Rasp Accessories

A hand stitched rasp is made one tooth at a time, each one punched individually so that no two sit in perfect line. That irregularity is exactly what lets a rasp cut cleanly without leaving tramlines behind it, and it is what you are paying for. It is also vulnerable - a rasp that has spent a year loose in a drawer alongside other steel is no longer the tool it was when it arrived.

Which makes storage the first thing to sort out. Our handmade suede leather tool rolls and Workshop Heaven canvas tool rolls hold each rasp in its own pocket, keeping the teeth clear of neighbouring tools and making the whole set easy to carry to a job. Magnetic tool bars are the better option for the rasps you use constantly, mounted at the back of the bench so each hangs separately and can be lifted off one handed.

Rasps are driven with real force, usually across a curve and often for a long stretch at a time, so the handle matters more here than on many tools. The Holtzapffel pattern walnut handle takes its form from the London toolmaking family of the same name, with a swell that fills the palm and a ferrule that grips the tang firmly. It is far more comfortable than working off a bare tang, and considerably safer.

Natural French chalk earns its keep on resinous softwoods and green timber, where fibres pack down between the teeth until the rasp skids instead of cutting. Chalked teeth clog much more slowly, and what does build up lifts out easily with a file card or a stiff brush.

The same rolls, handles and chalk suit engineers files too, covered on our file accessories page.