Wood Rasp File by Shinto – a High Quality Woodworking Tool

Walking around the Sydney Timber & Working with Wood Show last Sunday, I wasn’t planning on buying a new rasp file, or any file for that matter. But somehow that all changed when I wandered into the “Japanese Tools Australia” stand.

The stand had a lot of amazing tools that looked really high quality. Some of them looked more like “tool art” that should be placed in a glass cabinet to be admired.

The variety of tools included:

• Carving Chisels
• Carving Knives
• Japanese Saws
• Hand Forged Hammers
• Sharpening Stones
• Wooden Nails
• Solid Brass Clamps
• Planes
• Miniature Japanese Tool Sets
• Chopstick Maker Jig

And of course Wood Rasps.

The Shinto Saw Rasp

I didn’t have any particular project to use my new rasp on when I got home, so I just grabbed a piece of scrap that was lying around to see what this wood rasp can do.

The Shinto Saw Rasp is double sided. One side is coarse (approx’ 10 TPI) and the other side is fine (approx’ 24 TPI).

The curve you see I produced literally in seconds using the rough side then the fine. I know it’s not a very impressive example of woodworking, but for a quick test I was pleasantly surprised.

Features

This particular wood rasp is the number one selling rasp in Japan, and is made with multiple saw blades joined together in a diamond configuration. This design configuration is one of the main features of this product, and is the reason this rasp is clog resistant.

• Very fast at removing material
• Clog resistant
• Double sided 250mm (approx’ 10″) cutting length
• Wooden handle
• Suitable for general shaping – wood, soft and composite materials.

A Version with a 2nd Handle

The Shinto Saw Rasp also comes in another version that has a “2nd Handle“.

The second handle, which is located halfway down and centred above the blade, allows greater pressure to be applied to the material. The blade can easily be rotated to use either the coarse or fine side.

 Recommendation

If you don’t already have a wood rasp, or are in the market to add to your wood file collection, this is one of those products that you definitely need to consider. In fact the complete range of Hand Made Japanese Tools is something that you need to see to believe, especially when it comes to high quality craftsmanship.

Here’s a link to the Wood Rasp on the Japanese Tools Australia site.

Do you have any Japanese tools in your toolbox? Let me know if you do in the comments below.