Files & Rasps

Files and rasps smooth and shape metal, wood and plastic. They look harmless, but a file without a handle can drive its pointed tang deep into your palm, and a hardened file used as a pry bar can snap and throw sharp pieces.

• Construction
• General Industry

Know the tool

Coarse teeth remove material fast; fine teeth leave a smoother finish. Files cut on the push stroke.

Using files safely

• Always use a handle on the tang (the pointed end). Make sure it’s tight and not split.
• Clamp the work in a vise at about elbow height. See Clamps & Vises.
• Hold the handle in one hand and the tip in the other; push with steady strokes and lift slightly on the return.
• Keep your hand behind the cutting direction, especially on sharp edges.
• Clean teeth with a file card (brush), never by tapping the file on something hard.
• Store files so they don’t rub together and dull or chip: in a rack, roll or separate slots.
• Wear safety glasses; filings and burrs can fly.

• Don’t use a file as a pry bar, punch or hammer. Files are hard and brittle and can shatter.
• Don’t hit a file with a hammer.
• Don’t blow filings away with your mouth or compressed air. Use a brush.
• Don’t brush filings off with your bare hand; metal slivers are sharp.
• Don’t file on a rotating part, like work spinning in a lathe, unless you’re trained and using a long-handled lathe file with your arms clear of the chuck.

Before you use a file

• Handle fitted, tight and not cracked
• Teeth clean and not worn smooth
• No cracks or chips in the file
• Work clamped securely
• Safety glasses on

Last updated: October 2, 2026