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Short hands-on review by Bob Lang, Popular WW here: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/tools/new-to-the-usa-source-for-hand-cut-rasps#comments

For those of you interested about hand-tools, I've just put online a small glossary, a FAQs page and a blog about hand-stitched rasps :

http://www.liogier-france.fr/glossary-hand-cut-rasps?lang=en

http://www.liogier-france.fr/f-a-q-hand-cut-rasps?lang=en

http://www.liogier-france.fr/blog-liogier-hand-stithed-rasps?lang=en

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Noel Liogier, www.liogier-france.com

I will also comment on the question of hand made vs machine....

There is a huge difference at different quality levels.... Cheap (Asian) hand made rasps are trash, and are worlds worse than Machine made... Check out Harbor Freight if you want examples... They are wood wrecking devils.... They are also the reason that Machine made rasps took over....

Now... The High End of the market is a different story altogether... These are more like "Boutique" tools - hand made by a master craftsman using traditional methods to a very high standard of quality.... It's farther down the line towards a "Precision tool" .... There is a lot of handwork that goes into one of these - and so it's quite expensive... Noel named off a few points on why they are better... but it's more than just the random pattern... it's also the ability to make a rasp whose teeth are nearly all the same height, size, and angled properly... To heat treat it without warping it... to get the rows of teeth just right so they do leave a smooth surface finish... Not an easy thing to do.....

It's like saying that a Handmade guitar is always better... and then pointing out that many of the cheapest Asian import guitars are hand made (I have watched the Videos of Alvarez guitars being hand made)... so they must be better than "Factory made" like a Taylor... or claiming that they are on par with an actual Luthier made instrument.... Just because it's hand made doesn't make it better... What makes it better is making it better...

Thanks

Anyone know if these are the same as those sold by Lee Valley http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=53823&cat=1,42524

Are they one-in-the-same producer?

Thanks,

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Michael Lloyd

“I was born to ignorance, yes, and lesser poverties ...
I was born to privilege that I did not see ... I didn’t know it, but my way was paved” – John Gorka

No. I think they are made by Aurio, not Logier. Both are French made. There is also another hand made rasp maker in Germany - Pechar. I have a few needle rifflers by an Italian maker who's name escapes me. Those are the European specialist makers that I know of. There may be others.

Like Michael said, those are Auriou rasps. I bought a few recently. Best money I have ever spent in my shop. Carves wood like butter.

Me has wanted to be owning a rasp by Noel for a long time, way back since when.
Then me brother died and me inherited him tools. One in particular is a Chinese hand stitched rasp...A1 first class tool. Still has the original price tag on it ~ $7.95 and are now sold as Dragon rasps at the Stu Mack Attack place for about $50 bucks. Is me gonna ...No way! Me be patient and wait and one day gonna give Noel a call and say..."hé, mec...

And you wanna know why??? Simple. You can't beat the best of the very best.


blessings
?adma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Lee Valley sells a set of three Liogier rasps, but why not buy right from the source?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

that's what my rasps are, i'll post a pic for you guys to laugh at. but, remember ancient chinese proverb: a poor craftsman blames the tools.

with time and patience, even garbage tools can make nice things. i know this. i also know that not everyone has a lot of time.

I ordered exactly these rasps from you just the other day Noel (in the Sapphire finish).
I'm really looking forward to putting them to work!!

Cheers,
Dave F.
(Cambrian Guitars)

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

in some places, yes, i agree, but in regards to rasps/shaping a neck and neck heel/headstock transition, no: in this case an expensive rasp is a luxury but by no means necessary to the one-off hobbyist. the rasp is not the end tool; sandpaper and scrapers are.

with regards to time. unless you are suggesting that with a finely hand stiched french rasp, one moves immediately to the spray booth

well nyazzip...is just like Flipo said

"in some places tool quality matters more than others."

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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In Some Cases, indeed. i guess.

I once heard a wise man say
"in some places tool quality matters more than others."

I can appreciate the workmanship and quality of these rasps but I've a couple of Stew-Mac Dragon rasps that work excellent for me.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

And for a bit more than $100 less.

i can only say that my liogiers are really nice rasps.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

What size/grain # rasp have you found most useful for neck shaping mahognay necks.
Speed would not be my first priority - finish and ability to work out fine detail at the nut and heel would be. (I do have several spoke shaves for roughing in the neck)

If I have to pick one - what would you recommend?

I know some of the people from this thread are not even here anymore so you won't hear from them. I'll just put in my 2 cents to say that I bought the coarse Dragon rasp from Stew Mac about a year ago and I liked it so much that I got the fine one too. They both really compliment each other well. But for roughing out a neck if I could only get one I'd get the coarse one.

I have two:
- 10" 9 grain (coarse)
- 7" 13 grain (fine)

Of these, I found myself using both equally, but the smaller 7" was essential when working details. It was the size more so than the coarseness that I found essential.

The small fine and small coarse SM dragon rasps have become my favorite tools for shaping the headstock/neck transition and for shaping the heel and the heel neck transition. Mostly the fine one. As mentioned, with the sharp point it's great for detail work.

Also this Grobet rasp gets a huge amount of use around the shop, mostly for smoothing neck transitions and ramping slotheads.

https://www.amazon.com/Grobet-Swiss-Pat ... 4%3AGrobet

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I have the two dragon rasps, and they will get the job done. Also I have three Liogier rasps, two cabinet makers a 10" "12" tooth? a 6" "14" tooth and a square 6" 12 tooth. The 10" 12 tooth takes over where the dragon leave off, I can see a 12" 14 or 15 tooth in my future. The 6" 14 tooth is great for bridge carving and finishing up around the headstock 15 tooth or finer would be nice. The little square is not used that much, I grab the 6" 14 tooth cabinet makers instead. The liogier are definitely worth the money they really deliver.

My mother bought me a Liogier rasp several years ago for Christmas (what a great gift). It's a lovely tool.....

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https://soundcloud.com/jeffreylsuits/he ... -runnin-13