Does anyone have experience with the Microplane product line of rasps, rotary shapers, and sanding discs? How do these compare with traditional rasps, rotary sanding sleeves, and sanding discs?
Greg
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Exo 35:30-35
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Does anyone have experience with the Microplane product line of rasps, rotary shapers, and sanding discs? How do these compare with traditional rasps, rotary sanding sleeves, and sanding discs?
Greg
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Exo 35:30-35
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Replies
Greg,
Microplane rasps cut a lot faster and don't clog with swarf. They tend to leave a somewhat rough surface. I use them extensively for shaping but always follow up with a scraper or sandpaper to smooth the surface. They work equally well on face grain and end grain.
I haven't used their sanding discs.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
The Microplane is a bit on the crude side, which has its plus and minus. Good for hogging off; not good for close-to-finish work. Rasps have a bit more finesse.
I have several of the rasps; they wear out quickly (compared to a real rasp). I won't be spending money on any more of them.
Cliff
I have several Microplanes and (at least the smaller) require a bit of finese. If you try to hog material you can deform or bend the tool. I use them (albeit infrequently) but when needed, they perform very well.
T.Z.
Tony,
If you're almost bending or deforming your Microplanes, you're putting way too much pressure on them when cutting. They're like diamond stones - they cut best with light pressure.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Microplanes seem like they could be useful if wielded very gently--I found that most of those razor-sharp little teeth quickly bent flat and I've hardly touched them since. Unfortunately the Auriou rasp factory just closed, but try to find some of them, or some other hand made rasp. They're great!
It seems to me that microplanes and rasps have two different purposes although I've never used a microplane before. I find rasps useful for fine delicate cuts and cleaning up rough edges as in carving. Microplanes on the other hand seem to be good for roughing out and excavating large amounts of wood.
I could be wrong and welcome others insights.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:I used some microplane disks on a ROS a couple of years ago to smooth a big slab of burr oak I was making onto a new mantle for the cabin. My problem was that I was 1,300 miles from my planes and scrapers, and the oak was rough mill cut from a downed tree on the property a few years before. The tough old tight-grained Minnesota oak wore out a few disks, but they did a pretty decent job, all in all. The finished surface looks good (rustic of course, in a log cabin).Joe
Joe,
I just went to the WEBsite and maybe my assessment wasn't quite on, at least in terms of the rasps. It appears that some carvers use them which indicates to me that they are for fine/delicate woodworking, not sure about the discs though.
Guess I have to look further but I haven't seen anything that would relate them to traditional rasps in terms of smoothness of cut. It's funny how some modern implementations of old tools somehow come up short.
By the way, how's the cabing coming along? Haven't seen any pics recently of your handiwork there. Getting ready for some rather major renovations on mine this summer. Mostly outside work though.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob:
Haven't seen my place since October, but it should be ok as long as no trees fell on it this year - and as long as I really got the pipes drained properly when I closed it. I will go up the first week of June and open it for the season.
J
Joe,
Don't forget to take some pics for us all to see.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I saw the recent FWW review on "floats", that might be worth adding to this discussion. I never used them but they look promising. Have you ever used a float, Bob?
Now that's a thought I'd not considered. No I have not uesed a float before. Are they like a file but with larger teeth? One thing I have learned is that the Four-in-hand takes some practice with the rasp ends.
Have to look into floats and their usage.
Thanks for the suggestion,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Yes, with coarse "teeth". They're sort of like a file on steriods. My guess is they cut somewhat like a soldier-line of file scrapers.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?cat=542
Certainly not inexpensive are they? A concave or convex shape would be interesting.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
No, they're not cheap, but about half the price of an Auriou rasp (not that they do exactly the same thing). But I'm thinking maybe a couple would be handy for M&T work, or quickly fine tuning an external curve.
One of these days I may get Dominoed, and that would negate my M&T needs, but I'm on a big ticket item hiatus for the time being. I've been producing a lot of artwork and a fair amount of woodwork, and the cash flow hasn't come back in yet.
I've got a one-man show coming up in a local gallery and I need to ready 50 pieces. While the majority of it will be flatwork (pastels), I'll have a few thousand bucks tied up in framing alone. And I don't have to tell you what wood goes for, either.
For 60 bucks, I may jump at the float because I think I'd get my time's worth back pretty quick.
Denny
Denny. while I have not used true floats, I have used the Nicolson milled tooth files for years. My son borrowed them three years ago so I recently picked up a pair from LV at a much better price.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=56529&cat=1,42524
While I can understand the price, much smaller market and utility of the shapes for the plane makers floats, I wonder if the full size ones cut twice as good as the Nicholsons cleaning up M&T joints? Paddy
Paddy, those files look pretty good, too. One thing I'm pretty dumb on: I don't know about a file; can one sharpen a file? And if so, how? I know the floats can be sharpened, as the edges are wide and spread apart. But what do you do when a file gets warn?
Den,
I'm not sure the files get worn quickly but because they have finer teeth they tend to get clogged with wood fibers. A brush quickly cleans them though. I use a Four-In-Hand quite often that needs to be cleaned often.
Not being familiar with floats I wonder if the same is true or they get dull more quickly?
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 4/28/2008 1:51 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
The reviewer said his float worked well from the box, but better after he honed it.
Yeah, I'm assuming that once a file is worn (which may take some time), it's chucked.
Google "Boggs file sharpening" (don't have the full name or address handy). I've used them multiple times over the past 3 or 4 years to sharpen rasps and files. Tools come back sharper than new. I'm not sure, but I believe their methods some sort of acid bath to sharpen with. I've also heard, but not tried, using a diluted muratic acid to sharpen files with.
T.Z.
Ah, so it's not "sharpening" in the sense that we woodworkers usually think of. I figured. Thanks Tony.
Denny
D, I don't know but I had the old set for years and no problems. Remember these are Nicholson a quality maker of files/rasps. These have been used forever in auto body shops on lead filler and body putty-read hard and gritty- so I don't worry. Paddy
You're probably right, Paddy. By the time I wear it out, I'll be worn out, too. <g>
Denny
All,
You can make your own L-N float. Here's how:
Start with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a cup of milk. Add to a #5 and blend well...( remove the frog before consuming) :-P
Alternatively, one of philip's creations, infilled with Tasmanian blackwood, topped with ice cream and root beer, gives you a "black 'cou".
Mmmmm...
Ray
Is that what you call a dusty road?
I have just finished restoring an assorted bunch of Nicholson files, mostly used for metal. These were left in a bucket of weak citric acid for several days. Last night I washed them off, dried and oiled them (to prevent rust). I could feel that they were really sharp again.
With regard floats, I did review one of the LN Face Joinery floats shortly after it was released:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/The%20Lie%20Nielsen%20Face%20Joinery%20Float.html
Regards from Perth
Derek
Thanks Derek. Very nice review.
blew,
If you use pine knots and chucked bits, instead of peanuts and chocolate chips...
Ray
I have a few but the seem to blunt quickly. But, a new maker has appeared in the cookshops at half the price of microplane so may turn up in woodworking circles. Try Lakeland on the web to see.
I have experience with lots of rasps and the microplane hand files. I like the microplane with the off-set handle. The cutting blade is supported by the aluminum handle that extends the full lenth of the blade(microplane calls them the "snap in" tools). The most useful microplane tool for me is the curved plane.
In my experience with shaping maple gunstocks, the microplanes are a nice addition but they are no substitute for a good row of files.
To hog off a bunch of wood, I still use the old surform tool with a curved blade and one with a flat blade. Its a work horse and the blades are cheap.
Lastly, I think the powered microplane tools that you use in the drill press are useless. I have a couple and they just don't work as expected. If you haven't spent the money on these, ignore the urge to get them- they stink.
dan
Edited 4/25/2008 6:05 pm ET by danmart
Dan,
What problem did you run into with the drill press rotary shapers? I've used mine and they seem to work well for me however, I can't remember what wood I was working with.
I've tried their random orbital sanding sheets in the past with little success. They warped before I could use them and the velcro wouldn't stick to my sander but they have redesigned them so they make work better.
mike
MV
Truthfully, after trying one of the rotary file cutters in the drill press, I was disappointed. I thought they would give me the smooth results the files gave me. Not so.
I have a lathe. So.. I made about 15 cylinders with different grades of sandpaper wrapped around the cylinders for sanding and polishing curves. I have a drill press but rarely use it for shaping. The lathe is just so much easier for me. I have a General that has a speed dial and a reverse direction switch to send the dust away and make quick work of shaping.
Like I mentioned in the earlier post, I like the micros that slide on the handled tool and have some stiffness. I use mine when shaping rifle stocks. My tools of choice are still the rasps. I can work much faster and more accurately when I am shaping and working by eye.
later
dan
I have an oscillating spindle sander I use for final sanding round surfaces but your lathe trick sounds pretty intriguing. I imagine you're not limited to any diameter of spindle and can turn spindles of precise diameters to fit your need. I think I will try your trick someday.
I can't remember how smooth the microplane spindles shaved the surface when I used mine but I'm sure your dead on with their roughness of cut.
Mike
I have tried Microplane types several times but every time I try to use one, I lay it up and reach for a rasp , cabinet file or curved tooth file . I don't like the feel of them in my hand and don't like the principle of throw away blades. I also use spokeshaves and scrapers prior to sanding when shaping odd shapes.
Edited 4/29/2008 7:39 pm ET by wdrite
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