'rasp' Question

[LukeR]

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if someone could help me. I went to the hardware shop today to buy a rasp, and I was shown 2 different 'rasps'.

I will try to describe them:

1. The first one looked like a generic metal file (one side flat, one side round)

2. The second one looked like a cheese grater for wood.

I was told that they are both rasps, both do they same thing, and there is no difference between the two.

Is that correct? Is there a differnce between the two? Is either better than the other for neck shaping?

Thanks in advance guys,

Luke

[SawDust_Junkie]

Hey Luke ! They are both called rasps, although the "cheese grater" one has a another different name that I can't recall right now. I would not recommend the cheese grater type for shaping a neck.

I used that type on my Strat copy to do the body contours, as the cheese graters can really take off alot of wood in a hurry. I used the file type of rasp to do the neck shaping. The flate side works well for shaping the round-over of the sides of the neck, and the round part of the raps works well for shaping the peg head to neck and heel to neck contours.

A rasp and sandpaper is all I used for shaping my neck. . The file type can remove good amounts of wood also, but it is much more easily controlled that the more aggressive rasp.

[LukeR]

Thanks alot man!

I'll buy the one you recomened first thing tomorrow.

BTW- are you still making a Les Paul type guitar? Hope it all goes well.

Thanks again man,

Luke

[Daniel Sorbera]

I have a REALLY nasty rasp (none of the tools I have I bought, they here inhearated) that looks like it could take someones face off with a single swipe. Will this be too arressive to use on a cocobolo (very hard) neck?

[Hotrock]

Hey Luke ! They are both called rasps, although the "cheese grater" one has a another different name that I can't recall right now. I would not recommend the cheese grater type for shaping a neck.

Surform?

I've got both and used both for shaping the neck. I cut down the top and bottom of the neck to shape with the half round rasp and then used the surform to take off the majority of the wood between these two points. I did the final bits with both of the tools and sandpaper to finish.

I also use the surform (and sandpaper) in place of a plane as I'm more than totally useless with a plane (as is my plane which I now use as a sanding block).

Oh and surforms are wicked for leveling the top of tree stumps so that you can hammer a bird table to it.

Kaj

[jay5]

The cheese greater type is a 'micro plane'. That might be a trade name. Like fender said, they take off wood fast. It might be nice to rough in a neck. I'm sure you could be successful with it if you went slow. If I had to buy only one of the two you described I would probably go with the micro plane and finish up with sanding blocks. I imagine the micro would be nice for making belly and elbow contours on a body.

[toddler68]

Surforms are good but I like Microplanes better. Same concept but I get a lot cleaner cut and better control. The Surform seems to tear the wood a lot more. Blade removal/installation is much easier with the Microplane, too. Sometimes I even use them without the handle. I wouldn't do that for too long though, unless you like shredded fingers!

[Dugz Ink]

Will this be too arressive to use on a cocobolo (very hard) neck?

I've used a toothed rasp on a piece of Cocobolo that I shaped for a non-guitar project. The biggest problem I had was filing out the rasp-grooves; I usually follow the rasping with a double-cut file... but that seemed to take forever with the Cocobolo. After that, the single-cut file looked like it just polished the surface of the wood. It seemed to take forever.

Now I use my hand planes for shaping Cocobolo... but that's just me.

D~s

Edited December 15, 2004 by Dugz Ink

[LukeR]

Thanks a million guys!

I had bought the metal rasp before I asw the other opinions- i will buy a mircoplane on payday.

Thanks again guys!

Luke