT clicked it this time O.K.?

Whew! Glad you got it the first time! (or at least the second) he he!