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I'm carving a lot more necks these days than I used to. I'm finding it a bit more of a grind than it feels like it needs to be. Right now I'm using Nicholson #49 + #50 rasps. They're ok ( and probably worn out), but I'm thinking an upgrade may be in order. The dragon rasps from stew mac ( I think) and the huge expensive ones from Lee Valley both look tempting. But they're pretty expensive. I have no problem spending the money if its worth the dosh though, but I wonder what the best option might be, and if anyone has any other recommendations....

Thanks!

I like my Auriou rasps - I do all my neck shaping with them aside from some work lengthwise with a low-angle Lee Valley shave. They are way above the Brazilian Nicholson's that are available now. Yes, they are expensive.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I use very old rasps that have been in my family since the 1850's. The steel in them in fantastic and they still do a great job. Cost me nothing, but I love them. Maybe look in some swap meets for old steel.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au

I use the Stew-Mac Dragon rasps and find they are excellent.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Jim,

Which Auriou rasps are you using?

Many Thanks,
Dan

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Dan

I love me dragon rasps!

Thanks folks....

You caught me about 3700 miles from home - I'll check when I get back. The 10RH that Todd said but I use two others as well.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Anybody like Surform rasps? I do.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I'm using the Iwasaki rasps and floats, an antique 49 and 50 and a Vixen for various shaping and smoothing.
I sent the 49 and 50 to Boggs Tool and File in Los Angeles and they came back very sharp.
http://www.boggstool.com/ They have a new customer special right now and will sharpen one rasp or file free. Their price on a 49/50 style rasp is normally $8.50 which isn't bad for a better than new cut. They also have very good pricing on new files and rasps.

I finally tried the Gramercy cabinet files last year, I like them. Clinton

I just got this from The Best Things. It's their 12" 8-grain cabinet rasp, about $105 delivered

I haven't used it yet but think it will work well.

Here it is pictured next to a Nicholson #49.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

i have the auriou combination 5 & 9 grain and the roughing rasp. i got the roughing rasp because they mentioned it was good for guitar necks but i find that i use the combination a whole lot more. the roughing rasp is just that, it's really rough and takes away a lot of material. perfect if you are trying to copy sam maloof but maybe not the best for guitar necks.

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http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

The dragon rasps are really good. I also use a farrier's (sp?) rasp that I bought from a farm supply store. It works really well for rough shaping the neck, it is super sharp and has a medium/fine side and a coarse side. Then the dragons are great for finer work and shaping the heel.

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Guitar Maker and Purveyor of the World's Finest Tonewoods
http://www.aaronhixguitars.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

Not alot of experience on guitar necks but have used a few rasps/files/floats. Right now you just can't beat the performance to cost of a Iwasaki. As Todd said, they have a slight learning curve but once you get past it they really are nice to work with. They can be very aggressive when you want them to be and a little less depending on your touch. But the surface they leave behind is typically much smoother than if a rasp hit it. They are almost planing the wood not abrading it like a rasp.

Auriou are really nice though and are very easy to use. They are def my favorite rasp. Gramercy tools rasps are also nice to use, not a nice as an Auriou or Liogier. Lioger rasps are exceptional as well. Are not easy to get although that may have changed since I last looked into them. I've used them a few times at a friends and they are as nice as Auriou's.

I've used Lie Nielsen floats a lot for making a set of moulding planes and these are also very nice, but a completely different animal. I would probably not use them on neck carving but they may work fine. The nice thing about them is that they are easy to sharpen yourself.

If you are on a budget I would highly recommend you check out the Iwasaki's, and even if you have no budget I still would recommend them. But if you want nice hand stitched rasps I would first check out Liogier, and then Auriou.

FWIW according to The Best Things, their rasps are made by former Auriou employees. They are stamped with FRANCE, the grain size, and TBT TOOLS, obviously a custom run. I bought it because it was about 30% less than an Auriou, & I've had great experience in dealing with The Best Things. If it turns out to be a POS, I'm sure they'll do everything to make things right.

Like I said above, I have not used this rasp yet (hopefully next week) but it looks very comparable to my Liogier model maker's rasp, just a lot bigger.

If any of you want to pursue a Liogier rasp, here's his site http://www.hand-stitched-rasp-riffler.com/
Noel is a good guy!
His prices are very competitive but shipping from France is not cheap & you're not going to get it in 2 days, but they are very nice tools.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Just in from Liogier, and knocked out a persimmon pyramid bridge (one end anyway) really fast, What I equate as having the right tool for the job. I used the 6" cabinet makers rasp #14 stitching size
Also got a 10" cabinet makers #12 and a 6" square #12. I have the dragon rasp and they are great, but wanted a little finer cut for finishing. Quite a bit cheaper than the Auriou, it took a month from when I placed the order to delivery.

I'll Second the Liogier recommendation.... really wonderful tools. MJ

So, lee valley has the auriou rasps. They're expensive but seem to be available quickly. However, I have to wonder, are they that much better than the Dragon rasps? You can get the set of dragons for the price of one auriou....

I'm a big fan of the the Microplane woodworking rasp. The flat and rounded ones....Mike

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Does anyone have all of the Dragon rasps? If I were to get just one, which one would you recommend (if using/not using a spokeshave)?

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Pat

I don't know where you live but Lie-Nielsen has handtool events scattered across the US and usually has a rep from Auriou attending.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/?pg=1

What is the comparable grain number for an Auriou Rasp compared to a Nicholson 49? The Nicholson is all I have used and I would like to get something a little bigger (from Auriou) but with the same sort of cut..

Thanks, Peter

I always thought the 49 was too course to do anything with - always went to the 50 right away. My largest Auriou is a 10, with a cutting surface length about an inch shorter than a 49 or 50, and I'd guess the tooth size is about 1/2 of the tooth size on a 50.
I use that for the heaviest work of neck shaping.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I can't add to what the rest have said regarding the better rasps except for this;
I use a cheap $8 rasp to carve my necks, and it works well for me.
However, I have enough experience in metal work using files to know that the better ones are well worth it. If I can ever afford to I'll upgrade, and I don't think you'll ever regret doing so as well.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.