What is a Japanese carving file?

29th February 2020


	What is a Japanese carving file?


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			Japanese carving files, also known as sculptor’s files or joinery floats, are specifically designed to work with wood and hailed by woodworkers for their ability to shape and smooth material simultaneously.

			What are the characteristics of Japanese carving files?
			Cross section and profile They are blunt in profile and can be flat (rectangular), half round (semicircular), round or curved in cross section.

			Cut Flat carving files have safe edges, while half round files are only cut on their curved side. This minimises the risk of making mistakes.

			They are characterised by a specific tooth pattern that combines the curved cut teeth of the vixen file with the chip breakers of the millenicut file. These features provide a high removal rate with minimal clogging. For more information on cut patterns, see: What is a file’s cut

			This results in a file that cuts aggressively and quickly, but leaves a smooth finish behind in its wake.

			Size Japanese carving files are usually available in lengths from 112mm (4¹/₂ inches) to 250mm (10 inches).

			Swiss or American? Japanese carving files are specialist tools, and are therefore neither classed as American nor Swiss pattern files.