Tool of the month November 2015

Welcome to Novembers Tool of the month!
Ok it's a few days late... Never mind! This month it's the wood rasp!

Two hand stitched rasps.

The rasp is a tool used to shape timber, such as Windsor chair seats, carvings and sculptures.
Unlike a file the rasp is much corser and therefore cuts a lot faster.
Mine are made in France by a company called Auriou. They are 'hand stitched' meaning each cutting tooth is formed individually using a hammer and a pick. This more random tooth patten gives a much better cut than a machine made rasp would.
The following link will take you to the companies website where you can see how these rasps are made, it's a fascinating process!

Auriou Rasp making

That's it for November, look out for Decembers tool of the month!

Using a rasp to define a curved detail