High-Quality Rasps That Won’t Break the Bank

Once upon a time, the go-to rasps for woodworkers seeking quality were the Nicholson #49 and #50. These were hand-cut rasps, where each tooth was individually raised by a skilled worker striking a chisel into the blank. The teeth formed slightly irregular patterns because of this handwork, but that irregularity contributed to their legendary status—their cut left surfaces smoother and more controlled than the scratchier results from mass-produced machine-cut rasps.

Unfortunately, the original hand-cut Nicholsons have long been discontinued. Modern Nicholson rasps are machine-made, and their performance simply doesn’t compare to that of the past.

To fill that void, woodworking suppliers began importing hand-stitched rasps from around the world. One of the first premium brands to gain popularity in the U.S. was Auriou, a French maker known for superb quality rasps with beautifully consistent cuts. Later, Tools for Working Wood introduced their own line of hand-stitched rasps that also won favor among woodworkers.

Recently, I discovered another promising source: hand-stitched rasps from an Italian maker, sold through The Complete Sculptor, a New York-based supplier of sculpting tools. What’s remarkable is that these rasps cost significantly less than their French or other European counterparts. Most come unhandled—you’ll need to make or buy your own handle—but they’re available in various lengths, coarseness grades, and tip shapes.

Navigating The Complete Sculptor’s website can be a bit challenging; they don’t have a dedicated section labeled “cabinetmaker’s rasps” as we woodworkers might expect. Instead, the rasps are listed using a numbering system: look for the word Special followed by a number (e.g., Special 7, Special 8, or Special 9). The coarseness is explained in the item description:

• Special 7: medium-fine cut
• Special 8: medium cut
• Special 9: coarse cut (aggressive material removal)

They also sell one model with a handle, which appears to have a very fine tooth pattern.

A word of caution: while the Italian-made Special 7 rasps labeled as fine do a decent job, they don’t match the precision or ultra-fine surface left by the Auriou fine rasps or the fine rasps from Tools for Working Wood. If you truly need a very fine rasp for delicate shaping or final smoothing, you’ll likely have to invest in one of those premium brands.

As for tooth quality overall, I won’t claim these Italian rasps match the refinement of the high-end European options. A few of the rasps I received had some crushed or dulled tooth tips—likely due to shipping, as they appeared to have been packed without sufficient protection. But at a fraction of the price of premium European rasps, these Italian-made tools are absolutely worth considering for general work and shaping.