New rasp

[Tony Z]

Just a heads up for a rasp some may want to try. The name is Wechuan, bought from Amazon, at $8.99, including delivery, for a handled rasp, with 8" total rasp surface, one side flat, the other oval. Reminds me that of Dragon rasps of a few years back. Tried it on a piece of maple and cut quickly and fine. Not as good as my #11 Auriou, but far better and finer than my 12 year old #49 Nicholson. Hard to say how long it will last, but, time will tell!

[AHill]

I think you meant Weichuan Rasps.  The spelling is slightly different.  They appear to be machine stitched. 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?...chuan+rasp

[Tony Z]

That's the correct name they appear machined stitched, but the rows are not perfectly spaced. Nicholson are machined stitched.

[AHill]

Nicholson rasps are now made in Brazil.  The quality is MUCH worse than the US made rasps, and not worth pursuing anymore.  The Weichuan rasps might be a good alternative for the budget-minded woodworker.  Dragon rasps are hand stitched, but at least 2-3x what the Weichuan rasps cost.  I have Auriou, Liogier, Gramercy, and US-made Nicholsons (49 and 50), rasps.  In terms of quality, quickness of stock removal, and the finish they leave behind, it's Auriou, followed very closely by Liogier, then Gramercy.  Nicholsons - even the US ones - are a far cry from the hand-stitched rasps.

[Bill_Houghton]

I haven't done more than try it out, but I recently bought a Narex rattail rasp through Amazon, and was pretty impressed.  It's a machine-stitched pattern, and Amazon describes it as "coarse," but it cut fast and left a good surface on the piece I tried it out on.

This was a prize to myself for reaching a weight loss goal; my existing rattail rasp, a real cheapie, was...a real cheapie.

[Jason28]

I just ordered a 12" for a some coarse work I have to do. I figure for $13 I can't really go too wrong, plus I can always return if it's junk.

[Slav Jelesijevich]

Something to remember the 49 is a second cut and the 50 is a smooth cut.

Slav

[mvflaim]

Have you ever tried Corradi rasps? They're made in Italy and are machine stitched with an irregular pattern. Just wondering how they would stack up. I love mine.

[Jason28]

I just ordered a 12" for a some coarse work I have to do. I figure for $13 I can't really go too wrong, plus I can always return if it's junk.

I ended up sending this rasp back. It's definitely a machine cut rasp, though not bad for one. My thoughts:

Cons

• Definitely macine cut so the teeth are evenly spaced
  
• When cutting, the teeth follow the ones before and leave tracks; angling the rasp only made it worse
  

Pros

• Teeth are cut at even heights so they all do the same amount of work
  
• A relatively fine cut
  
• Doesn't clog much, even in relatively wet wood
  
• Comfortable handle
  
• Inexpensive
  

I have no idea how long the rasp would have stayed sharp, or if the "coating" on it would hold up, since I didn't have it long enough to really put it to extended use. It worked as expected in both hard and soft woods, the teeth following the ones before, and leaving ruts. Also as expected, it tore the #$%@ out of some curved plywood edges I tried it on. The only surprise I had was how comfortable the handle was.

These are certainly not fine woodworking tools, at least not as I've come to know them (or at my skill level - others may be able to work magic with them). I think these would be just fine for rough work, log building, stump/chainsaw carvings, etc. If I did more work of that nature, I'd have kept this one. As it is, I held onto it to very end of my return period for Amazon, but in the end I couldn't justify keeping a tool I have no foreseeable use for.

If you absolutely need a rasp and cannot afford anything better, I'd look at the Dragon Rasps from StewMac before these; those are handcut and inexpensive (I paid $34 for a 6", fine cut). If you can't afford the Dragon Rasps, I'd save up for them anyway.

[AHill]

Slav told me something years ago that he learned while an apprentice.  Let your cheaper, coarse rasps do the heavy work.  Let the more expensive, fine rasps do the finish work.  The thing to watch for with some of the cheaper rasps that leave tracks is to quit sooner than with a fine rasp, since you risk taking too much off with the fine rasp to clean up the deeper tracks left behind from a cheaper coarse rasp.