Rasps from Portugal

[MIGNAL]

This fine rasp in the foreground was mighty cheap and mighty good in it's day. One of the Chinese swordfish rasps, at some 60 TCM. It cut more like a coarse file but much faster, very little clogging issues. I used it for refining shapes rather than arriving at them. I bought it some 20 or 25 years ago. It's far too dull to be of any use now. I tried to buy it again but without luck. It's hand stitched but if you look closely the teeth are arranged in an arc. The one in the background is much coarser and is one that Fine tools used to sell. The teeth are arranged in a straight line. I don't really care for it much but it's better than a coarse machine cut rasp that I have. The finer one would be ideal for things like saw and plane handles. Even better is that you can bend the tip and then bend it back again when you no longer need that feature. How cool is that! The transition from side to end grain is where a coarse rasp can leave seriously deep scratches that can take a lot to remove.

 

[Trafalgar]

I find that my rather inexpensive, fine rasp tends to clog (probably faster than a more random, hand stitched rasp would) however what I get is a bit of a burnishing effect if I let it stay a little clogged right toward the end of the job. I guess this is just one way to compensate for a less than perfect tool, but it works.

Charlie,

How many go from rasps to finishing, however? I compensate, either with a scraper, or a bit of sandpaper!

My early mistake was choosing too fine a rasp, and after picking up a few others (including the Japanese milled shape and a Microplane-style). I find rasps a very satisfying tool to use for shaping and as I posted earlier, after figuring out how to hold my tongue, the quality of what I do, vastly improved.

Agree. There are always spots that need help. I have not banished sandpaper from my shop. Gene Landon called his sharkskin which made the larger point that the old guys used what they could get.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

I said I would report back on performance after a while. The rasps are still performing very well. I am starting to wonder why I bought so many now. Well I know why. Every rasp I had every picked up before in a workshop had been a dud. So I assumed they wore out more quickly than standard files. Not the case here. They are as razor sharp as when I first got them.

 

[D_W]

re: the company and their saw files. Looking at the linked catalog, they look like the same profile as bahco saw files. Does anyone know if they're the ones making files for bahco?

Bahco files are available inexpensively in the US (especially if willing to buy a pack of 10 directly from a drop shipper who just has williams tool ship them direct), BUT the 2x slim taper files are not available even though bahco has a part number for them.

These look like bahco files in profile (sort of chubby), look fairly clean, and bahco's files are made in Portugal. Wondering if they are the ones making Bahco's files.

 

[D_W]

One quick look on google suggests this is the company making the files for bahco. They are being sold by an overly verbose saw refinisher in California who does various hokey specialty filings, and his loyal followers bid them up past the price of bahco in the US. I'm not surprised, I guess the gurus have money-spending followers.

More a question of curiosity than anything, but maybe worthwhile for 2x since you can't get those from bahco (which are only about $4.50-$7 per file in the US for standard sizes).

 

[Trafalgar]

... what matters most is the feeling you get when you're hypnotized...

...seems like a dream, they got me hypnotized...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZeTlMpnfHk

 

[pedder]

How do the saw files work? The last Bahcos and Tome Feteiras I've tried magnetized after a few strokes. Nasty thing.

Cheers
Pedder

 

[mqbernardo]

I don´t think bahco are made by Feteira. at least not all of them. Bahco are made in the north of Portugal , while Feteira´s factory is near my place in Leiria. Feteira is an old and respected brand around here.

I have some small files from Feteira and find them very nice, but i use them sparingly in small stuff (mostly guitar fretwork) - they never magnetized! the price is right too.


all the best,
Miguel.

 

[D_W]

Thanks Miguel. The most direct claim of those being the maker of Bahco is a saw doctor in the US, but not someone I would put in the same regard of "being right" as someone like Daryl Weir (another saw doctor who is less showy and grandiose).

Thanks for providing accurate information about them.

I haven't had bahco files magnetize, but in the US, I'd probably try to demagnatize them because we don't really have any other good options here. Grobet and simonds are not the same as they used to be, and neither is nicholsons. I switched from grobet to bahco a couple of years ago because there were too many rejects in the grobet boxes that I was getting, in some cases, the entire boxes were basically junk (no file was the same shape and geometry as the others).

 

[mqbernardo]

please note that i´m not 100 % sure, maybe Feteira has bought the northern factory or something. But i doubt it.

cheers,
Miguel.

 

[DennisCA]

I said I would report back on performance after a while. The rasps are still performing very well. I am starting to wonder why I bought so many now. Well I know why. Every rasp I had every picked up before in a workshop had been a dud. So I assumed they wore out more quickly than standard files. Not the case here. They are as razor sharp as when I first got them.

Nice to hear, last night I placed an order for 4 wood rasps (got 2x300m and 2x200mm rasps, one of each grade, medium and fine) and 3 machinist files (coarse/medium/fine). The price was very affordable, even with shipping it was cheaper than most cheapo files in the shops here.

If I had found someone to split shipping with it would have been even better.

 

[DennisCA]

Mine arrived yesterday:

And the metal ones:

 

[Droogs]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with them, I am with mine.

 

[DTR]

Thanks for bumping this, I need to get myself a new rasp.

And some files too...... :-k

 

[marcros]

Mine arrived yesterday:

Are machinist files and lathe files the same thing?

 

[DennisCA]

I don't know and I had to google that:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/ge ... ons-87094/

From what I can tell, it's basically a smooth cut file with a safety (smooth edge), so one of these 3 might be considered a lathe file, the two others are turnip cut and 2nd cut, these files had one smooth edge I noticed.

 

[shed9]

For what it's worth and a little off-tangent, there is a seller on Ebay right now selling off some Tome Feteira metal files (Collar brand) fairly cheap. Must be New Old Stock as he seems to have loads and they are brand new.

He is open to offers and I just bagged a set of 6 metal files significantly less than the buy now. The seller is wired4sound2008 although I've never bought from them before so can't vouch at this stage. If you put offers in for a selection of files, very low offers are more likely to be received as the seller gains on the postage costs.

Like I said a little off tangent but may be useful to some of you.

 

[Hornbeam]

I said I would report back on performance after a while. The rasps are still performing very well. I am starting to wonder why I bought so many now. Well I know why. Every rasp I had every picked up before in a workshop had been a dud. So I assumed they wore out more quickly than standard files. Not the case here. They are as razor sharp as when I first got them.

Nice to hear, last night I placed an order for 4 wood rasps (got 2x300m and 2x200mm rasps, one of each grade, medium and fine) and 3 machinist files (coarse/medium/fine). The price was very affordable, even with shipping it was cheaper than most cheapo files in the shops here.

If I had found someone to split shipping with it would have been even better.

 

[Hornbeam]

Dont know what happened with last post
Have tried the Tome Feteira website but contact e mail not working.
Can you let me know how you contacted them. What were the costs for the cabinet rasps and how much was postage
Thanks
Ian

 

[DennisCA]

I used this email address: [email protected] and shipping was around 22 euros. Maybe their answer got lost in your spam filter?

I am happy with the rasps and files, I am only using a few of them, they are gonna last me a long time. I wish though they would have had some single cut machinist files.