Help with selecting the right rasps

[Will Brauneis]

Hi there,
I'm in the process of making some replacement totes for my old Stanley planes and I'm to the point where i need to round the edges of the blank. I need to purchase some rasps probably a half round cabinetmakers style and a rat tail. I would like to buy quality rasps that i can use down the road on other projects. from the little research i have done it looks like hand cut is the way to go. I was looking at either Auriou or Gramercy. As they are both fairly pricey i am probably limited to one cabinet and one rat tail for now. I don't really have much knowledge on rasps so what would be best to start with in your opinion? (length, tpi/grain, and brand)

Thanks,
Will

[Jim Koepke]

I recently bought a Nicholson #59 cabinet rasp.

I could not afford the higher priced models.

The current Nicholsons are made in Brazil. I think the early imports may have had some quality problems, but mine seems to be hardened well and it cuts very nice.

I am sure everyone will have different preferences. My experience with the other ones is limited to some Italian rasps I have picked up over the years. They are also well made.

Once you have a better made rasp it is clumsy to use the old hardware store rasps again.

jim

[Brian Kent]

Jim, I am guessing you mean a Nicholson #49.

That's what I use for handles too.

[Richard Niemiec]

Will: As far as the Grammercy hand cut rasps, I have the 6", which I got when visiting Joel in Brooklyn and had a chance to use it, and everything he says in his website description is accurate. Just last night I used it to form a damaged lower horn on an otherwise cherry D-8 and it works like a rasp should. No affiliation, just satisfied customer.

RN

[sean m. titmas]

I have two hand cut Dragon rasps that i bought from Stewart MacDonald for about $40 each. One fine cut and one coarse cut rasp and they perform exceptionally well. The shape of the rasps make them useful for all types of contours and the teeth have an aggressive cut and leave a smooth finish.

[Prashun Patel]

FWIW, I'm in the market for rasps too, and my research has led me to two:

The Nicholson 49

The Aiurou #5/#9 combination

The Aiurou is supposed to be the Mercedes of rasps. At $100+, they're pricey, but the combo makes it a 'good' deal.

Edit: After researching those Dragon Rasps, I was convinced. I got the Dragons. Stewmac: $82 for a fine and rough (curved and tapered) - comparable to the Nicholsons, but they're hand cut and get amazing reviews. I think they're just not well known.

If you want the Nicholson, I suggest you google around. A couple of places have the 49 for as low as $29.

[Will Brauneis]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm torn between the great price of the dragon rasps and the Auriou after looking at their web page and seeing the quality of craftsmanship they put into their rasps and the fact they aren't made in china. So I have some thinking to do.

Thanks again everyone

[Eric Brown]

Gramercy also has a saw handle makers rasp that only has teeth on the inside of the curved tip. I have one and it works well;
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...egory_Code=TRR

Eric

[David Keller NC]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm torn between the great price of the dragon rasps and the Auriou after looking at their web page and seeing the quality of craftsmanship they put into their rasps and the fact they aren't made in china. So I have some thinking to do.

Thanks again everyone

Well, if you'd like a slightly cheaper price on the Aurious and indistinguishable shape, steel, tooth shaping (hand-cut), and everything else except "Auriou" marked on the tool, you can go with The Best Things rasps - they are produced by former Auriou employees:

http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/files_rasps.htm

[David Gendron]

I do have a Nicholson #49 and like it for fast rought shaping and I also have one of two Gramercy rasps and also like them they seem to cut quite quik and leave a nice finish!
I would love to try an Auriou just to compare but for the price I'll wait!

[James Carmichael]

+1 on the Nicholson. Order from Boggs tool. Not only a great price, but it comes specially sharpened when you buy from them.

[sean m. titmas]

but it comes specially sharpened when you buy from them.

can you elaborate a bit on that?

[Chris Friesen]

can you elaborate a bit on that?

Boggs does a chemical sharpening where they basically dip it in an acidic solution. It eats away a bit of the metal, resulting in a sharp edge on each tooth.

[george wilson]

I don't know if those "Dragon" rasps are the same as ones I bought years ago,but they look identical.

Wholesale tool was selling the Chinese rasps for $1.25 years ago. I bought 3 or 4 just to try them out. They looked like they were lightly sprayed with silver paint. Turned out it was a THIN!!!! coating of chrome. The teeth of the rasps were dead soft anyway,and in spite of the thin coat of chrome,could easily be filed with a file. Now,they want $40.00 (?) for them?

My choice would be the #49 Nicholson rasp,or the #50 if available. I might say that a new Nicholson rasp really grabs into the wood too much,and it has to be used a bit to take some of the tack off of the teeth.

The surform tools also can do a pretty decent job,and leave a smoother surface than a rasp,easier to clean up later. I'm not referring to the stainless steel versions which I haven't used. I mean the black ones.

[sean m. titmas]

I don't know if those "Dragon" rasps are the same as ones I bought years ago,but they look identical.

Wholesale tool was selling the Chinese rasps for $1.25 years ago. I bought 3 or 4 just to try them out. They looked like they were lightly sprayed with silver paint. Turned out it was a THIN!!!! coating of chrome. The teeth of the rasps were dead soft anyway,and in spite of the thin coat of chrome,could easily be filed with a file. Now,they want $40.00 (?) for them?

different rasps. the Dragon rasps are of very high quality and do not resemble those that you described.