Help me choose a rasp

[Matt Lau]

Dear Creekers,

I've been holding off on buying stuff for the whole year, as most (if not all) of my money into my dental practice, patients, and staff.

Now, I want to splurge on a few hand-cut rasps.
I'll be mainly making guitar necks, and the occasional tool/knife handles.
If I grow a pair of Aussie-sized balls, I might try to follow in Derek Cohen's footsteps and make beautiful furniture too.

What do you recommend?

I'm considering Pechar rasps from Germany, Liogier sapphire rasps from France, or Auriou.
Price isn't the main consideration, as I'd like to have just a few high quality tools (I'm paring down my stuff).
The Pechar in particular seem to be held in highest regards by violin makers.

-Matt

[Kent A Bathurst]

I can only comment on the Auriou: They are remarkable. I knew, from reading, that they would be very good. Even so, I was very impressed.

I don't make instruments. John C. does, and IIRC, he has posted a vid here on Auriou.........

[Matt Lau]

I saw John C's videos, and I've been PMing him.

I don't think he had Auriou there--Iwasaki files and Stewmac Dragon Rasps.

-Matt

[lowell holmes]

Only one as far as I'm concerned, Auriou!

[Patrick McCarthy]

You need to connect with Julie Moriarty. She has posted in the spokeshave vs rasp thread currently going on about her choices. She has done a LOT of posts in her threads re building guitar necks (I forget if strats or teles). Very willing to share information. Shawn Pixley is a good source too, as is John Coloccio (sp) who I believe is a professional luthier.

[David Ragan]

I have Auriou and am thoroughly pleased with them.

[Archie England]

I have Auriou and am thoroughly pleased with them.

Ditto!

But, I like the Iwasaki rasps, plus some old ones that I've picked up along the way.

[Matt Lau]

I took a look at Julie's thread, and PMed her.

On a side note, googling Julie Moriarty yielded some pictures of very pretty ladies.
I have no idea if she's one of those, but a (wannabe) luthier can hope. :P

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Auriou are the best. You might also consider Grammercy Tools. I have been very pleased with their rasps.

[Julie Moriarty]

On a side note, googling Julie Moriarty yielded some pictures of very pretty ladies.
I have no idea if she's one of those, but a (wannabe) luthier can hope. :P

I just Googled my name and clicked on images. But no one playing guitar. Look for the girl sipping on a drink. That's how I stay young.

[Jim Koepke]

My fine rasps are Auriou a 13 & 15 grain. These are great for fine work but a bit slow to remove material. The Nicholson #50 is my coarse rasp. The action of my USA made Nicholson shear file is also pleasing for fairing end grain and other areas.

it really depends on how much material you wish to remove. There is a video in the rasp/spokeshave thread showing someone using a 9 grain Logier rasp that will give an idea of how well it removes wood.

jtk

[Matt Lau]

I guess that this is a luxurious conundrum.

Auriou: great, and I know it. I tried the grain 9, 250 mm cabinet rasp in the Alameda japan Woodworker about 14 years ago, but was too broke (I was a dental student).

Liogier: supposedly as great as the Auriou. Sapphire coating makes it almost abuse-proof. Likely, this is a special ceramic coating that is sintered onto the surface of the hardened steel. I've seen how hard ceramics get with dentistry, and can anticipate huge gains in hardness. The regular version is just like the Liogier, but much cheaper (house brand at The Best Things, or via Liogier directly--40% less than Auriou).

Pechar: extremely highly regarded by the violin makers at maestro net. They mainly work with flamed maple and spruce. These violin makers are very picky about their stuff.
They're supposedly faster than the Auriou, but leave a finer finish. Surprisingly, this is the cheapest option that I'm considering.

I've been talking with Udo Pechar via email, and I'll likely be ordering from him.
I'm impressed that he's a former dental lab tech.
My experience is that German dental lab techs are the best in the world. I've been favorably impressed with the german dentistry that I've seen so far (albeit only 3 cases).
It's harder to be a master lab tech in Germany than a dentist!

-Matt

[Maurice Ungaro]

Matt, I assume all pricing is supplied after you make an inquiry. Let us know what you think about these when you have a chance to test drive them.

[lowell holmes]

I guess that this is a luxurious conundrum.


-Matt

No it's not. I have two rasps. One is a domestic made popular brand flat rasp. I never used it because it is too coarse and does a terrible job. IIRC, it cost $55.

I have an Ariou that I use freqently. It does a nice job. IIRC, it cost me close to $100.

The arithmetic works out to $150 to come up with a rasp I will use. I ask you, which is the luxurious purchase.

The old saying made popular in the old " recreational woodworking news group" (r.i.p.) "Buy an expensive tool and cry when you buy it - buy a cheap tool and cry every time you use it"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

[Jim Koepke]

I never used it because it is too coarse and does a terrible job.

This is why tool choice is so personal. If you have no need for coarse work, then a coarse rasp, no matter how well it is made is still useless or will only produce a "terrible job."

jtk