The Nicholson Round Bastard File is a tapered round metalworking file with single-cut teeth in a medium-coarse "bastard" pattern. The round cross-section fits inside circular openings and along concave radii where flat or half-round files cannot reach, making it the standard hand tool for enlarging holes, dressing curved edges, smoothing the inside of rings and sockets, and deburring tube ends.

• High-carbon steel construction with hardened cutting teeth
• Single-cut teeth: one set of parallel rows running diagonally across the file, cutting on the forward stroke only
• Bastard cut: medium-coarse pattern that sits between coarse and second-cut, balancing stock removal speed with finish quality
• Tapered round profile narrows toward the point for working into shrinking radii
• Common uses: enlarging round holes, smoothing concave surfaces, deburring tube and rod ends, sharpening axes, mower blades, and gardening tools, dressing horseshoes
• Sold individually on a retail header card with hang hole for pegboard display
• Size: 10"

Tip: Always fit a wooden or composite file handle over the tang before use - an uncovered tang can drive into the palm if the file catches on the work. Lift on the return stroke rather than dragging teeth back across the surface (this dulls the file and burnishes the work). When filing along a curve, rotate the file slightly with each forward stroke so wear is shared across the full circumference. Brush the teeth often with a file card or stiff wire brush - clogged teeth ("pinning") scratch the work and slow cutting; rubbing chalk into the teeth before filing soft metals like aluminum or brass keeps them clean longer.