GG's

I was at the M-WTCA meet in Cosgrove, Iowa, this weekend and walked past
a table with a quite a selection of brand new files. One was really
huge, so I started kidding the table holder along the lines of "What in
the heck, who would you ever use a monster file like that?
The reply was along the lines of 'You don't use files very much...but
I've got a really good deal for you."

Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
times what they're worth...

"Here, go on try one... try one on the edge of this shelf."

"No, that's ok."

"Here, these are cabinet maker files, Nicholson nos. 49 and 50, the best
around." You never tried anything like this... You can't even get 'em
mail order for what I'm selling 'em for. Nobody here at this meeting
knows anything from files. Look, all the points on these are staggered
instead of in rows. You take off a lot of wood but it leaves a smooth
finish. You start with the the 49, go to the 50, and then finish off
with a scraper or paper."

So, I'm thinking, "What the hey, I'll rub the file on the shelf, say
some nice things, excuse myself and get on with looking for some good
tools." 

So I run the file on the edge of the edge of the shelf...

Can yo say epiphany? It was like nothing I ever touched a file to
before. Nice cut, smooth finish, a feeling of control. Still,
seventy-six bucks for a couple of files?

"Let me tell ya, when I was an apprentice in the cabinet shop, my boss
says to go out, buy a good file and bring it in the next day. So I went
to the hardware store, spent eight bucks on a file and brought it in the
next day. He says, you call that a file? And he throws my file against
the wall and says you go out and get a Nicholson cabinetmaker's file."
The were about thirty-five dollars each back then, that was a lot of
money. Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
files."

I'm still not convinced that anyone in their right mind would pay that
kind of money for a rasp, but I'm already sure that they're the answer
to my prayers for flattening end grain on some white oak 4 x 4's I'm
working with. (I hand sawed them and don't want to overshoot the edges
with a plane when I true them and risk splitting the edges off).

"Yeah, you can use them for that, but they're really shaping tools."

I bought the files. I figured that the price was a bit high, but what
the heck, I learned so much about a quality rasp in five minutes that my
head was spinning. I appreciated the education so was willing to pay. I
went home, played with them a bit and they're better than I even
imagined. You don't know a rasp from a file from a horse's butt until
you've used a quality cabinetmaker's file.

So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred bucks,
plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal! 

You can't even call that substandard crap you get in a hardware store a
rasp. They're nasty brutish tools fit for a slovenly knave of the lowest
sort. And regular files -- well if you have a lifetime, you might get
results on wood.  It was simply amazing--all because I asked a guy named
Slav Yelasijevich why he had so many files.

Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
house, not old tools.

For those that have been too busy drooling over the cover, the new LV
catalog has them for $37 and $45 for 49 and 50.  Not quite as good as
Randy's deal, but Randy deserves it after all his MF work/

And for those BAGs who were drooling over Roger's, I was gonna post this to
BAGs tonight.

Randy Roeder wrote:

> GG's
>
> Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
> Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
> times what they're worth...

>  Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
> from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
> files."
>
> So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred bucks,
> plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal!
>
> Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
> house, not old tools.
>

-- 
Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA
Eppler.Kirk@g...

OK.  So you went long green for the Nicholson rasps.  You've got handles
on them and you are feeling pretty smug.

Now.  Wrap up those two nice shiny rasps.  Wrap a couple of your favorite
files as well.  Ship them off to Boggs Tool Processing out in sunny CA. 
Boggs sharpen files and rasps.  They sharpen other stuff too, but they
reallly shine on files.  I know, I know, whose ever heard of sharpening a
file?  Trust me.  Now, when they come back in a week or so, give those
Nicholsons another go.  Even better, eh?  Just be careful, they are
*really* sharp now.  And you didn't think that old cant saw file you had
would ever look (and cut) like new again, did you?  Pay the (very small)
invoice to Boggs and keep on smiling.

DAMHIKT. :-)

Bill (just a happy customer)

I also can attest to the qualities of the Nicholson 49 and 50.  It is really
impossible to compare them to ordinary files or rasps.  Another tool along
the same lines I like is the new Microplane files (Woodcraft sells them).

When I use the Nicholsons I feel like I could have been a patern maker, it
gives you that much control.  Half the battle is having the right tools.

Ed O'

-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Roeder [mailto:roeder.randall@m...]

Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
house, not old tools.

On 16 Sep 2002, at 21:07, Randy Roeder wrote:

> You can't even call that substandard crap you get in a hardware store
> a rasp. They're nasty brutish tools fit for a slovenly knave of the
> lowest sort. And regular files -- well if you have a lifetime, you
> might get results on wood. It was simply amazing--all because I asked
> a guy named Slav Yelasijevich why he had so many files.

Alright! The rasp pushers claim another victim!

You can't have too many rasps, and these are among the best. This is not
to say that you don't need coarser ones, too - I like those for getting
close, then finish up with something finer. Another good one (at a good
price if he still has them) are the Simonds half-round cabinet rasps on
Pete Taran's web site. I bought one of these a few years ago, and use it
a great deal for curved work. Wander around on
http://www.vintagesaws.com and you should be able to find them, although
they were on closeout; they have been discontinued by Simonds.

-Ken, who seldom met a rasp he didn't like for something

Ken Greenberg IT #321; Blue Galoot #82 400 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos,
CA 95032 http://www.calast.com/ken/Personal/wood.htm

I'm kind of fond of the Shinto rasp, available at Japan Woodworker,
Rockler, etc. Here's a photo:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/findprod.cfm?&DID=6&sku=9959

Pam

Ken Greenberg wrote:

>On 16 Sep 2002, at 21:07, Randy Roeder wrote:
>
>
>
>>You can't even call that substandard crap you get in a hardware store
>>a rasp. They're nasty brutish tools fit for a slovenly knave of the
>>lowest sort. And regular files -- well if you have a lifetime, you
>>might get results on wood. It was simply amazing--all because I asked
>>a guy named Slav Yelasijevich why he had so many files.
>>
>>
>
>Alright! The rasp pushers claim another victim!
>
>You can't have too many rasps, and these are among the best. This is
>not to say that you don't need coarser ones, too - I like those for
>getting close, then finish up with something finer. Another good one
>(at a good price if he still has them) are the Simonds half-round
>cabinet rasps on Pete Taran's web site. I bought one of these a few
>years ago, and use it a great deal for curved ...
>
>

Chris,

Cabinet Rasps and Files are referred to by shape.  Generally they are flat
on one side, with a very shallow arc on the other.  Great for removing
stock from surfaces that aren't too concave.  I used one to work the
handles of virtually all the IT dovetails saws that I made.  Getting ready
to replace the Simonds line (which was discontinued), with the Sandvik
line.  Hope this helps.
Pete Taran
Vintage Saws on the web at:
http://www.vintagesaws.com

> GG's,
>
> Can someone explain how one would know a Nicholson 49 or 50 in the
> wild? I  have a few Nicholson rasps from flea markets... Anyone know
> how older flea  market rasps (Boggs filed) compare to 49 or 50's?
>
> Chris
>
> who's got a bunch of rasps but not sure what makes them "cabinet"
> quality...
>
>
>>From: Kirk Eppler 
>>Reply-To: Kirk Eppler 
>>To: "oldtools" 
>>Subject: [oldtools] Re: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich
>>Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 08:42:21 -0700
>>
>>For those that have been too busy drooling over the cover, the new LV
>>catalog has them for $37 and $45 for 49 and 50.  Not quite as good as
>>Randy's deal, but Randy deserves it after all his MF work/
>>
>>And for those BAGs who were drooling over Roger's, I was gonna post
>>this to BAGs tonight.
>>
>>Randy Roeder wrote:
>>
>> > GG's
>> >
>> > Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
>> > Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
>> > times what they're worth...
>>
>> >  Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
>> > from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
>> > files."
>> >
>> > So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred
>> > bucks, plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal!
>> >
>> > Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint
>> > your house, not old tools.
>> >
>>
>>--
>>Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA
>>Eppler.Kirk@g...
>>
>>
>>
>>Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
>>To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
>
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>    http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools

GG's,

Can someone explain how one would know a Nicholson 49 or 50 in the wild? I 
have a few Nicholson rasps from flea markets... Anyone know how older flea 
market rasps (Boggs filed) compare to 49 or 50's?

Chris

who's got a bunch of rasps but not sure what makes them "cabinet" quality...

>From: Kirk Eppler 
>Reply-To: Kirk Eppler 
>To: "oldtools" 
>Subject: [oldtools] Re: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich
>Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 08:42:21 -0700
>
>For those that have been too busy drooling over the cover, the new LV
>catalog has them for $37 and $45 for 49 and 50.  Not quite as good as
>Randy's deal, but Randy deserves it after all his MF work/
>
>And for those BAGs who were drooling over Roger's, I was gonna post this to
>BAGs tonight.
>
>Randy Roeder wrote:
>
> > GG's
> >
> > Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
> > Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
> > times what they're worth...
>
> >  Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
> > from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
> > files."
> >
> > So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred bucks,
> > plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal!
> >
> > Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
> > house, not old tools.
> >
>
>--
>Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA
>Eppler.Kirk@g...
>
>
>
>Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
>To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

I have made it a habit of digging through file drawers at woodshop
auctions looking for the incredible 49 and 50. They don't show up often
but once in a while choice on the files at $1 each puts a smile on my
face. Reminds me of the time I bought a whole shoebox full of brand new
swissmade Rifflers for $5. "Filed" that one away in the record books.
(Not to rain on your parade Randy. You made a good buy. Enjoy them
babies)   

John 

-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Roeder [mailto:roeder.randall@m...] 
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 10:07 PM
Subject: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich

GG's

I was at the M-WTCA meet in Cosgrove, Iowa, this weekend and walked past
a table with a quite a selection of brand new files. One was really
huge, so I started kidding the table holder along the lines of "What in
the heck, who would you ever use a monster file like that?
The reply was along the lines of 'You don't use files very much...but
I've got a really good deal for you."

Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
times what they're worth...

"Here, go on try one... try one on the edge of this shelf."

"No, that's ok."

"Here, these are cabinet maker files, Nicholson nos. 49 and 50, the best
around." You never tried anything like this... You can't even get 'em
mail order for what I'm selling 'em for. Nobody here at this meeting
knows anything from files. Look, all the points on these are staggered
instead of in rows. You take off a lot of wood but it leaves a smooth
finish. You start with the the 49, go to the 50, and then finish off
with a scraper or paper."

So, I'm thinking, "What the hey, I'll rub the file on the shelf, say
some nice things, excuse myself and get on with looking for some good
tools." 

So I run the file on the edge of the edge of the shelf...

Can yo say epiphany? It was like nothing I ever touched a file to
before. Nice cut, smooth finish, a feeling of control. Still,
seventy-six bucks for a couple of files?

"Let me tell ya, when I was an apprentice in the cabinet shop, my boss
says to go out, buy a good file and bring it in the next day. So I went
to the hardware store, spent eight bucks on a file and brought it in the
next day. He says, you call that a file? And he throws my file against
the wall and says you go out and get a Nicholson cabinetmaker's file."
The were about thirty-five dollars each back then, that was a lot of
money. Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
files."

I'm still not convinced that anyone in their right mind would pay that
kind of money for a rasp, but I'm already sure that they're the answer
to my prayers for flattening end grain on some white oak 4 x 4's I'm
working with. (I hand sawed them and don't want to overshoot the edges
with a plane when I true them and risk splitting the edges off).

"Yeah, you can use them for that, but they're really shaping tools."

I bought the files. I figured that the price was a bit high, but what
the heck, I learned so much about a quality rasp in five minutes that my
head was spinning. I appreciated the education so was willing to pay. I
went home, played with them a bit and they're better than I even
imagined. You don't know a rasp from a file from a horse's butt until
you've used a quality cabinetmaker's file.

So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred bucks,
plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal! 

You can't even call that substandard crap you get in a hardware store a
rasp. They're nasty brutish tools fit for a slovenly knave of the lowest
sort. And regular files -- well if you have a lifetime, you might get
results on wood.  It was simply amazing--all because I asked a guy named
Slav Yelasijevich why he had so many files.

Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
house, not old tools.

Oh, Oh. I know this one. Call on me!

Mine say "Nicholson 49" and "Nicholson 50" right on them.

Beside that, the teeth on the both sides have sort of a wave
appearence as they line up across the width of the rasp. My
other cheaper garden variety POS rasps don't exhibit this wave
effect.

Hope this helps.

Glad I got mine before Galootonimics drove the price up!

*************BEST VIEWED IN PLAIN ASCII**************

           __________    John J. Pesut
          /         /|   Hardware Support Specialist
         /  ____   / /
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       / / |__/  / /     800 Cranberry Woods Drive
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    / /  / /  / /
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  / /  / /  / /          Fax: 1-724-742-2350
 (_)  (_)  (_)           800: 1-800-477-6111 x43897

  I N V E N T            john_pesut@h...

**************WITH A FIXED WIDTH FONT****************

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Winter" 
To: "oldtools" 
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 3:16 PM
Subject: [oldtools] Re: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich

> GG's,
>
> Can someone explain how one would know a Nicholson 49 or 50 in the wild? I
> have a few Nicholson rasps from flea markets... Anyone know how older flea
> market rasps (Boggs filed) compare to 49 or 50's?
>
> Chris
>
> who's got a bunch of rasps but not sure what makes them "cabinet"
quality...
>
>
> >From: Kirk Eppler 
> >Reply-To: Kirk Eppler 
> >To: "oldtools" 
> >Subject: [oldtools] Re: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich
> >Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 08:42:21 -0700
> >
> >For those that have been too busy drooling over the cover, the new LV
> >catalog has them for $37 and $45 for 49 and 50.  Not quite as good as
> >Randy's deal, but Randy deserves it after all his MF work/
> >
> >And for those BAGs who were drooling over Roger's, I was gonna post this
to
> >BAGs tonight.
> >
> >Randy Roeder wrote:
> >
> > > GG's
> > >
> > > Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
> > > Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
> > > times what they're worth...
> >
> > >  Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
> > > from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
> > > files."
> > >
> > > So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred
bucks,
> > > plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal!
> > >
> > > Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint
your
> > > house, not old tools.
> > >
> >
> >--
> >Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA
> >Eppler.Kirk@g...
> >
> >
> >
> >Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
> >To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
> >     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
>
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools

A couple of years ago at a flea market I came across a box full of 
new rasps being sold for 3$ apiece.  I picked one up and it said 
Nicholson 49 right on it.  But : the file was very lightweight (and
thin) and didn't look or feel right somehow.  I've never seen a 49
or 50 in the flesh but these just looked like cheap copies to me.
I passed on them (though I probably wouldn't today :-).

Anyone heard of files being counterfeited ?

Paul

Paul Pedersen     
Montreal (Quebec)

Galoots,

The rasp discussion reminded me of a line of rasps I had seen offered by
the German tool supplier Dick Fine Tools in their catalogue.  Made by
Herdim,  the top of the line "Ultra Cut" cabinet rasp boasts more than
10,000 hand cut teeth, and sells for  about 74 Euro's  (I think the Euro
and $US are close in value these days). There is a beautiful photo in
the catalogue of this rasp.

What I had not noticed before was that for another $20 you can buy this
rasp with a "Cerid" coating. This coating is described in the catalogue
as follows:

 "PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) technology makes it possible to apply
a thin ceramic film to metal surfaces to dramatically increase their
resistance to wear. Our Cerid rasps have a 2 micro m. thick chromium
nitrate coating which has been proven to be particularly beneficial in
extending the life of carbon steel tools. The mat-silvery coating
extends edge life at least five fold, reduces clogging and increases
corrosion resistance without affecting the sharpness of the rasp." 

Any opinions on this technology? My guess is you wouldn't be sending
this rasp out for sharpening before using it.

Marvin Paisner
Kootenay Lake, BC 
 ...  no Instruments of Destruction here, my choice is that Instrument
of Torture the 5                         string banjo.  Old tools,
banjos and motorcycles  hmmm I'm getting old!  ;^)

GGs,

Does anyone know how the handmade rasps from Luthier's Mercantile
stack up against the Nicholsons?  (Or the Sandviks, for that
matter?) 

Thanks,
Paul Fuss

Paul Pedersen said:
>
> A couple of years ago at a flea market I came across a box full of  new
> rasps being sold for 3$ apiece.  I picked one up and it said
> Nicholson 49 right on it.  But : the file was very lightweight (and
> thin) and didn't look or feel right somehow.

Ooops. The Nicholsons are thin and light compared to their cheaper
brethren. Another give-away is the pattern of the teeth - there is none.
The reason they are so expensive is that the teeth are hand-cut in a
random pattern (very hard to achieve) to prevent gouging. An "ordinary"
rasp has a machine-made diagonal pattern to the teeth like a file. Not so
with these.

Steve - another Kokomo galoot

Marvin,
I use reamers, peg box, from Dick with this coating. I think it is a good
thing. I use em hard and they seem to last longer in maple than the
uncoated. I use both.  I also use hand made rasps from China, at the
moment, and I find the hand made ones dull quickly in ebony. But the
machine made rasps seem to have a mind of their own and pull off to one
side just when least expected and convenient.
Ken

Marvin Paisner wrote:

> Galoots,
>
> The rasp discussion reminded me of a line of rasps I had seen offered by
> the German tool supplier Dick Fine Tools in their catalogue.  Made by
> Herdim,  the top of the line "Ultra Cut" cabinet rasp boasts more than
> 10,000 hand cut teeth, and sells for  about 74 Euro's  (I think the Euro
> and $US are close in value these days). There is a beautiful photo in
> the catalogue of this rasp.
>
> What I had not noticed before was that for another $20 you can buy this
> rasp with a "Cerid" coating. This coating is described in the catalogue
> as follows:
>
>  "PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) technology makes it possible to apply
> a thin ceramic film to metal surfaces to dramatically increase their
> resistance to wear. Our Cerid rasps have a 2 micro m. thick chromium
> nitrate coating which has been proven to be particularly beneficial in
> extending the life of carbon steel tools. The mat-silvery coating
> extends edge life at least five fold, reduces clogging and increases
> corrosion resistance without affecting the sharpness of the rasp."
>
> Any opinions on this technology? My guess is you wouldn't be sending
> this rasp out for sharpening before using it.
>
> Marvin Paisner
> Kootenay Lake, BC
>  ...  no Instruments of Destruction here, my choice is that Instrument
> of Torture the 5                         string banjo.  Old tools,
> banjos and motorcycles  hmmm I'm getting old!  ;^)
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools

Paul Pedersen wrote ...
> A couple of years ago at a flea market I came across a box full of
> new rasps being sold for 3$ apiece.  I picked one up and it said
> Nicholson 49 right on it.  But : the file was very lightweight (and
> thin) and didn't look or feel right somehow.  I've never seen a 49
> or 50 in the flesh but these just looked like cheap copies to me.
> I passed on them (though I probably wouldn't today :-).
>
> Anyone heard of files being counterfeited ?

My Nicholson #49 is thin and lightweight .. certainly lightweight
compared to their other more ordinary file products.  Got it a year ago
from a Rockler store clearing out their inventory of tools they no
longer carry .... $28 out the door.  They didn't have any #50's, or I
would have run out the door with one of them too.  Great rasp.
Regardless, Randy got a pretty good deal.  Paul's would have been a true
gloat had he snicked it out of the box.  OK, who just smacked their head
on the table .......??

Charlie Driggs
Newark, DE

As a file neophyte, what other files should I look out for?  I now know to
look out for Nicholson 49 and 50s, but did other companies make equivalent
files?  I have a large box of files I picked up at an auction for a buck
once that I've never gone through (I think I grabbed a couple out of it to
practice electrolysis on), and my father-in-law brought over about 30 files
he picked up at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago; but I don't know how to
tell the good stuff from the junk.  Some are Nicholson, most are brands I've
never heard of (Heller, Johnson, and Arcade were some of the ones I saw in
the batch from my FIL).  I didn't know they could be used for forming wood
(the few times I've tried it they quickly clog), so I'd like to know which
ones work best.

David Sawyer
Aurora, IL

PS - A 2 1/2 foot package arrived in the mail and my wife sarcasticly called
me at work to ask if they were roses.  Actually, I'm the new owner of a K8C,
Bedrock style.

----- Original Message -----
From: "The Davis'" 
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 9:44 PM
Subject: RE: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich

> I have made it a habit of digging through file drawers at woodshop
> auctions looking for the incredible 49 and 50. They don't show up often
> but once in a while choice on the files at $1 each puts a smile on my
> face. Reminds me of the time I bought a whole shoebox full of brand new
> swissmade Rifflers for $5. "Filed" that one away in the record books.
> (Not to rain on your parade Randy. You made a good buy. Enjoy them
> babies)
>
> John
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Randy Roeder [mailto:roeder.randall@m...]
> Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 10:07 PM
> Subject: Files, Rasps and a Yelasijevich
>
> GG's
>
> I was at the M-WTCA meet in Cosgrove, Iowa, this weekend and walked past
> a table with a quite a selection of brand new files. One was really
> huge, so I started kidding the table holder along the lines of "What in
> the heck, who would you ever use a monster file like that?
> The reply was along the lines of 'You don't use files very much...but
> I've got a really good deal for you."
>
> Before I knew what was happening, the guy is trying to sell me two
> Nicholson files for $76.00. Yeah, right--eight dollar files for five
> times what they're worth...
>
> "Here, go on try one... try one on the edge of this shelf."
>
> "No, that's ok."
>
> "Here, these are cabinet maker files, Nicholson nos. 49 and 50, the best
> around." You never tried anything like this... You can't even get 'em
> mail order for what I'm selling 'em for. Nobody here at this meeting
> knows anything from files. Look, all the points on these are staggered
> instead of in rows. You take off a lot of wood but it leaves a smooth
> finish. You start with the the 49, go to the 50, and then finish off
> with a scraper or paper."
>
> So, I'm thinking, "What the hey, I'll rub the file on the shelf, say
> some nice things, excuse myself and get on with looking for some good
> tools."
>
> So I run the file on the edge of the edge of the shelf...
>
> Can yo say epiphany? It was like nothing I ever touched a file to
> before. Nice cut, smooth finish, a feeling of control. Still,
> seventy-six bucks for a couple of files?
>
> "Let me tell ya, when I was an apprentice in the cabinet shop, my boss
> says to go out, buy a good file and bring it in the next day. So I went
> to the hardware store, spent eight bucks on a file and brought it in the
> next day. He says, you call that a file? And he throws my file against
> the wall and says you go out and get a Nicholson cabinetmaker's file."
> The were about thirty-five dollars each back then, that was a lot of
> money. Now should buy one of each of these, they'll cost you 100 bucks
> from Garret Wade. I'm only charging $76.00--I got a good source for
> files."
>
> I'm still not convinced that anyone in their right mind would pay that
> kind of money for a rasp, but I'm already sure that they're the answer
> to my prayers for flattening end grain on some white oak 4 x 4's I'm
> working with. (I hand sawed them and don't want to overshoot the edges
> with a plane when I true them and risk splitting the edges off).
>
> "Yeah, you can use them for that, but they're really shaping tools."
>
> I bought the files. I figured that the price was a bit high, but what
> the heck, I learned so much about a quality rasp in five minutes that my
> head was spinning. I appreciated the education so was willing to pay. I
> went home, played with them a bit and they're better than I even
> imagined. You don't know a rasp from a file from a horse's butt until
> you've used a quality cabinetmaker's file.
>
> So tonight I looked them up in the Woodcraft catalog... a hundred bucks,
> plus shipping for the pair. Turns out I got a good deal!
>
> You can't even call that substandard crap you get in a hardware store a
> rasp. They're nasty brutish tools fit for a slovenly knave of the lowest
> sort. And regular files -- well if you have a lifetime, you might get
> results on wood.  It was simply amazing--all because I asked a guy named
> Slav Yelasijevich why he had so many files.
>
> Randy Roeder    You need a Nicholson no. 49 and a 50-- and repaint your
> house, not old tools.
>

Galooti,

The LV catalog says that there is little difference between the 49 & 50.
Is that true?  If so, which would it be best to get first?

Frank (Fort Worth Armadillo Works)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kirk Eppler" 

> For those that have been too busy drooling over the cover, the new LV
> catalog has them for $37 and $45 for 49 and 50.  Not quite as good as
> Randy's deal, but Randy deserves it after all his MF work/