hey i was wondering i have looked at thousands of sites to see how to sharpen my edges but i cant figure out how to do it with a file. do i just run it down the length of the board. or the short strokes up and down.

Joe, I would not recommend using a file without some sort of guide to keep a steady angle perpendicular to the board unless you know what you are doing, better to get an edging tool that will give you the right angle.

The motion, however, is along the edge of the board. One useful tip is to put permanent marker along the edge before you start so that you can see what you've done.