Files & Rasps
Used for tool sharpening, rough shaping, surface smoothing and detail sculpting, files and rasps are indispensable tools to have in your woodworking arsenal.
Though files and rasps both have a series of teeth or ridges that cut away at material as they are pushed and pulled over it, there are important differences between the two. Files have low, tightly spaced cutting edges, whereas rasps remove wood with individual raised teeth. Rasps cut more aggressively, making them a good option for handling the initial coarse shaping, with the files used after to smooth and refine the surface.
Both are classified by their cross-sectional shape (flat, half-round or round), the spacing and arrangement of their teeth (fine, medium, coarse) and the type of cut they produce (single-cut, double-cut, bastard). The size and coarseness of files and rasps are usually (though not always) directly related, with the level of coarseness increasing along with the size of the tool.
For safety, all unhandled files and rasps should be fitted with a handle. Our assortment of files and rasps includes sharpening files, woodworking files, floats, rasps, needle and shaping rasps and rifflers.