saw files are getting better

[Tom King]

In the past couple of months, I've bought a bunch of different brands of saw files off ebay thinking that I'd get around to comparing them some time.  This morning I needed to sharpen a couple of backsaws for a Chinese Chippendale balustrade I'm building.

 I looked in the "Saw Sharp" toolbox, and I normally keep one of each of good files in a Lee Valley file holder.  The saws are 12 and 13 pt., and the 4" slots were empty in the file holder, so I just grabbed the first new 4" X Slim I found, and went to work without thinking to look at what kind it was.

The first saw needed one fairly hard pass (maybe 6 oz. of pressure), and one light stroke (maybe an oz. of pressure or less) on each tooth. I use one hand, start each stroke with the little smooth end sitting in the gullet, and it goes really quickly.  About halfway down the first saw I thought, this file is cutting pretty good.  I looked on one side of it, and it said "Mexico" in a circle, turned it over, and it said "Nicholson" in a circle.  I was surprised.  I know a few years ago that the made in Mexico Nicholsons were sorry stuff.

I finished that saw and decided I'd try a different file on the next saw.  The first new, different file I got my hands on was a red tailed Simonds.  It cut okay too, but I felt like the Mexican Nicholson was better, and probably as good as some of my NOS American made files are.

I went on to other stuff, and didn't spend any more time with files, but thought that this is pretty encouraging.

edited to add: my new favorite file handle:   

Here's the file that I liked.  It just came in a padded envelope inside a plain plastic sleeve:  sold by ebay seller sirr0und    $7.42 with free shipping.   I gravitate towards the decent deals with free shipping.  I couldn't copy the link without it also showing my personal ebay acct.