Hey SF woodworkers. Anyone here ever use a Japanese Saw File (or more correctly, saw rasp)? Essentially hacksaw blades riveted together in a criss-cross pattern, these things are supposedly the bee's knees for planing down wood. Much faster than a traditional rasp, they quickly turn hardwood into sawdust. I have some small wood projects I would try it on.


9" Shinto Saw Rasp

Looks good to me. There are plenty of places for the shavings to go rather than clog the file up.

I would give them a shot.

Bob

They work very well.

For rapid wood removal, you could also look at Stanley Surforms or Microplane's wood graters (both literally cheese graters for wood - Microplane is even originally a cheese grater company).

Also, if by "traditional rasp" you mean the crap you can buy at a big box store, those are terrible. Real traditional rasps - the ones that are hand-cut and look like they are covered in little spikes, like Auriou and Logier - are a delight to use and the coarse ones are very fast. They're also EXTREMELY expensive though.

Sheesh, this place! Just bought one, thanks!

My father has an old rasp (like the one pictured) that I used a number of times in my youth when things needed to fit precisely. He and my grandfather, both carpenters, said it was the way to go when one needed a tight fit in an existing space. Cut a member a bit long and trim that last little bit with the rasp to achieve a tight fit. That said, most of the time they’d saw and then only need to hit the leading edge to get a 2x4 or similar to go into place; my experience was that it took me a lot more work.

I have one of those Stanley Sureforms that don’t work nearly as well.

Thanks, guys. I went and ordered one. I already have a Surform, and while it leaves a beautiful surface, isn't aggressive enough for the initial rough cut.

I also already have a Microplane, but I do use it for cheese!

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

Real traditional rasps - the ones that are hand-cut and look like they are covered in little spikes, like Auriou and Logier - are a delight to use and the coarse ones are very fast. They're also EXTREMELY expensive though.

I've got just one bigger one, flat on on side, radius on the other. It's a beast, gloves have to be used. I've also got a set of smaller ones, round, curved, flat, tapered, some French manufacture. Also very aggressive, hard to be delicate with.

This Shinto looks useful, I wonder if they could be made with curves or radiuses.

Yep, I've used 'em, they work well. Very useful in shaping osage wood in wood bow making. Osage is tough wood. Works very well on hickory too.

The comment on big box store wood rasps is spot on. Even the venerable Nicholson rasps #49 and #50 are a shadow of their former selves. If you have an old American made one, you're good to go but not the new ones.

Good luck with your wood work.

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

Real traditional rasps - the ones that are hand-cut and look like they are covered in little spikes, like Auriou and Logier - are a delight to use and the coarse ones are very fast. They're also EXTREMELY expensive though.

I've got just one bigger one, flat on on side, radius on the other. It's a beast, gloves have to be used. I've also got a set of smaller ones, round, curved, flat, tapered, some French manufacture. Also very aggressive, hard to be delicate with.

This Shinto looks useful, I wonder if they could be made with curves or radiuses.

The two big hand-cut rasp makers, Auriou and Logier (both French, for some reason), make rasps across a huge range of fineness/coarseness (referred to as "grain" size).

This is Auriou's grain range:

OP - I have used them in class with elementary school students for a number of years. Pretty durable and easy to use. We have had handles come loose, so I would suggest some wood glue (white or yellow) poured into the handle to attach handle a little better.

How much did they get used? The first project (5th grade) was taking a block of wood, split from the tree, and shaping it into a wooden egg. Final sanding was 400 grit. To feel the egg by hand, there were NO flaws in the shape. IE - they used them a lot.

Bought and used one in Okinawa, and wish I knew where it was (getting old). The plastic envelope still had the price I paid -- in Yen.

Aggressive but useful if that's what you need.

Tinyman