........ I have learned over the years buy right buy once really apply's to hand tools !
It doesn’t take many tools to make a selfbow, I built my first one with a hatchet, Nicholson 4 in 1 rasp, and a Scraper made from the blade out of a broken hand plane. If you take proper care of, and use them correctly, your quality wood working hand tools will last a lifetime. At times, I still use the above tools and the farriers rasp I bought to make my second bow.
That said, there is a huge feel and functional/cutting difference between most inexpensive rasps and those that cost more. Use a cheep rasp made in China and an old Nicholson #49 or #50 (that’s been properly cleaned and stored) on piece of Osage and you can see and feel the difference. There is a significant difference between my #49 & #50 and the Japanese files Dean Torres sold around 2007.
When my #49 disappeared at a bow jamboree a few years back I replaced it with a new one, it was not near the quality of my old one. I bought a second #49 off the auction site, it hadn’t been maintained properly and wasn’t any better the new ones. After a lot of research I found some hand cut files made by Aruiou on the Lie Nielsen web site, then let my wife know what I was getting for Christmas. For less then the cost I paid for the new and auction site #49’s, I got a hand cut file (Made for using left handed. Ya, I didn’t know they came right or left handed either) that cuts and feels better then the Japanese made rasp I bought from Dean.
My recommendation is to buy the best quality you can the first time.
Topic: RASPS? (Read 5296 times)
