Iwasaki files rewrite what a file can do. The teeth are milled and chemically etched rather than stamped, arranged in a diagonal groove pattern that shears wood like a plane instead of scratching it like a rasp. Built-in chip-breakers keep them from clogging, and every file has safe edges, so you can float a mortise wall or tune a plane body without cutting into the adjacent surface.

They cut with surprising speed and very little resistance, and the surface they leave often needs no sanding at all. Flat files come in smooth or extra fine cut, in 6 or 8-in lengths; half round files come in fine or extra fine, also in 6 or 8 in. They work on any wood and on plastics too.

Specifications:

• Options: Flat Smooth 6 in; Flat Extra Fine 6 in; Flat Smooth 8 in; Flat Extra Fine 8 in; Half Round Fine 6 in; Half Round Fine 8 in; Half Round Extra Fine 8 in
• Teeth: milled and chemically etched, diagonal groove pattern
• Features: built-in chip-breakers, safe edges on every file
• Use: shaping, joinery fitting, plane making, carving; wood and plastics
• Made in: Japan by Iwasaki