Comments on: Have You Ever Gotten Shavings From a File?

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:23:29 +0000

Bob, I can see your point and I have only tried it on hard hardwoods like Maple and Ash. I’ll give it a go on Mahogany, Poplar and Pine and see what I think. I do think that these are much more aggressive than your average rasp. The med cut leaves a rougher surface than a Nicholson #49. I would like to try the fine and extra fine cuts to see how they work. The more I play with it the smoother it gets so I second your thoughts on the “break in” period. Also they are not as intuitive to use as a rasp. There is an optimum angle of attack to get the best results whereas a rasp can work however you push it. No question that further experimentation is needed and I’ll let you know what I discover as I keep working with it.

By: Bob Rozaieski

Bob Rozaieski — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:37:25 +0000

You know, I tried one of these at Lee Richmond’s booth (The Best Things) at WIA in Valley Forge last year and I was not that impressed with them. They seemed very grabby on less dense woods like mahogany. Not nearly as smooth as a patternmaker’s rasp, and not nearly as nice of a finish (those cuts on that maple in your pic are much deeper than what I typically get from my #50). Of course it could have just been me (I have heard that they have a break in period and a learning curve). Have you tried it on anything but the hard maple?

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:14:29 +0000

This is an interesting question that I don’t think can be answered until I have more time to apply this tool to an actual project. I often use the tapered point of a rasp to get into tight areas. These files are not tapered. A typical rasp cuts in any orientation where these files seems to cut best in a narrow range of orientation like a plane blade. So they may not be as flexible as a rasp but I can see them coming very close to replacing a rasp.

By: Larry Marshall

Larry Marshall — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:33:01 +0000

Thanks for your insights on these carving files. In your view are these tools for follow-up from rasp shaping or a substitute for it?

Cheers — Larry

By: thewoodshopbug

thewoodshopbug — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:02:40 +0000

I just got the small (3/8″ x 4″) flat float from Iwasaki and have been really really impressed. I’ve been using it to build a coffin smoother, and the surfaces it leaves almost need no sanding. It looks like the float I have is not as coarse as yours, but I’m hooked!