Finished test of Honduras made Simonds file.

[george wilson]

The Simonds cut just fine,and felt just like a good Nicholson. It had plenty of "bite" to it. It was perfectly good as far as I could tell.

[Niels Cosman]

Hi George,
Thanks for the test results.
Which files were you using?

[Jim Davis]

And where did you buy them?

[Will Boulware]

George,

Thanks for doing these file tests. I'm sure this thread won't get as much attention as the next bevel up vs. bevel down argument, but I'm sure I'm one of many who appreciates your work in this area.

[george wilson]

The files were sent to me by Mr. King here. They are 8" mill files made in Honduras.

[michael langman]

I have always found Simonds files to be top quality. They supplied the navy when I was enlisted.

[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for the info. I am about to start the saw sharpening learning process and was wondering about file brands.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the testing George.

jtk

[Charles Bjorgen]

Are the Simonds brand files available in a range of sizes for saw filing, George?

[Stewie Simpson]

It all a bit sad to see an American brand like Simonds being associated with a country like Honduras.

Stewie.

[Tom M King]

Here's the deal with where they came from. I had known about the company through horse foot trimming rasps, had seen mill files in Horizon Forest Products (sells to flooring contractors), and thought there might be some chance that they made good saw files too. I contacted Simonds some time back about getting some files to test for filing handsaws. I talked to someone there on the phone, and told him I'd write a review for woodworkers on the internet telling about their files if they turned out to be good quality. We talked a bit about all the complaints about the waning quality of saw files. There was no question in my mind that the guy and I were talking about sharpening hand saws, and he thought it would be a good chance for them to risk sending me some files on trial after he had looked at my website.

A couple of weeks later, I received a box of files in the mail.......8" Mill files. Being a bit disgusted not to get tapered saw files, they just got laid aside. When I did get to the point on a job that we needed to sharpen scrapers, I pulled them out, and was very surprised to find that they did a good job-as good a job as Nicolsons of old.

George posted something about testing a Nicolson file a week or two ago, and knowing that George has a lot more confidence of credence here than I do, I asked him if he'd like me to send him some of these files to "test". He said yes, so here we are.

I'd still like to get my hands on some tapered saw files, but am plenty well stocked with old ones, and have a long list ahead of it.

Yes, they make a full range of all sizes of files and rasps, but these are the only ones other than horse shoeing rasps that I've had my hands on.

[george wilson]

My evaluation was rather "short and sweet". I should also have noted that the teeth looked just fine,having been cut quite accurately. If I hadn't known the files were made in Honduras,I'd have thought they were made in USA,in fact.

The files I tested were quite straight,which is probably more luck than anything else. I was selecting the STRAIGHT Nicholson files way back in the 50's,when they were offered up just in a box,separated by brown paper,and NOT in that annoying,and impossible to inspect "bubble" packaging. With the bubble package,you cannot tell if the file is straight or not. You take your chances. So,even in the 1950's,Nicholsons and other files were not always straight.

Being perfectly straight may not be the best way for a file to be,though. If you are trying to file a flat surface,a file with a slightly convex bend can be quite useful. You use the convex side for filing a surface flat. It will not file the corners of your surface if you are skillful. Save the concave side for filing the edges of thin metal,where the concavity does not matter.

The files to always avoid are those that warped into an "S" curve. You can't file flat surfaces with either side of those files.

I would be happy to buy and use these Simonds files as opposed to Nicholsons. I think they are of equal quality.