Half Round Rasp or 4 In Hand

jblyttle said:
Ive been looking seriously at these lately as I have been shaping wood quite a bit. I'm using a spokeshave/Mora 106/rasp/sandpaper to good effect but like what I am hearing about these. My questions is- flat or half round for my first purchase? Also, medium or fine? I hear that these are aggressive..
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I've been using the files I got during this thread for awhile now and if you're doing axe handles then half round, no question about it. They have a flat side anyway so it's pretty much a 2 in 1.
 
I'll actually be having some nice Italian-made "four in hand" rasps showing up any day now. I'm expecting the quality to be very nice based on my experience with files from the same manufacturer (Stella Bianca.) They call it a shoemaker's rasp.

For more general rasping work I really like Microplane rasps with removable blades. Lets you reverse the direction of cut. Very very fast and they seem to never tear out the wood.
 
cityofthesouth said:
I've been using the files I got during this thread for awhile now and if you're doing axe handles then half round, no question about it. They have a flat side anyway so it's pretty much a 2 in 1.
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Right, I asked because the iwasaki half round doesn't have a back. While digging through my pile of yardsale files I found a USA made Nicholson number 49. I'll play with that for a while as it probably cost me 50 cents.
 
this is my take tcw
i use 4 in hands often to refine eyes and handles, tool and axe handles both.
farriers rasps are also good for roughing in.
i don't buy new tools. i hunt down old, used, antique, vintage, estate sale, auction, yard sale, flea market...
key is simply learning what is still usable or good or what can be repurposed.
might i suggest picking up a cheapo Harbor Freight 1X30 sander. not my first choice for a great tool but good enough for working on handles.
i use a 1X42. does a pretty good job on axe heads and bits along with the woodworking part too.
these 1X sander/grinders are good for sharpening all sorts of tools from machetes to mower blades.
buzz
 
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markv said:
i don't buy new tools. i hunt down old, used, antique, vintage, estate sale, auction, yard sale, flea market...
key is simply learning what is still usable or good or what can be repurposed.

might i suggest picking up a cheapo Harbor Freight 1X30 sander.
buzz
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I always do this, in fact my spokeshave was a $3 Stanley SW that I completely cleaned, reflattened and sharpened. It's awesome. The only thing that I think that I have purchased new is my Mora 106 carving knife. Likewise, the only reason that I am considering buying the Iwasaki file is that they are not available used. I already have a 1x42 sander- I use it mostly for final shaping my homemade wedges and smoothing the handle tops after I wedge them and cut them off.
 
jblyttle said:
Right, I asked because the iwasaki half round doesn't have a back. While digging through my pile of yardsale files I found a USA made Nicholson number 49. I'll play with that for a while as it probably cost me 50 cents.
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I wondered if that was the case. Seems kind of pointless to leave one side smooth to me. If your Nicholson is sharp I guess I don't see why it wouldn't be perfect, but I suppose it depends on what you're doing, plus, it's not like I do a lot of wood working with a rasp, so I wouldn't know one from the next. If it's axe handles, I never even use the flat side, so I suspect from that point of view, the Iwasaki would still be useful.
 
This 4lb head on a 19.5" ash handle is pictured with the tools that I used to make it, proof that fancy stuff is not needed, But, I am still inrigued by the Iwasaki as it is reportedly a cutter not a gringder and is fast with a very smooth surface left behind. If I can cut my time down it will be worthwhile. BTW, this handle is about 1/3 of a Lowes shovel handle. I highly recommend this as a source for hammer wood as it is very clean, and as it is round you can get perfect grain alignment as well as 2-4 handles for $10.

Edit- not pictured is my spokeshave, which played a major roll.






 
Good tip on the shovel handles - gonna be giving that a try for sure. That wooden mallet looks like an ideal hanging mallet too BTW. So is one of those the old Nicholson file? How did it work out?
 
jblyttle said:
This 4lb head on a 19.5" ash handle is pictured with the tools that I used to make it, proof that fancy stuff is not needed. . .
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Don't take this reply the wrong way. Fancy stuff is certainly not needed. But I think we like our toys. :)

[video=youtube;_IMe15BBPxg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IMe15BBPxg&list=WL&index=25[/video]

I'm sure this video has been posted before. It humbles me every time I watch it. Puts a lot of things in perspective.

Bob
 
rjdankert said:
Don't take this reply the wrong way. Fancy stuff is certainly not needed. But I think we like our toys. :)

[video=youtube;_IMe15BBPxg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IMe15BBPxg&list=WL&index=25[/video]

I'm sure this video has been posted before. It humbles me every time I watch it. Puts a lot of things in perspective.

Bob
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Skilled hands and sharp tools. Did you notice the Scandi grind on his knife?
 
Given the way the wood curls and the location the video is from I'd take a gander that's birch.
 
Yeah the language is Finnish. "Kirvesvarsi" translates literally as "axe arm", but means axe handle. No hickory in Finland unless it's imported! But there's plenty of birch to go around.
 
jblyttle said:
This 4lb head on a 19.5" ash handle is pictured with the tools that I used to make it, proof that fancy stuff is not needed, But, I am still inrigued by the Iwasaki as it is reportedly a cutter not a gringder and is fast with a very smooth surface left behind. If I can cut my time down it will be worthwhile. BTW, this handle is about 1/3 of a Lowes shovel handle. I highly recommend this as a source for hammer wood as it is very clean, and as it is round you can get perfect grain alignment as well as 2-4 handles for $10.

Edit- not pictured is my spokeshave, which played a major roll.

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Nice work J.B.! I'm a fan of those old paint scrapers for handle work. If the blades are touched up every now and then with a file, they really remove wood fast! That is also the tool I use to remove varnish from store bought handles..
 
yep, Stanley rasp, one of the first tools i ever bpught. still have it on the bench.
 
I use a Nicholson #50 and it works for me but then it's the only one I have but I do recommend it.
Here I am in the process of making a handle for my 6 ft bucking saw out of an old sledge hammer handle.
 
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