First Rasp(s) ordered - now follow up questions

[Greg Parrish]

Just ordered my first nicer rasp today, an Auriou 9" Cabinet Makers Rasp - grain 10. Next, will probably add something like a 6" 15 grain Modellers Rasp (or similar) and 6" 13 grain Rattail Rasp (or similar). Basically looking to pickup some rasp profiles/shapes that give general capabilities in wood shaping. Then I can branch out from there with other lengths, courser or finer cuts, etc.

Does my initial approach to a starter set of rasps make sense and are the Logier and Grammercy versions about par for the course compared to the Auriou? I'm not a full time hand tool user or carver, but do like higher end tools even though they will only get sporadic use.

Thanks.

[David Eisenhauer]

I own a Liogier 10" #9 and believe it to perfrom equal to the Ariou. I have never tried a Grammercy. I asked about the logical jump from a #9 to something finer recently but did not really get an answer here. I wondered if I should go to a 12-13? or straight on to 15? I veered off into wood files for smoothing my initial cuts with the #9 for the work I was doing at the time. I think I will eventually buy a #12 or #13 before going to #15, but I am flying blind here.

[Prashun Patel]

I wouldn't buy any more at this point. Use the one you purchased for a while before determining which (if any) you need to complement it. For my style of work, I find shaves more complementary than a battery of rasps. Rasps, while aggressive and magical, are dusty to use and leave a messy surface. The dust is particularly tricky with a rasp; it's not like a plane, and will find its way to your nose unless you filter.

While they can do a lot, there is only a small amount of times when they are the only tool for the job. So, my advice is to dip your toe into the water, instead of going full-tilt Rasp-utin.

[Greg Parrish]

Good advice. And it's the reason i only ordered one item to get a taste so far.

And maybe I've chosen the wrong tool. What got me looking was the clean up of CNC work like a desk name plate I made this weekend. Cleaning the letters and fitting parts to parts was tricky with nothing but sandpaper and chisels. I realize a course rasp isn't the right tool, but the thought of smaller rifflers got me looking at the rasps and having thoughts of what I could do with a simple starter set of the 3 rasp types I mentioned, as well as a set of finer rifflers. Maybe a nicer wood file set or the like is in order too.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Greg, It really matters what you intend to do. My choice was to start with a 13 & 15 grain Auriou rasps. My selection of rifflers was purchased from ebay and other some yard and estate sales.

For a coarse rasp Nicholson #50 pattern maker's rasp and an old hand stitched Disston rasp was found in a second hand shop. Also a few Nicholson USA shear files seem to fill the till. With care the finer rasps and shear files can leave a very smooth surface.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a link to another discussion on the subject > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?255103

Post #8 has a comparison of various rasps.

jtk

[Edwin Santos]

I think you made some good choices. I use the grain 10 cabinet makers rasp from Auriou also. In terms of workflow, I feel all these rasps are quite fine, and I like to use something else to do some of the heavy lifting before bringing in the rasps. This might be a spokeshave, or more often, I use an inexpensive rasp called the Shinto rasp. It's basically a criss cross of fine saw blades, coarser on one side and finer on the other. I think it does a nice job of preparing the workpiece for the finer Auriou rasps.

[Tony Shea]

I agree with the post above by Edwin. I often start with a cheaper coarse rasp from Lee Valley or Iwasaki files before breaking out the finer Auriou rasps. Working this way really shows what you're paying for when you break out the Auriou at the end.

I also would pick up the largest rasps you can that will work with the type of work you're doing. I own some smaller 6" rasps and always wish they were bigger. 99% of the time I reach for the 10-12" Auriou's.

[Eric Danstrom]

How does the finish of a Auriou 13~15 compare to Iwasaki fine and extra fine? I'm really impressed with the Iwasaki extra fine. If the Auriou 15 is even better that's interesting.