Rasp set

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I would add that files are often overlooked when it comes to woodworking. I got hold of an Oberg cut file in recent months, a Bahco 1-106-10-1-0. This is the only file I have ever used which just doesn't clog and it produces a really nice finish to boot.
 
Nikolaj33":35jju4tf said:
What do you guys think of 'European top quality' hand stitched rasps that are being sold on eBay? Has anyone tried them yet? They are a fraction of the cost of Auriou or Liogier.
If abrasive files won't, ah, cut it for you :mrgreen: and the Corradi rasps don't appeal for some reason (a reminder: they're consistently harder, cut just as well as hand-stitched but cost less) then try one of those eBay rasps out, see what you think yourself. Your opinion on them is the only one that really matters at the end of the day. To say that individual mileage varies is an understatement, another great example of this is surforms. A lot of people don't get on with them for woodworking to judge by the many freely given opinions that they're pants! Yet no less a woodworker than Sam Maloof valued them so highly he considered them a must in his workflow.

User opinion on Corradi rasps here for anyone who hasn't seen it. There are other reviews online worth reading, more than a couple directly compare them to the French rasps.
 
shed9":1eytuu94 said:
I would add that files are often overlooked when it comes to woodworking. I got hold of an Oberg cut file in recent months, a Bahco 1-106-10-1-0. This is the only file I have ever used which just doesn't clog and it produces a really nice finish to boot.
Other files worth mentioning in the same light are dreadnoughts, AKA vixen files in the US, and multicut which is somewhat like a less-regular Oberg cut. The British-made Aven file is or was a double-sided file with one side dreadnought cut and the other multicut. I lucked out and got one of these in a big joblot of files about a year ago and even slightly worn it's an excellent file, factory-sharp I can only imagine how awesomely it would cut.

Files in general are widely underrated for woodworking. Fine files in particular never seem to get a look in now that abrasives have become the norm. Coarse or turnip files in the larger sizes can remove wood at an amazing clip, while the surface they leave isn't anything like as refined as a good rasp will leave that will always be refined anyway so I consider this a non-issue personally.

Standard files, both single-cut and double-cut, do load up with use but clogging shouldn't be a big deal if you have a file card or something else to clean them as they need it. Some system to do this should be in place when using files anyway, they're a must-have companion. With wood dust rather than metal filings a firm toothbrush can do this job quite well.

Dusting with talc or chalk to lessen the tendency towards clogging is also worth trying, some machinists swear by this trick.

Just to mention, old files from many a revered maker are widely available at the car boots and usually cost peanuts. They're sometimes available for practically nothing, I've heard of people acquiring rusty files for as little as 10p a pop!
 

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