Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on March 27, 2015 at 4:11pm

I have a cheap Stanley spokeshave.  After a little cleaning and sharpening, it makes quick work of a neck....  Half the time I don't need a rasp...

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Permalink Reply by AnnaW on March 27, 2015 at 4:47pm

Rasp seems like the most popular choice.. :) next question - is it worth paying for a good quality one or will a basic one do the job?

Can't get a Dragon in the UK, would have to get it imported. Shinto has good reviews and readily available here (plus it's Japanese & I like samurai swords!): http://www.japanesetools.com.au/products/shinto-saw-rasp

Any thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 27, 2015 at 5:39pm

Go to your local DIY woodworker supply house, and get a 4-in-1 rasp. Buy a cheap one, and then buy a quality one. The whole outlay shouldn't run you more than £25. The cheap one will work until it doesn't, and the quality one can be passed down a generation or two. Or, buy 3 cheap ones for the price of one quality one.

And the cheap ones can be sharpened.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 27, 2015 at 5:47pm

Also, this popped up, which you may enjoy reading:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-taper-a-cigar-b...

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Permalink Reply by Titch the Clown on March 27, 2015 at 6:35pm

The Shinto rasp works great. There is none finer. The only drawback is that there is not a curved version.

Don't underestimate kitchenwares as woodworking tools. My Kiwi brand vegetable peeler works as good as any spokeshave. The fine cheese graters I got from Aldi do a great job on lighter woods like pine.

I also like to just whittle with a sharp knife.

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on March 28, 2015 at 2:49am

Great idea! I've already thought of several uses for the peeler: cleaning up fret glue, fine-tuning F holes, etc.

Wife'll never miss it--although she's still mad about how I got glue in her toothbrush.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 27, 2015 at 9:29pm

** it is not really an either/or position, these are fundamentally different tools.

a surform (or rasp, woodfile) is great for roughing out shapes quickly, they chew wood up.  They're really handy for rough shaping a neck, especiallly say the heel and where the head meets the neck.

A spokeshave is a kind of plane, usually with a curved blade rather than a flat one.  It shaves wood away in thin slices.  It is a finishing tool, when you know how to use it the work will not need any sanding or anything afterwards and sanding may in fact take you backwards..

They're both great tools and really handy to make a guitar neck, although it is possibly to make one without either.

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on March 28, 2015 at 7:00am

oh I meant to post this! round on one side flat on other rasp and file. As I said I looked for a bgigger one but have not seen one . Then can a cut clean 90's and shape a inside and outside radius. Almost as cool as hot chicks who love beer.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on March 29, 2015 at 11:26am

I forgot to mention one of my favorite tools - the cabinet scraper. It quickly cleans up rasp marks and it's pretty inexpensive. Old timers would use a piece of broken glass as a scraper to get a nice smooth finish.

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