Carolyn The tools we use in certain fields have evolved with the purpose of being more efficient and easier to use according to the work we want to do. We can take clamping tools as a clear example of this, improving grip and reducing the force used to hold an object. Even cutting machines, which increasingly have greater power and resistance in their blades. Now, when we emphasize the area of carpentry and DIY, we can find all kinds of necessary implements to shape, cut and wear down the wood and thus give it the shape we want.
In this case, we refer to the rasp, which is a kind of file that serves to wear down surfaces that are not very solid. Among the most outstanding is parota wood, oak, pine and other materials. Next, we will show you everything related to this wear tool so widely used in areas such as carpentry or DIY.
What is a rasp used for?
Now, it is well known that within the industries that handle wood to be molded, there is an enormous number of machines, tools and methods that are used to give it the desired shape and dimensions. One of the most used within the field of carpentry and DIY is the rasp. It is a kind of lime which, in general, is made of a fairly resistant material such as metal. In it, there are jagged edges or patterns that form squares.
All this with the purpose of wearing down the surface on which you are working. In addition to this, it has a handle that facilitates the grip and allows greater firmness when performing the function of a file. This is widely used in the final finishes of the wood or material to be worked. Its usefulness can be reduce blemishes in the frame of a door, make a piece of mdf, plastic or similar smaller, among others.
It should be noted that many people tend to confuse the rasp with a file. Both tools may have quite a few similarities, both in their physical appearance and in the utility that is given to them. In general, the file has smaller and less sharp edges to less wear the material being worked. That is, it is used to polish and give a better finish to the surface, while the rasp has thicker, sharper teethwhich are used to greatly wear down the wood, being quite similar to a manual jigsaw.
How many types of rasp are there?
On the other hand, depending on the work that we are going to carry out within the field of DIY or carpentry, we can find different types of rasp. These same ones are used to make better finishes in the different types of wood, give them square, round and even shapes. sculpt a figure. Rasps may be made from materials such as metal to be stronger and cause more wear when in use. However, in the market we can find two types of the tool in question.
It’s all about the rasp flat and square, which focus in principle on the wear of wood or other material, in order to sculpt it and give it the shape that we like best. In fact, it is likely that we have ever wondered how carpenters give such attractive shapes to the frames of the beds or tables that are made of wood. This is where the types of rasp come in, which we will show you below.
flat rasp
Now, first we can start with one of the most used types of this tool in the field of DIY and carpentry. It is about the flat rasp, which is used with the purpose of wearing down wood or another similar surface, in a way more abrupt. It has a flattened shape, which allows abrading surfaces covering a large field of it. We can find them in different sizes and thicknesses and is used in large pieces.
The handle that it has is designed in an ergonomic way that allows a good grip and thus wears down the wood more easily. In these types of cases it is also possible to use a manual jigsaw to reduce the large imperfections that are observed. However, the flat rasp provides greater precision and can wear out a lot of the surface in a faster and more efficient way. It should be noted that this type of rasp is usually seen more in the creation of objects such as chairs, tables, shelves, doors and wooden beds.
round rasp
In a quite similar way we find this type of tool, which is more observed when sculpting wood in the field of carpentry. We refer to the round rasp, which is made of a metal quite tolerable to wear and we can find it in thin or thick presentations. One of the main characteristics of this type of file is its rounded and elongated shape, which is ideal for sculpting wood and giving it unique shapes that cannot be achieved with a flat rasp.
One of the clearest examples that we can find about the use of the round rasp are the frames of the beds, shop windows and even the wooden sculptures. It is about those shapes as characteristic as the patterns it has, details and reliefs of the mentioned objects. Some aspects such as the handle or the shape of the blade are quite different from the flat one. In addition to this, it usually has a lighter thickness and wear power compared to the common rasp. This is because it is usually used more than anything in the creation of details and reliefs on the wood.
How is a rasp used?
The way in which this instrument is usually used is quite simple and intuitive. Of course, we must have some experience to carry out certain finishes, patterns or techniques on the surface that we are going to work on, in general, when using a rasp, we must start by choosing the type tool that best suits what we are going to do. In addition to selecting the correct size and thickness in order to give a better finish. If we refer to the field of DIY, the ideal is to use a rasp that is flat and that does not have a very thick stone.
The next thing to do is take it by the handle and start put pressure on the wood or surface that we are going to discard. We must do this with a continuous movement and with the teeth of the rasp pointing towards what we are going to file. Although we can also find rasps that have different thicknesses on each side. Now we only have to wear down the surface as far as we consider it. Most likely it will be imperfect, so at this point is where we can use a fine file, in order to give a more appropriate finish to the piece with which we work.
