Replies

1. 
   user-7022764 | Apr 01, 2021 11:55pm | #1

   I have a few Narex rasps at work. They are fine. Not quite as good as some of my older rasps but they work. The ones I have are not hand stitched. They are more of an English/American pattern vs Swiss type pattern like the Aurio. I say go for it especially if don't have any right now.

2. 
   john_c2 | Apr 02, 2021 04:35am | #2

   I have a few Auriou, and they are as perfect as a rasp can be. I've never cared for the Nicholson rasps, even the vintage ones.

   Check out the Gramercy rasps from Tools for Working Wood. They are closer to the Auriou in shape. Not quite as good in quality, but they're available.

3. 
   lat_axe | Apr 02, 2021 04:46am | #3

   Past times I used machine-made rasps and files to shape various parts but never found them fully effective. It always seemed to need a lot of sandpapering as the final step, as the rasps and even the files left tracks rather than a uniform roughness.

   Recently I took the price-risk and bought a couple of Liogier rasps, which are very similar in quality (and how they're made) to Auriou. They made a world of difference to my rasping. The rougher grades remove stuff fast; the finer grades leave an almost ready surface. The hand-stitching does seem to make a big difference to the final finish they leave, presumably because of the lack of those tracks that machine-made rasps tend to leave from their non-random tooth patterns.

   The Liogiers also seemed to come (and have remained) sharper than the less expensive machine-stitched items. But I haven't used them for long enough to make a judgement on their resistance to wear and other degradations from use.

   Liogier and Auriou are expensive so I decided to try a couple of Narex rasps of the hand-stitched kind. Happily they too are much better than those old rasps I used to employ although they don't seem to have quite the refined finish of a Liogier rasp. But maybe that's just my imagination fueled by the price difference. And the Narex don't come in the very fine grades.

   Logier and Auriou make far more variety of rasp, both in grade and shape. I have one left on my to-get list which is the fine grade pointy and curved item intended for making tool handles and the like. It's a one-sided rasp and in terms of teeth-per-dollar not such good value. But the size, shape and curve do look ideal for refining plane totes and other pierced-item complex shapes.

   Lataxe

4. 
   ysu65 | Apr 02, 2021 06:29am | #4

   I have the Dragon hand cut rasps from StewMac, a source for guitar making tools. I have not used the Logier and Auriou rasps which probably are the best available but the Dragons work very well for me. Way better that files or the 49 and 50 Nicholsons.

1. 
   john_c2 | Apr 02, 2021 07:45am | #5

   The Dragon are very good. They are not available in the range of Auriou or others, but if the shape and style suits, they do a very good job.

5. 
   Rheerdt | Apr 02, 2021 07:48am | #6

   The rasps from Gramercy Tools at Toolsforworkingwood.com are very good quality. I have two from them and one Auriou. I would recommend either brand.

6. 
   jayvarner | May 13, 2021 10:37pm | #7

   Just to update, I ran into a situation that a fine rasp was necessary. Today I picked up a Narex hand stitched rasp (fortunate that Highland Woodworking is a 15 minute bicycle ride from my house). I don't have much to compare it to, but using this thing is very satisfying. It's fast and leaves a really nice surface.

   Thanks for all the suggestions. The Gramercy rasps are compelling. If I could bike from Atlanta to Brooklyn in 15 minutes...well, lots of things would be different. Also, I love Highland.