Official Luthiers Forum!

After an informative post on chisels, what are you guys using and reccomending for rasps???????????

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MK5acoustics.com

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=65242&cat=1,42524
These are really nice. Quite expensive, but work like a dream, and they stay sharp...
Great for necks (heel, neck/head jonction, etc) I have the E one, and really like it.


http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=20133&cat=1,42524
And I use these for rough jobs, 'cause they are cheap, so I don't mind to go really hard on them.


http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Files/Dragon_Hand-cut_Rasps/Dragon_Small_Hand-cut_Rasp.html
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Files/Dragon_Hand-cut_Rasps/Dragon_Large_Hand-cut_Rasp.html
Will loose their sharp faster... but they really eat a lot of wood..!


Francis

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Like Filippo, I use the Nicholson 49 and 50.

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I use one of these Shinto Saw Rasps and really like it. Its essentially a bunch of hacksaw blades braced together. They have a course and fine side and I find it gives really good control.



DON'T, waste ur money buying the big one with the front tote, the plain 11" like the one at this link is just fine. $26 a piece there but shop around, may be ebay for a better deal.

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?pf_id=15.410.52

Cheer

Kim

Has anyone tried these Iwasaki Carving Files?
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2080472/Iwasaki-Japanese-Carving-Files.aspx

I have heard such wonderful things about the Auriou rasps.. Does anyone here have direct experience with them? If so, what's your opinion: are they really as good as what people say about them?

Does anyone know what the comparable Auriou is to the Nicholson 49?

Thanks, Peter Z

I like the #49 for roughing out. I've always finish off with the fine cut of the 4 in Hand http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... at=1,42524
I have an assortment of files I might use but after the 4 In Hand it's usually 80 grit sandpaper.

One retailer has a post on his site saying that he is no longer carrying the Nicholsons. He says that quality went down when they outsourced manufacturing to Brazil. There were a couple of photos showing what he meant.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I inherited a lot of metal working files, and they are great for fine shaping work, and leave a finish as smooth as a scraper in most cases.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I have a small (10mm) Herdim which seem to be pretty tough. In my abysmal stupidity I even used it on bone.

Edit: Waddy, I use a few metal files too. Pretty nice for a number of tasks.

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Build log

I've got one of those shinto saw rasps which I use for coarse cutting, and a pair of Herdim (Dick Tools in Germany's brand) hand-cut rasps in medium and fine which are my go-to rasps for wood. Work a treat, much cheaper than Ariou. Also have a microplane which I don't rate much at all.

Thanks guys...I ordered a #49 and # 50 tonight....

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MK5acoustics.com

I use the Nicholson #50 (Brazilian) and Auriou 12" x #12 rasp. The #50 is quite a bit more coarse and makes for fast work on Mahogany, Spanish Cedar, and the like.... The #12 is quite fine - it works wonders on harder woods like Maple and Oak as well as doing finer work on the softer mahogany and cedar necks... I really like both - but the extra length on the Auriou 12" means way more teeth - which makes for fast work even with the fine cut. They also have different shapes and work differently...

The other difference is that the "Standard" Auriou is right handed - so it cuts quite a bit better when worked left to right than when worked right to left... - so you end up carving the left side of the neck with a little different technique than the right side of the neck... You can get left handed Auriou's for carving the opposite direction - though I don't have one.... The Nicholson isn't "Handed" - so it cuts about the same both directions.... Not quite as smooth.... but it's a monster when roughing out softer Mahogany and Cedar... No reason to replace it with a 12" x #9 Auriou (Yet....)

If you go with the Nicholson - don't neglect a good high quality un-varnished handle.... you don't want to shank your wrist by foolishly working a rasp hard without a handle....

And be sure to get a good file card to clean out the teeth for whichever one you go with. Rasps can clog fast and the work comes to a stop when they do....

Thanks

I use a big, fat and sharp Dragon rasp http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Files/Dragon_Hand-cut_Rasps.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=469&tgtiid=4151
And a cabinet file to smooth things out, round corners etc. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=30287&cat=1,42524
I have a Nicholson 49 and find it unimpressive, dull and useless, sorry. The Dragon rasps are Chinese, perhaps, but excellent.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

the old Nicholson's are excellent.

....the newer imported ones are not.

-jd

I haven't ever owned one of the USA made Nicholson rasps - but my Brazilian #50 is a pretty nice rasp.... It's certainly not a crappy, discount rasp like they sell at the local china-import discount type store.... Those are junk...

Thanks

to be more specific. While the imported Nicholsons are no where near as bad as the average hardware store junk, they are significantly downgraded from the old USA manufactured ones. The imported ones clog easily and do not cut anywhere near as fast. main reason appears to be that the pattern cut into the rasp was changed.

If I remember correctly there are some good pictures on the tools for working wood web site which show the difference.

-jd

blog entry here:
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merc ... BlogID=181

i'm in favour of stewmac's large coarse dragon rasp. after cutting witness slots and spoke shaving i can rough and semi finish a volute in about 20 min and a heel in about 30 to 45. the thing cuts very well with minimum pressure. looks like a tool used during the spanish inquisition

I absolutely love my Auriou #8. It cuts fast and clean. I only use it for carving necks, so it should go almost forever without sharpening.

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Randy Muth
RS Muth Guitars Website
RS Muth Guitars Blog
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