The surfaces are filed, first with a rough file to remove the fire stain from the surface, then with a smooth file.
2.
Wood veneer is a little easier to work with because it can be trimmed with a utility knife and a smooth file.
3.
Smooth files have 60 teeth per inch, second-cut files have 36 teeth per inch, and bastard files have 26 teeth per inch.
4.
In addition to these grades, some manufacturers offer rough files ( more coarse than bastard cuts with about 16 teeth per inch ) and dead smooth files ( very fine cut with about 100 teeth per inch ).