choice of rasps

[sean m. titmas]

i am trying to decide on a brand of rasp to purchase. i have a project in mind (set of 10 cab legs)for these rasps but i will use them as a general purpose rasp. my buying criteria is as follows,

1 quality
2 brand
3 price

i am leaning towards the hand cut Arious versus the machine cut but there is also the hand cut Dragon as well. i would like to hear some pros and cons of the particular rasps that you guys use and what you use them for. any suggestions? thanks.

[mike holden]

Sean,
I have both Nicholsons, the 49 and 50, as well as a selection of Aurious. I could get along just fine with only the Nicholsons, and I specialize in Queen Anne style furniture so I make a lot of cabriole legs.

rasps 01.jpg

I would look seriously at the rasps Joel offers at Toolsforworkingwood.com, the Gramercy brand for the best value in specialty rasps.

But these are really commodity items, dont overthink them.

Mike

[Robert Rozaieski]

I have the Nicholson #49 & #50 and to date I haven't needed anything any finer that those. I finish my cabrioles with some scraping and light hand sanding with 220 after the rasps. I would actually recommend getting either the #49 OR the #50. After using both I really don't think you need both. The fineness of cut is very similar on both of them. I would also recommend a second or smooth cut cabinet rasp to compliment the #49/#50. The cabinet rasps are much coarser than the #49 and #50 and are great for removing stock in a hurry before fine tuning with the #49 or #50.

If you want hand cut, the Arious would of course be great but I would recommend the same combination, one fairly coarse and one fine. Also, don't overlook the Grammercy hand cut rasps sold by Tools for Working Wood. If I needed a new rasp right now, they would likely be my choice.

[george wilson]

If I recall correctly,aren't those Dragon rasps the ones made in China? If so,they mostly have straight sides,tapering out like a very long triangle. Years ago,Wholesale tool was selling these same looking Chinese rasps for $1.40 each. I bought some to try them out. They were not hardened.At the time,they looked like they had been lightly sprayed with silver paint.Later on,I found out it might have been hard chrome plating.It was so thin,it just looked like a light misting from a silver spray can.If it was chrome,it did not prevent the rasp from easily being filed with a smooth cut file.

I cannot be certain that these new,more expensive ones are not improved models. The only way to find out would be to buy one,and see if it was hardened.

I've used the Nicholson 49 and 50 for years,but Dave Anderson says they now are being made in Mexico,and vary in quality.I haven't bought one lately to try out.The Arious are expensive,but you might be getting what you paid for. I haven't tried the Grammercys,but the rest of their tools are good quality.

[David Keller NC]

Sean - As Rob and Mike noted, the goal on cabriole legs is to hog off as much wood as quickly as possible, usually not to leave a finished surface behind. For that purpose, hand-cut rasps are a luxury, not really an advantage. The Nicholson #49 will suit the purpose very well.

If you want a rasp to leave behind a finished secondary surface (like the backs of knee blocks and scrolled aprons), then a hand-cut medium-fine rasp is what you'll want. They leave behind a surface that is as close as I've seen to the way most 18th century antiques were left.

Grammercy has already been mentioned, and you know about Auriou. A third source is The Best Things - they hired a few of the former Auriou employees to make some hand-cut rasps, and they're a bit less expensive than the ones direct from Auriou.

[Danny Thompson]

What Mike said. Don't forget about Gramercy's new line of rasps. I dropped by their shop a few weeks ago and Joel demo'd and then let me play around with a couple. Fast, sweet, and smooth!

I didn't buy one that day, but I can't quit thinking about them! TFWW also caries the Auriou rasps, which always get good press.

[Jared Minor]

I purchased a handcut rasp from LV, the one with the black plastic handle. I've never used a #49 or #50 so I don't know the difference. However, I was amazed at how easy it worked. Much better than the machince cut rasp I had before. It is thinner and lighter also. The edges are safe which has helped in the tight areas I've been working. Just my thoughts. If you wanted to try one before dropping a larger amount of money on a high end rasp. I have to be pretty tight with my money right now, but you do get what you pay for. I don't use a rasp enough to justify an more expensive one. However, when I make my first cabriole legs, I will be purchasing a better rasp.

[Tristan Raymond]

I just purchased the Nicholson rasps - they arrived today. Made in Brazil. I report this for curiosity's sake as I don't believe that there is anything inherently better or worse about the workers in any one country. It all comes down to the specifications given at the corporate offices and whether or not they utilize any form of QC.

[Jim Koepke]

My recently acquired Nicholson #50 works very nice. I also have a few older hand cut riflers that make me wish I could afford a few Arious rasps.

jim

[sean m. titmas]

thanks for all the input. gramercy is new to me so it looks like i'll add them to the list and do a comparison between all of them. they look promising because they are a high quality hand cut rasp that is moderately priced.

i assume that the dragons are made in china (from the name only) but since they are are highly recommend within the luthiers community they may have some value once you get past the fact that they may be from china.

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Hi Sean,

Yet another option in the hand-cut rasps are the French rasps sold by The Best Things.

As well, TBT is also selling pretty cost-effective half-round and flat Japanese floats that work extremely well--I bought 3 of them to try out on some cabriole leg shaping demos and am impressed.

Please note that I have a business relationship with TBT--both as a long-time customer and for the last few years selling some tools through TBT (and Lee Valley).

Take care, Mike
who is taking a day off...