I've touched on this in other posts, but wanted to address it more clearly and specifically here.
When you file, the motion should be both forwards and sideways at the same time, and at a skew to the work. This files faster, cuts cleaner without gouging, and keeps the file cleaner (not pilling). The reason this works is because it shears the metal filing off, instead of chopping it off. This is because the compound motion makes the effective angle of cut much flatter, as if you had a very thin, very sharp, low angle blade. If you had such a blade, it wouldn't be strong enough, and would nick, bend or dull quickly. But, the skew and sideways cutting motion effectively gives you such a blade, but at a stronger physical angle. Because of the skewed cutting angle, the chip clears the work in the direction of the file "valley" between teeth, instead of being rammed into the vee shaped overhang of the tooth, so it doesn't stick. Stuck chips (pilling) on a file cause gouges as the high pressure forces that chip to scratch the work.
I have one of the most useful and meaningful books I have ever read. It's a very obscure technical book, and not one you would normally read. However, it's very worth reading, and this is one of the most valuable lessons in the whole book. I'm posting photos of it below.
The technique describes how to chisel more effectively, but it applies to spokeshaves, chisels, rasps and files equally. Rasps and files are really micro chisels.
I'll let the explanation in the book speak for itself. The book is cheap on ebay usually, I'd highly recommend getting a copy and reading it.
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How to file and chisel better and faster (Read 277 times)
