I added a new toy to the tool cabinet this weekend. An Iwasaki Carving File purchased during the big Woodcraft sale. These files are extremely sharp as they have been chemically etched. Their diagonal tooth pattern cuts much like a plane would cut including a form of tiny chip breaker which actually clears the chips from the file and prevents clogging.
I chose the medium cut, round file since most of the time I reach for a file is when trying to refine a curved surface. The edges are safe so that you can cut right up into a corner which I really like when trying to clean up a sharp corner.
My first impressions are that this file cuts really smoothly and just glides across the wood. I grabbed a scrap of hard maple to put the file to the test and before I knew it I was pulling long curly shavings off the wood with little effort. The stock removal was really fast and still left a clean surface that wouldn’t take much to clean up.
I am really impressed with how easily and quickly these files work and I am anxious to try out the fine and extra fine versions to see how clean they leave the stock. The file I currently own will be invaluable for rough shaping and I imagine I could knock out some cabriole legs pretty quickly with it.
The concerns I have at this point is how durable the teeth are over time. At around $30 a piece they are not super expensive but not throw away either. I’ll have to report back on that in time. For now I have some cool shavings to make with my new file.
5 responses so far ↓
1 thewoodshopbug // Mar 1, 2010 at 4:02 pm
I just got the small (3/8″ x 4″) flat float from Iwasaki and have been really really impressed. I’ve been using it to build a coffin smoother, and the surfaces it leaves almost need no sanding. It looks like the float I have is not as coarse as yours, but I’m hooked!
2 Larry Marshall // Mar 1, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Thanks for your insights on these carving files. In your view are these tools for follow-up from rasp shaping or a substitute for it?
Cheers — Larry
3 Shannon // Mar 1, 2010 at 6:14 pm
This is an interesting question that I don’t think can be answered until I have more time to apply this tool to an actual project. I often use the tapered point of a rasp to get into tight areas. These files are not tapered. A typical rasp cuts in any orientation where these files seems to cut best in a narrow range of orientation like a plane blade. So they may not be as flexible as a rasp but I can see them coming very close to replacing a rasp.
4 Bob Rozaieski // Mar 2, 2010 at 10:37 am
You know, I tried one of these at Lee Richmond’s booth (The Best Things) at WIA in Valley Forge last year and I was not that impressed with them. They seemed very grabby on less dense woods like mahogany. Not nearly as smooth as a patternmaker’s rasp, and not nearly as nice of a finish (those cuts on that maple in your pic are much deeper than what I typically get from my #50). Of course it could have just been me (I have heard that they have a break in period and a learning curve). Have you tried it on anything but the hard maple?
5 Shannon // Mar 2, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Bob, I can see your point and I have only tried it on hard hardwoods like Maple and Ash. I’ll give it a go on Mahogany, Poplar and Pine and see what I think. I do think that these are much more aggressive than your average rasp. The med cut leaves a rougher surface than a Nicholson #49. I would like to try the fine and extra fine cuts to see how they work. The more I play with it the smoother it gets so I second your thoughts on the “break in” period. Also they are not as intuitive to use as a rasp. There is an optimum angle of attack to get the best results whereas a rasp can work however you push it. No question that further experimentation is needed and I’ll let you know what I discover as I keep working with it.
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