[OP]
Member
I'm looking to replace my #49 Nicholson (USA made) rasp. I understand that they moved their operations out of the country, and the rasp they sell now is not the same quality it once was.
What are you all using? I've seen the "Grobet" rasps, and they are 25 bucks more, but they look nice. Any experience?
Member
I replaced my Nicholson with an Ariou 10. I bought it on line from Tools for Working Wood. I am extremely happy with it.
Nicholson used to have a good reputation, but the ones I have are not quality. If I had the money I spent on them, the Ariou would not have cost me so much.
Member
The can't-go-wrong options are Auriou and Liogier hand-stitched rasps. I have a set of Aurious as well as the Nicholson 49/50, and the Aurious are in a completely different league in terms of speed/finish tradeoffs. Liogier are reputedly similar.Originally Posted by Mike Dowell
With that said, the "Ajax" ones at Lee Valley are very hard to beat for the price. They have randomized toothing like Aurious/Liogier, but pricing is similar to the Nicholsons for much better quality. I also have a set of these and they're quite good.
The Grobets have regular machine-cut toothing, so they're not likely to cut as smoothly as any of the options with randomized teeth (Auriou, Liogier, Ajax, etc).
[OP]
Member
Excellent advice. I've never heard of those less expensive rasps on LV. MAJOR price difference compared to the Auriou. Gonna have to think this one over. I'm a guy that normally buys top, or close to top of the line tools on the theory "buy it once". I've got a really nice Veritas low angle plane which was recommended here, and I love it dearly. When I buy another plane, it will definitely be a Veritas or LN. That said, when it comes to a rasp, I'm half tempted to adopt the attitude that if I just buy the less expensive model, it will undoubtedly cut nicer and faster than my worn out Nicholson, so I'll never know what I'm missing if I never get to use the Auriou.
Member
You can always get the Nicholson sharpened. Boggs Tools does a very nice job of sharpening tools for a very reasonable price. If the file that you send them is beyond sharpening, they charge a very low amount (and still sharpen it). I've been very pleased with their service.
Member
You could get the Ajax ones and the selectively upgrade as you figure out your preferences. FWIW I have 3 Aurious (a cabinet rasp, a modeller's rasp, and a rat-tail) and then 4 Ajax rasps to fill in the gaps in my collection.
The only thing that's duplicated between the two sets is the big cabinet rasp, as I wanted a decent-but-not-expensive "everyday tool" in addition to the Auriou.
Member
Does anyone have experience with the Narex rasps? They are available at Highland Woodworking: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/narex-rasps.aspx
Contributor
It appears the Narex rasps are made by a machine to guarantee "that the pattern is uniform."
The Nicholson rasps have a "machine random" pattern. The hand stitched rasps have a truly random pattern. A random pattern means the teeth do not form channels on the work from all the teeth being right inline behind the ones before it.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I have both the Narex rough and fine cut and while I'm happy with both (especially the rough, that thing is a monster) you will form channels with it. My brother has the Aurious rasps and they are a joy but I don't mind spending a little extra-time with a card scraper.
Guest
The gramercy rasps from Tools For Working Wood are also pretty nice. I have a #11 and a smaller round one and they've both been good performers.
They're a bit more than the Ajax ones (double ish) but a bit less than the Aurious/Liogier generally are.
Member
Just splurge and get an Ariou.
You will not regret it. It will be a lifetime tool that is well behaved and does what you want every time. If you store your files and rasps wrapped in aluminum foil, they will not rust.
Member
Worse still they use a *CNC* stitching machine that they proudly use to guarantee "that the pattern is uniform", which is just bat-sh*t crazy.
(if you have a CNC stitcher then randomization is a simple matter of dithering the positions appropriately)
Member
You can still find #49's on Ebay.
[OP]
Member
I grabbed the one on LV. If I'm not happy, I'll get the better, more expensive rasp. Thanks for the input!
Member
As already mentioned, Boggs does a great job at sharpening rasps and files. If they cannot sharpen to their standard, you will receive your tool back, sharpened as good as they could, with no charge, although the handled will be painted red so they know to not try it again.
Also, who gets by with just one rasp or one type of rasp?
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
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