Rasp Performance Questions

[Rob Luter]

I have a couple Nicholson rasps that I had occasion to use on a current project. They work ok, but cut poorly (in my view) and leave a coarse result. To those that have used the premium versions like Auriou, to they really perform that much better?

[Barney Markunas]

I forgot the purchase pain as soon as I started using mine. The Auriou rasps I have are really nice tools. I hope to add some more hand stitched rasps when I have some spare funds.

[Steven Mikes]

I bought 3 Lioger rasps recently and have used them some, must say I really like them. I'd only used a cheapo 4-in-1 file/rasp before so they are way better than that.
More recently I purchased a "Shinto saw rasp" from Amazon and was quite surprised with how nice of a finish the fine side leaves. If you want to try something under $20 I'd recommend it.

[Mike King]

Lioger or Auriou -- hand cut rasps rock!!!

[Jim Koepke]

Rob, you do not mention the model number of the Nicholson rasp you used.

The performance if measured in the surface left is much better.

It has been close to two years ago since Lowell Holmes lamented:



I have three wood rasps. An Ariou, Nickleson 50, and a rat tail with no name.

I am deeply disappointed with the 50. In my mind it is useless. The other two perform magnificently. For
the life of me, I do not understand why the Nickleson rasps are highly regarded.

Just venting.

If you view in linear my post is #8 and has images of the surface left by the rasps:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?255103

The Nicholson #50 is often referred to as a pattern maker's rasp. A regular rasp would likely be even rougher.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

Rob, you do not mention the model number of the Nicholson rasp you used......The Nicholson #50 is often referred to as a pattern maker's rasp. A regular rasp would likely be even rougher.

I'll have to check when I get home. They're both pretty coarse and leave a finish full of grooves. Feathering it lightly for some finishing strokes helps but I still need to hit it with a spokeshave or other tool to smooth things out.

[Greg Wease]

Also check the country of manufacture. My #49 and #50 are "Made in USA." Some of the ones made elsewhere are miserable. That said, I do like my two Aurious!

[Barney Markunas]

You might also investigate Corradi rasps. They are not hand stitched but are supposed to come very close at a fraction of the cost. They might be a good way for you to dip your toe into the water instead of just jumping into the deep end. I've not tried them yet but plan to investigate at some point. Sadly my available space and budget do not keep up with my "need" for nice tools.

My Auriou modeling rasp moves wood very well considering how fine it is (I think it is a 13 grain but honestly, I cannot remember). Based on its performance, I am guessing that you would be very pleased with an Auriou, Liogier, or a Pechar if you could find one. Something a bit finer than a Nicholson 50 paternmaker's rasp will probably move wood about as quickly but leave a much nicer finish.

They may be out there but I've yet to see anyone write that they are disappointed with hand stitched rasps and they are going back to the machine made ones. Bite the bullet and buy one or two. The more you use them, the happier you will be with your investment.

[glenn bradley]

I use a #49 (the rougher of the two) for . .. well, roughing although the finish left is quite smooth for a rasp. I then move to finer rasps, shaves, etc.

[Rob Luter]

Both are 10” long and about 3/4” wide. One is marked “Nicholson made in Brazil” and “bastard”. The other is from Japan and marked “Trucut 40”. I’m guessing they are hardware store/home center grade. I can’t recall where I got them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have rasps by Auriou and by Grammercy. The speed of cut and resulting finish is beyond comparison to Nicholsons, of which I also own quite a few. As someone said above- you quickly will forget the pain of purchase price.

Please note that points per inch are not the only determination of fineness of cut. I find that the Auriou rasps with fewer PPI than Grammercy, actually have a finer finish because the points themselves are finer. I'm not at all knocking Grammercy here- just saying go by manufacturer recommendation on what PPI is fine versus coarse. For Grammercy the range from 8 to 25 and for Auriou from 4 to 15, but I assure you the Auriou 15 will be as fine as or finer than the Grammercy 25 PPI in my experience, and I do have both and both are excellent rasps.

[Jim Koepke]

Both are 10” long and about 3/4” wide. One is marked “Nicholson made in Brazil” and “bastard”.

The bastard designation on a file or rasp is usually a rougher cut for any grouping of uses.

The image of the Nicholson listed on Amazon as a bastard cut looks like it would leave deeper grooves than my scrub plane.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

The bastard designation on a file or rasp is usually a rougher cut for any grouping of uses.

The image of the Nicholson listed on Amazon as a bastard cut looks like it would leave deeper grooves than my scrub plane.

jtk

Good observation. It looks much like a plowed field.

[Steve Hubbard]

My son and I have 4 Nicholson rasps (1 made in USA, 3 made in Brazil) sharpened by Boggs Tool and File Sharpening Company. Amazing improvement. Love my Auriou rasps, especially the finer grain and very coarse grains, but in my hands, I cannot say that the medium grain Auriou rasps cut any better than the Nicholsons sharpened by Boggs. As Malcolm and Barney noted, the finer Auriou rasps really leave a nice surface, but if more rapid wood removal is needed with a clean cut, consider the Boggs service. Apparently they are a large company, but the service we received was personal and the turn around was pretty quick. The cost per rasp was $8.50, so it seemed worth a try before investing in more expensive tools. We were pleasantly surprised with the results. The teeth on the Nicholsons, however, do not extend all the way to the edge as they do on the Auriou rasps, if that is an issue. I have no experience with other brands.

[Steve Hubbard]

My son and I own 4 Nicholson rasps (one made in USA, three made in Brazil) sharpened by Boggs Tool and File Sharpening Service. Amazing improvement. Love my Auriou rasps, especially the fine and coarse grains, but in my hands, I cannot say that the medium grain Auriou rsaps cut any better than the Nicholsons sharpened by Boggs. As noted by Barney and Malcolm, the fine grain Auriou raps leave a really nice surface, but if the goal is more rapid removal of wood with a clean cut, consider the Boggs service for your Nicholsons. Apparently they are a large company, but the service we received was friendly, and the turn around was quick. The cost per rasp was $8.50, so it seemed worth a try before purchasing more expensive tools. We were pleasantly surprised. As noted in previous threads, the teeth on the Nicholsons do not extend all the way to the edges, as they do on the Auriou rasps, if that is an issue. I have no experience with other brands.

[Bob Glenn]

I have the rasps sold by Stewart Macdonald. I think they are hand stitched in China. They sell for around 40 or 50 dollars. They perform well.

[Matt Lau]

FWIW, I've tried the Auriou....wasn't impressed.

Rasps from Udo Pechar....those are my lifetime rasps.
These are aggressive but very controllable, and leave a fine surface.
https://www.pechar-rasps.com/en/
And here's the violin maker's take on them: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/328478-pechar-rasps/
I recommend the biggest double sided flat rasp in cut 5 and 7, and the largest half round in cut 7.

It's like going from a Home Depot saw to a hand made saw.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

FWIW, I've tried the Auriou....wasn't impressed.

Rasps from Udo Pechar....those are my lifetime rasps.
These are aggressive but very controllable, and leave a fine surface.
https://www.pechar-rasps.com/en/
And here's the violin maker's take on them: https://maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/328478-pechar-rasps/
I recommend the biggest double sided flat rasp in cut 5 and 7, and the largest half round in cut 7.

It's like going from a Home Depot saw to a hand made saw.

When was the last time you bought from him? Your link goes to a page that says he's having medical issues and may be giving up making rasps, at least for now.

copy/paste follows:
Dear customersWith great regret I have to tell you that massive health restrictions currently make it impossible for me to maintain the production of rasps and files. Duration and a time if and how it goes on is currently not foreseeable. Of course, I will infom you about current changes on my homepage.Thank you for your understanding and best regards

[Jack Frederick]

I have a couple of the Auriou rasps, the primary being the 12". I was shocked at how well they worked and they are a "go to" tool for me. I usually follow them up with the LN floats. It has been a good combination.

[Matt Lau]

I'd highly recommend the Pechar rasps.

They make the Auriou feel like home depot rasps in comparison.
I bought some a while back...then got an Aurious cut 9 and 10 cabinet rasp off Craigslist.
The Aurious were very chattery compared the Pechar, less aggressive, and left a rougher finish.

[James Spillman]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has tried the Ajax rasps available at Lee Valley. LV has an excellent reputation for selling quality tools and these rasps sell for a fraction of the price of highly praised Auriou and Llogier rasps. Just wondering what people who have them think of them.

[Tom Duboski]

Not yet mentioned, but I think worthy of consideration, are the Iwasaki and Dragon rasps. I have the flat and curved profile, fine cut Iwasaki's, each about 8" working length. They are surprisingly aggressive and, as with most cutting tools -are grain and pressure sensitive. They impose a certain learning curve, but once mastered, leave a remarkably smooth and clean finish. The Dragon's I use are about 10" [tapered], one in a fine cut and the other coarser grained. Each is flat one side/rounded the other. They handle more like an abrading tool and, while impressively effective, offer much more forgiveness, and I would say versatility, than the Iwasaki's. Pricing on each of the tools is very competitve in comparison to the excellent european tools mentioned. If I could have only one of the four, it would be the fine cut Dragon.
TD

[Tom Duboski]

Not yet mentioned, but I think worthy of consideration, are the Iwasaki and Dragon rasps. I have the flat and curved profile, fine cut Iwasaki's, each about 8" working length. They are surprisingly aggressive and, as with most cutting tools -are grain and pressure sensitive. They impose a certain learning curve, but once mastered, leave a remarkably smooth and clean finish. The Dragon's I use are about 10" [tapered], one in a fine cut and the other coarser grained. Each is flat one side/rounded the other. They handle more like an abrading tool and, while impressively effective, offer much more forgiveness, and I would say versatility, than the Iwasaki's. Pricing on each of the tools is very competitve in comparison to the excellent european tools mentioned. If I could have only one of the four, it would be the fine cut Dragon.
TD

[Doug Dawson]

I'd highly recommend the Pechar rasps.

They make the Auriou feel like home depot rasps in comparison.
I bought some a while back...then got an Aurious cut 9 and 10 cabinet rasp off Craigslist.
The Aurious were very chattery compared the Pechar, less aggressive, and left a rougher finish.

Pechar went out of business, unfortunately. Probably worth seeking out on the used market.