How to Use A Wood Rasp – [For Shaping & Smoothing]

Woodworkers use a range of tools from electric saws to simple hand tools like chisels, files, and rasps. Anyone looking forward to becoming a woodworker should learn how to use these tools to shape a piece of wood or a wooden surface.

The rasps are, however, among the most essential hand tools that come handy to remove large materials and shape them to your specifications. If you are keen to learn how to use a rasp, this article is for you.

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When to Use a Rasp?

Before you can learn how to use a wood rasp, it is important for you to know the purpose of using it. Imagine, you need to smoothen a large surface of wood and you don’t have a power tool to use for this purpose. A rasp tool and piece of sandpaper is all what you need here.

You can use a sandpaper to smoothen a wooden surface, but removing a large amount of material couldn’t be done without a rasp or anything like it. Some wood rasps even leave partially a smooth surface, but in most cases, you will need sandpapers to get the desired finish.

Whenever you need a flat surface, or you want to achieve a flat wooden surface through filing and sanding the material, you can get it done with a rasp. Unlike chisels, rasps leave somewhat a plane surface which takes a bit of sanding to appear as a smooth finish.

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Using A Wood Rasp – Step by Step

A woodworker using a wood rasp

Using a rasp is an easy job if you know how to position the material you work on, and how to hold the tool itself. Here is the technique of using a rasp- step by step.

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Clamp the Material

The material has to be positioned as firmly as possible on table and for that, you will need clamps that keep the material in its place. However, you can also use other useful tools or anything around you to keep the wood firm in place. It would be dangerous if the piece of wood shakes when you use a rasp tool to shave off materials. So, don’t make any mistake in this regard.

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Holding the Rasp

Secondly, you have to hold the tool so that it does not hurt you when you remove materials with it. You have to hold the handle of the rasp with one hand while keeping the other on the top of the tip.

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Go One Way

Stroke one way and do not pull it behind. It is normally easier to stroke away from yourself and go along the line of the material. Do not put so much pressure that could possibly break the material, or the tool itself.

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Make Sure the Tool Is Clean

Each time before and after using a rasp, make sure you check if there is any material stuck in between the teeth of the tool. Clean the rasp tool so that it works as efficiently as it does at the first time. Make sure the handle is in good condition and it does not wobble when working.

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Conclusion

That is all about using a rasp tool; you can use every type of rasp tools by following these simple steps that I have mentioned above. As long as you know how to use a wood rasp, smoothening and flattening a piece of wood is not big deal for you. Learn the easy steps and start your journey as a great woodworker.

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