This is a look at using rasps as part of a coarse, medium, and fine system of tooling for efficient sculpting and refinement of curves in your woodworking projects. Edge tools are great and leave a finished surface and I hear from many a traditionalist that this is the only way to go. But edge tools also have a greater learning curve whereas the rasp is mostly ambivalent to the grain direction and can be employed with little to no prior experience and have the woodworker shaping away in seconds. A good rasp is an extension of your hand and can make what you picture in your head a reality very easily. This video is just a quick look at how employing several different rasps can make your work more efficient. I may go into some specific techniques later on but honestly there isn't much to using a rasp. Just point and cut. Changing the angle can produce a different cut but this subtlety needs to be learned with rasp in hand so what are you waiting for?

I also introduce Liogier rasps as an excellent provider of hand stitched rasps and an equal alternative to some of the other premium made rasps on the market. I know this name won't be new to many of you as Liogier has been around a long time. For some reason they have not gained the same notoriety here in the US as other brands. So while this video is more about using rasps, it is brought to you by Liogier and you will find some product placement sprinkled throughout.

I can definitely say that I'm a fan of Liogier and I'm eagerly awaiting two new rasps to add to my collection. In fact I predict that some Rifflers will end up in my tool kit in the future too!

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This "Hand Tool School" series is provided courtesy of Shannon Rogers, a/k/a The Renaissance Woodworker. Rogers is founder of The Hand Tool School, which provides members with an online apprenticeship that teaches them how to use hand tools and to build furniture with traditional methods.