HAND FILE HACKS

Files don’t get a lot of coverage in woodworking but they are quite useful – especially for dialing in joints and inlays. I use hand files on a daily basis for making specialty woodworking products such as these Japanese Shakuhachi flutes.

Sharp, accurate hand files are a necessity for getting the blowing edge (called utaguchi) perfectly flat and for creating the dove tail like inlay you see here. This particular style is called Kinko ryu.

Here are my three most used files that are many years old (I’d say about ten years old or maybe older) and yet, they don’t show signs of needing being replaced anytime soon.
The biggest reason is the sheaths that protect the “teeth” of the files. Even though these files are used on seasoned bamboo, hardwood and other things like buffalo horn, ivory and silver, they still have years of life left as long as they go back into their sheaths after use.

I cringe every time I see a woodworker (or metal worker for that matter) reach into a bucket, a toolbox or a drawer and rummage around before pulling out a battered file with dull, rolled teeth covered in dings. I mean, I GUESS they MIGHT work but it’s doubtful you’re gonna get much accuracy with them. I’d rather use a file that’s sharp with accurate edges. A sheath ensures your hand file will do what you ask, when you ask it – efficiently and accurately.

Just as important as a sheath is a good handle. A good handle is enjoyable to look at AND to pick up. It creates a seamless interface between the user and the tool. It allows you to put your concentration where it should be – on what you are doing – instead of focusing on maintaining a hold on your tool. A good handle is one that fits YOUR hand – not anyone else’s. For this reason, good quality hand files are usually purchased without a handle. The assumption is that this is for someone that knows what they’re doing and only they can make the best handle for them.

A bad handle, or worse, no handle at all, forces you to maintain a white knuckle “death grip” on the end of your hand file which quickly leads to fatigue, cramping and loss of concentration and accuracy in your work. THIS is the environment in which mistakes are easily made. At the least, it will lead to the marring or damage of your work. At it’s worst, it will lead to the marring or damage of you!

For custom made handles, you can go old school and just use a green branch from a tree in your back yard like this one with a piece of copper plumbing pipe as a ferrule. This one took me all of about 5 minutes to make and is actually my favorite both in looks and function. I simply drilled a hole in the end and carefully tamped in the tang. No glue or epoxy was needed because, as the green branch dries, it shrinks down onto the tang and locks it in place. This technique is hundreds of years old and still a great option today. Even after years of use, this handle shows no sign of coming loose anytime soon.

The sheath for it is just some doug fir from the scrap bin. I hastily carved out a channel in one piece, gave the two pieces a quick glue up and then rounded the outside. It’s all I’ll ever need to keep this hand file in good working condition for years and years.

This handle was a small piece of maple from the scrap bin turned on my lathe. My inspiration for it was that I had seen someone drill into an old golf ball and glue in the tang of a rat tail file. I turned this to be a little more ergonomic and, when it’s in my hand, it feels almost surgically attached. I can completely forget about holding it while I focus on what I’m using it for – which is usually clearing out the inner bamboo nodes (called “fushi” in Japanese) when I’m making Shakuhachi. The sheath is a piece of scrap bamboo that fits this round file so well that, when it’s put on, it won’t fall off at all.

This smaller file is a triangular file that I use for creating the dove tail like inlay the mouth piece of the Shakuhachi that I make. It was about twice this length – which was too long. It was difficult to be accurate with my inlays with such a long file so I snapped it in half and cold ground the end smooth. Now, it does exactly what I ask it to do.

The handle was another piece of that branch that had dried out. I rough turned it on my lathe and drilled a hole in the end like the other one. I didn’t even bother with a ferrule on this one. Years later and….so far so good!

The sheath is another piece of bamboo. This one is quite thick – unusually thick for bamboo. It fits nicely and keeps it well protected.

So, to sum it up, if you want to get the most out of your files, I suggest making a custom handle that fits YOUR hand. It can be as easy as a branch off of a tree or a lathe turned piece of hardwood.

In addition to a handle, make a sheath to keep your file sharp for accuracy and longevity.

It has been said that the meaning of life is to learn and then share.

In classical martial arts, the Masters say, “no matter where you start, strive to always get better”.

I hope this video helps you on your path.