A brief history of Files

29th February 2020


	A brief history of files


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			The origins of files
			Files are one of the oldest known tools for stone working, metal working, finishing and sharpening. The image to the left shows a stone file with a rough edge that would have been used to sharpen other stone tools.

			Stone rasps are common stone age finds. It is believed they were used even before stone axes and knives.

			Files are referenced in the bible, where they are cited as being used to sharpen a range of other tools. “Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the colters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.” (1 Samuel, 13:21)

			Metal files in the bronze and iron ages
			The oldest metal file found by archaeologists is thought to be over 3,400 years old. It was found in Crete in the Mediterranean.

			The Egyptians used brass and copper rasps from around 1200 BC.

			Iron rasps were used by the Assyrians in the 7th Century BC.

			Meanwhile, Celts in Britain were also using metal files, dating back as far as 666 BC.

			These types of tools would have been forged by hand, with only the crudest available form of heat treatment to toughen up the metal and make it resilient and durable.

			References to files began to crop up in Latin from around 100 BC and, interestingly, different words were used for files for use with wood and files for use with metal.



			The Romans were also the first recorded civilization to use files of different shapes. Most were flat, but some were half round (semi-circular) in shape, allowing them to file surfaces to be concave or convex as well as flat.

			The evolution of files
			By the time the 13th century rolled around, file forging skills had increased to a point where smaller and more precise files could be produced.

			Being able to use a file well was a sign of master craftsmanship. In 13th century France, ornamental iron work was at the pinnacle of file mastery.

			In 1490, Leonardo Da Vinci drew up a plan for the first file-making machine, which would ensure precision and uniformity among all files. His design never came to fruition.

			Over a century later, a French locksmith named Jousse attempted another design. However, it wasn’t until 1750 that another man from the same trade and of the same nationality, Chopitel, created the first file-making machine.

			All of these developments led to a landmark for files in Switzerland in 1836. Toolmaker, F. L. Grobet, created a precision file-making machine that could reliably produce files that were accurately cut to uniform specifications.

			This was the origin of the Swiss pattern file, a type of file that is still widely used in the modern day. For more information, see: What is a Swiss pattern file?