Iwasaki Rasps

[Scota4570]

The half rounds are one sided.  There is no flat side that cuts.  To me, the $40 price is not a deal if you only get half a rasp.   Be aware if you order any. 

[GANGGREEN]

Thanks for the heads up, I was thinking about ordering one or more.  I'm not sure it's a deal breaker for me, but like you, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want a flat and a half-round cutting side on one rasp.

[smallpatch]

Still worth more, and cuts better than any thing else in that price range.

[Joe S]

I bought flat and half round 10" medium cut rasps here: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=63451

$26.50

So, two Iwasaki rasps for the cost of one Nicholson.

[Scota4570]

Since you have to buy two rasps to get the same cutting surfaces as the Nicholson, I see the cost thing different.

Also they are not tapered.  The radius you get is fixed.    I am not sure where I would use that one radius.  They are very sharp, very grabby, they just want to cut.  That said I ordered two flat ones.  I don't see much use for the "1/2 round" ones, I'll just put them away for a rainy day. 

I also got a big 12" 8-grain Auriou cabinet rasp.  It finishes like 40 grit sandpaper.  The cut is much slower than I expected, no faster than 40 grit sandpaper.  It requires much more pressure than the Iwasaki's to cut.  I like the hoof rasps better.  I probably should have bought the 10" 6 grain. 

Both brands of rasps are high quality tools.  They are just not what I needed.  I am buying tools blind and that is no way to do it.  I need hold somethign like this before I buy.   There are no retailers of decent wood working tools near me.  Maybe a hundred miles away, but traffic is so horrible that I stay home if at all possible.   Unfortunatley the culture and interests out here, have changed.  People simply do not have any interest in hobbies.  Thus there are no stores where I can shop. 

[smallpatch]

They also make an extra fine, tapered half round that is THE bomb. ⅞" to ⅛".
They do cut fast. You need to go finer than you'd expect.
I guess opinions about rasps are like belly buttons..... everybody has one.

[Joe S]

Maybe a hundred miles away, but traffic is so horrible that I stay home if at all possible

Driving 100 miles gets me out of the mountains and into the sagebrush.  Still another 500 miles to go to a city that might have a store that might have one of these rasps....

[PPatch]

Those complaining about Iwasaki's half-rounds having only one cutting surface simply haven't any experience using them.

I own several iwasaki's and the half-rounds are my go-to rasps for most tasks. They cut like the dickens and you can rasp a flat surface with a half-round just fine - I begin by using one edge and turn the rasp as I work therefore presenting fresh teeth to the wood. The thing with the iwasaki is to let the tool do the work, if you bare down with them they balk.

The first one I bought, six or seven years ago, was an 8" flat, after a few furniture projects and several guns it seemed less sharp, so I ran a extra-fine diamond stone over its surface, lightly, and it perked right up.

dp

[Turtle]

I love the razor rasps I get from MBS. They cut a lot fast and leave a surprisingly smooth surface. Available in round, square, and flat shapes. They are built like a sure-form, but leave a way smother surface.
                                           Turtle

[Stoner creek]

 I have had stocks that the Iwasaki (half round)worked better than anything and others that the Nicholson #49 or #50 were the preferred rasp. Sometimes the Iwasaki will cut while bucking the grain (which I hate to do anytime) other times it would just washboard the wood (ughh). I try to avoid, but sometimes.......
 Nowadays I'll grab the Iwasaki first. If it doesn't cut to my liking then I go to the #49.
 These stocks all have a different "personality". Choose the right tool for the job. I like the two brands equally.

[moleeyes36]

They also make an extra fine, tapered half round that is THE bomb. ⅞" to ⅛".
They do cut fast. You need to go finer than you'd expect.
I guess opinions about rasps are like belly buttons..... everybody has one.

PM sent.

Mole Eyes

[Gulf state gaurd]

Having a smooth side to a rasp or file lets you protect one area of the work while removing from another.