Violin Forum/Message Board

kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

any suggestions about a size and coarseness for a birds tongue file. thanks

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:18 pm Post subject:

For me, 6", 0 cut.
Item #87-216.0, here:
https://www.violins.ca/tools/tools_files.html
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kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

thanks. kevin

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:49 am Post subject:

An 8" 00 is handy too, but they're pretty expensive. The similar file with one flat side is handier in that large size. I use that mainly for necks, and sometimes outlines. You'd think finer ones would be useful, but I hardly ever use them, because there are other ways to do the same thing that work better.
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kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

I couldn't really find any info on the coarseness vs. oo, 5 , 2 cut , how do those terms relate.. I thought I could find a list on the net but no luck. thanks again for the info.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 8:26 am Post subject:

00 is the coarsest. It's almost a rasp.

0 is like a normal hardware store rough file

1 or 2 are sort of like a hardware store mill file--the one with a neat series of straight line edges. Nice for smoothing, but not too good at removing lots of wood.

Above that, they're increasingly fine, and most useful for jewelry makers. A #4 works similarly to 400-grit sandpaper. I have some files up to 4, and I never use the 4 for anything, the others, rarely.

The harder the wood, the higher number of file you can use without problems, but that doesn't mean you want to do that. If you try to use too fine of a file on spruce edges, the soft wood gets cut, but not the hard, and you end up with a rippled edge, especially in the c-bouts.

The only place I ever use my 3 is on shaping the back corner of nuts, and rounding the top of bridges.

A good general rule for choosing tools that if you can't accomplish what you intended in several tool passes you should have been using a coarser tool. The more you worry a surface with a tool that's too fine, the worse the lines get.
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kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

I appreciate you taking the time to explain that.

kjb · Super Member Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 385

just received the file , what a nice tool.

any other files that your would recommend?