Busting Metalworking Myths: Is It OK To Drag Your File?

If there is a more opinionated group of makers than machinists and metalworkers, I’d be surprised. One common point of argument is when it comes to filing things. You see it in YouTube comments and even in person quite frequently. Someone goes to knock an edge off with a file, dragging both directions, and someone will critique their technique stating vehemently that they’re breaking a sacred law by not lifting their file on the back stroke. The claim is that by dragging the file backwards, you’re ruining it.

Fireball Tool set out to see how much validity there is to this argument. Is it really damaging your file? Does it even matter? Well, you’ll have to watch to see the results, as well as the entertaining process by which he arrives there.