Help me choose a rasp

[Shawn Pixley]

I have an Aurou rasp that I love. I'll likely get an even finer one at some point. I saw a Pechar in Dictum today. It looked nice. Maybe not quite as nice as the Aurou but better than most.

[Allan Hill]

New member here on SMC, but not new to woodworking. I have Auriou and Liogier rasps, as well as Gramercy, Iwasaki, and older US-made Nicholson and Heller. Auriou makes the best, but Liogier rasps are every bit as good and slightly cheaper. The Gramercy's don't cut as fast (not as sharp). I recommend a No. 4 or No. 5 grain for roughing, and a No. 9 for finer shaping, then a No. 12 or No. 13 for smoothing. I uses my rasps for making saw handles, and shaping spoons. A good rasp is a pleasure to use and it will save you time and effort over lesser quality brands.

[James Baker SD]

I have a few Auriou rasps and love them all, but then I might be biased. I met Mr. Auriou at a tool show several years ago (before their reorganization) as he was demonstrating how they cut teeth manually. Talked to him quite a while, he was a very interesting conversation (perfect English with nice French accent). Been an Auriou devotee ever since.

[Matt Lau]

Allan,

Why would you say that Auriou makes the best (if Liogier is every bit as good)?
I'm just curious, as I don't want to buy crap (like I did when I first got started).

-Matt

[Kent A Bathurst]

Allan,

Why would you say that Auriou makes the best (if Liogier is every bit as good)?
I'm just curious, as I don't want to buy crap (like I did when I first got started).

-Matt

Matt - the one thing you can be sure of, with the three you are considering: At that rarified level, what you buy will not be crap. Not anywhere near crap. I mean, not the same county as crap, not the same state. In fact - not the same hemisphere as crap. So - set that concern aside.

The differences between them will probably be minute, and only discernible after many hours of use - and even then, probably not meaningful from a pragmatic standpoint. Give ten of us guys one each of those three, and 4 weeks for a trial run, and you will get back 25+ opinions.

Don't overdrive your headlights here, brudda - pick one, pull the trigger, put it to use, and get back to us on what you think.

[gordy haycock]

I have both the Auriou and the Liogier and I can't tell any difference between them. They both are excellent and will last for years. Just pick either one and you will be happy.

[Maurice Ungaro]

New member here on SMC, but not new to woodworking. I have Auriou and Liogier rasps, as well as Gramercy, Iwasaki, and older US-made Nicholson and Heller. Auriou makes the best, but Liogier rasps are every bit as good and slightly cheaper. The Gramercy's don't cut as fast (not as sharp). I recommend a No. 4 or No. 5 grain for roughing, and a No. 9 for finer shaping, then a No. 12 or No. 13 for smoothing. I uses my rasps for making saw handles, and shaping spoons. A good rasp is a pleasure to use and it will save you time and effort over lesser quality brands.

Allan,
Welcome to the Creek! Your opinion based on practical use is invaluable, to be sure - thanks, as I too am considering purchasing some rasps. Curious, where are you located? You profile does not indicate. We have members all over the world, you may just happen to be in close proximity.

[David Ragan]

Matt - the one thing you can be sure of, with the three you are considering: At that rarified level, what you buy will not be crap. Not anywhere near crap. I mean, not the same county as crap, not the same state. In fact - not the same hemisphere as crap. So - set that concern aside.

The differences between them will probably be minute, and only discernible after many hours of use - and even then, probably not meaningful from a pragmatic standpoint. Give ten of us guys one each of those three, and 4 weeks for a trial run, and you will get back 25+ opinions.

Don't overdrive your headlights here, brudda - pick one, pull the trigger, put it to use, and get back to us on what you think.

Well said.

[Allan Speers]

FWIW,

Once you get to the finer grits, there are some diamond rasps that would really well. (I mean industrial diamond particles, not diamond-shaped teeth.) I only have one Auriou, and it's fairly course, so I can't do a side-by-side comparison, but I LOVE my set of fine diamond rasps for controlled work on all wood species. They cut smoothly, and they cut on both strokes. They're also less expensive than the best steel rasps. I don't know how long they last, compared to a steel rasp, so I supposed that's something to look into. Mine have no name, and I think they're just cheap Chinese-made, but they're wonderful.

FWIW I now also use an Italian set of fine diamond files for precision work on metal & plastic. For that, there's no comparison to steel files. I got those (IIRC) from some stone-sculpter's supply store. Expensive, though.

[Matt Lau]

I have Udo's price list. I don't think he'd mind if I posted it.

It's actually pretty competitive. Haven't ordered yet.
Too much crap at office to take care of.

Lowell, what rasp are you using?

My thoughts are:
shinto saw rasp: coarse/med
Handstitched rasp: med/fine
Doublecut files/iwasaki rasp: ultrafine
Scraper: finish

Note: I HATE sanding. That's why I neander.