
There is often confusion between a file and a rasp. The files that we look at in this article are mostly the ones that come in handy for sharpening woodworking tools. You should also know something about and the pros and cons of using these woodworking tools. However, you also need to realize that there are many types of files. We refer to a category of files because they are used to sharpen metal tools used for woodworking. Unlike several tools dedicated to woodworking, there is no such thing as a “woodworking file” even though many people loosely interchange the terms file and rasp. When it comes to woodworking files, you need to know one thing. Metal Files File for sharpening metal tools.

Finally, we go over the pros and cons of each group. You will also be aware of the specific function of each of these two tools and the different types under each category. When you finish reading this article, you should have a fair idea of a rasp vs file. There are numerous forums on the internet, where you can observe a lot of discussion on this topic. Even if you are not a newbie, you will find some interesting information here about files and rasps. In this article, we attempt to familiarize the newcomer to woodworking with the difference between woodworking rasps and files. You can find different types of rasps for completing various tasks. To add to the confusion, you may hear the terms “wood file” or cabinet maker’s files” and metal files are sometimes referred to as “mill files” Each of these comes in a variety of different grades that determine the degree of fineness or coarseness. While you could use a file on wood, a rasp would not do well against a hard metal surface. Rasps have coarser teeth designed for wood. Generally, a file is intended to be used on metal whereas a rasp is a tool specially meant for wood.

The terms file and rasp are often confused and many people still interchange the two. The primary difference between a rasp and a file is that rasps are primarily for wood, but files are for metal. Although both of these tools perform similar tasks, each one performs a specific type of function. A common misunderstanding we make while discussing hand tools is to consider a file and a rasp as the same thing.
