Hand-stitched rasps

[Noel Liogier]

As a new-comer to this forum, I will introduce myself with this short video showing my family know-how :



If anybody is interested, please feel free to ask me any question about rasps, even the simple ones.

[John Coloccia]

In France do they teach rasp making in grade school, or something? It seems like the French are the only ones that make decent rasps anymore! Welcome, Noel.

[Chris Griggs]

Wow! Cool video Noel. I really enjoyed seeing the process. Welcome to the Creek.

[Jack Curtis]

I'd like to know if any of the teeth are more likely to break off than others. For example, I think those on the curve would be more likely due to the slightly increased space between the teeth. True?

Second, does anyone sell your products in the United States?

Jack

[Klaus Kretschmar]

Hello Noel,

nice to have you here around!

I do have a question. Since I work of a lot with rasps, I need to have good ones. A few months ago I ran across your rasps but couldn't find a supplier here in Germany. Do you sell your products in Germany?

Cheers
Klaus

[Noel Liogier]

I'd like to know if any of the teeth are more likely to break off than others. For example, I think those on the curve would be more likely due to the slightly increased space between the teeth. True?

Second, does anyone sell your products in the United States?

Jack

Hi Jack,

Never heard about teeth breaking on my rasps (I mean when using the rasps. It can happen, if due to improper storage, rasps collide with other hardened tools).
Sorry we don't have so far a dealer in the US, but I'll send you the address of our webstore in PM.

[David Nelson1]

Wow! I never even gave it a second thought how files are made. I just naturally assumed they where machine made. Explains the cost now.

[Noel Liogier]

Wow! I never even gave it a second thought how files are made. I just naturally assumed they where machine made. Explains the cost now.

Not all rasps (files are for metalworking ) are hand-stitched ; actually the overwhelming majority of rasps in the world are mass-made by machines in Asia.

[Shawn Stennett]

How much is?€63.53

[Zach England]

How much is?€63.53

About $88.

[David Nelson1]

Thanks for the correction Noel on both counts.

[george wilson]

You could save time and labor if you got a high speed belt grinder to help finish contouring the rasp bodies. They cut MUCH faster than a wheel grinder.

I am glad to see quality tools being made.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am wondering if your company makes floats? I have been making wooden hand planes and the Japanese Iwasaki floats/files/rasps I picked up seem to work well on the very hard Purple Hart I am working. I have learned to appreciate the more plane like way they remove wood.So far I have not ventured far into the hand made rasp arena. Lie-Nielson carries a few specialized plane floats, but the steel is apparently not very hard designed to be sharpened regularly which seems quite different than the Iwasakis. I want to be able to make totes for planes, saw handles, bow saw parts and other hand tool related pieces and handles and I am wondering what the best tools are for this close sometimes precise work.

[Noel Liogier]

I am wondering if your company makes floats? I have been making wooden hand planes and the Japanese Iwasaki floats/files/rasps I picked up seem to work well on the very hard Purple Hart I am working. I have learned to appreciate the more plane like way they remove wood.So far I have not ventured far into the hand made rasp arena. Lie-Nielson carries a few specialized plane floats, but the steel is apparently not very hard designed to be sharpened regularly which seems quite different than the Iwasakis. I want to be able to make totes for planes, saw handles, bow saw parts and other hand tool related pieces and handles and I am wondering what the best tools are for this close sometimes precise work.

No we don't produce floats. But we already had in the past that kind of requirement from some woodworkers working on hard materials. This is why we have developped the Sapphire range. Your need being a precision work in sometimes narrow spaces, I would recommand a Modellers rasp.
An australian saw handles manufacturer recently asked me to make a special Modellers rasp for him : a curved one, so he can access more easily the inner part of the saw handles. I could do that again for you if you think it is appropriate. Or you could also consider a 10" riffler, that could be another solution.

[David Weaver]

The lie-nielsen floats are actually excellent floats. They are somewhere around saw hardness, and they've made of a steel that has extreme toughness, one that's very popular with knifemakers. The importance of that is that you will only have to file off wear when you sharpen them, never nicks or breakouts in the teeth.

They can be sharpened and jointed just like a saw, which I think is also an advantage over a float that would either need to be tossed once it was dull, or sent off to a liquid honing place. Maybe running them through an acid etch would prolong them, I don't know.

That said, they (the LN floats) are specifically for cheeks of planes, beds and other areas in planemaking where a float is needed to make a clean cut. They would not be handy for totes, or the things you mention though.

I just wanted to throw that out there, because I know in the world of woodworking, things seem to go from primo to has been in a publishing cycle or a year of "expert" blogging, and that is not the case for the LN floats. They are superb, to the point that I'm not sure they could be improved.

For close and precise work, I think you will want to have some iwasaki files, perhaps some other half round double-cut files, and the gramercy saw handle maker's rasp rather than planemaker's tools, though. There are probably other quality small bent rasps and rifflers, but they will cost more than either of those two things. Some purpose-made card scrapers are also nice to have.

Also, you may want to look away from common splintery tropical woods like purpleheart and try to find fruitwoods or something similar for tool handles and planes and the like. A little bit of work with good fruitwoods and you instantly get the idea why they were so popular when people were making tools by hand. They can be moderately or very hard, but very forgiving to work at the same time.