I always thought a standard rasp was fine for finishing, but a buddy in Kentucky had me try his 10-inch mill file last week and wow, what a difference on that final pass.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ever try a good cabinet rasp? That's where a file really can't compete for wood. A mill file leaves a burnished surface that can mess with glue adhesion. For final shaping on a chair leg or smoothing a carved edge, a sharp rasp cuts cleaner and leaves a better surface for sanding. I'll grab a file for metal, but for wood it just feels like the wrong tool for the job.

lewis.finley19d ago

My buddy in Kentucky swears by his Nicholson files for cleaning up welds. That smooth final cut must be the difference between a part that fits and one that fights you. What kind of work were you doing when you tried his file? Was it metal or wood?

piper_kim19d ago

Reminds me of finally getting a decent kitchen knife after years of cheap ones. You don't know how much extra work the wrong tool creates until you use the right one. It's that same feeling of a task going from a fight to just getting it done.

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