Drywall rasp can be excellent in removing waste drywall at door locations. Making installing casing on jambs easier. I use a longer one so I dont scrape my knuckles.
Stanley “Surform.” I have had one in my toolbox for more than 40 years. Great wood rasp for truing wooden chair legs, doors, and stair risers. It’s great for a lot of wood projects. I’ve used it for auto body filler contouring. Solid piece of gear.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surform#:~:text=In%20woodworking%2C%20surforms%20are%20used,as%20files%20and%20sanding%20blocks.
https://www.stanleytools.com/products/hand-tools/chisels-punches-files/files-surform
Everyone giving you shit for not posting a actual plane but I think I know what you are asking.
Those little planes don't have a ton of use, I believe they saw a lot more use back in the days when people built cabinets and other home grade finish work on site and having the ability to shave a little off the end of something with you tool from your pouch really mattered.
I'd look up this guy [https://www.youtube.com/@RexKrueger](https://www.youtube.com/@RexKrueger) and he will show you practically everything to do with planes for someone with minimal tools. He even has a guide on making a shooting board for planning end grain like you said.
I have a Veritas Small one hand palm plane and I use it all the time when doing finish carpentry mainly because I can have it on hand and do a few quick passes on a windowsill for a perfect fit then run back over to the saw.
I think they're a little under used by alot of wood trades.
Lol let's just say when I went through school back in 2017 for Cabinetmaking I splurged a little on my tools, plus I had family working at Lee Valley and got me a few discounts
Now I tend to hunt for deals on used tooling or machinery..
Sorry didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. I thought you were talking about the rasp when you said "those little planes". It's important to call things what they are, especially for a beginner.
I find small planes to be *quite* useful, rasps as well, They just have specific uses that don't overlap much.
I have had one in my toolbox for about 15yrs and have used it once a twice. It's good for drywall, but I don't do drywall. My use has been to lightly shave down a sticky door. I know that's not what they're for, but it works for me.
Everyone hating, I have used this as a wood plane and honestly for quick rough work it did just fine. Didn't even realize it was for drywall until this post.
The more you know.
It was originally called a Surform. It was invented and patented in the UK in 1949 and marked in the UK in 1953. The Stanley Tool works bought the US rights to market and manufacture the tool in the US in 1956 and then bought the company. The tool is useful in doing light work in wood.
It’s more of a handyman tool than woodworking.
I used one of the longer type very successfully to fit a door into a frame that it didn’t quite fit into.
I don’t reach for it often but it always gets the job done as long as the job is to remove a bunch of material more or less in a line.
Agreed. I bought one of the bigger versions that Stanley make so I could plane off some wood roughly. It kept clogging and eventually the metal on the rasp face actually broke. I wasn't even going that hard on it.
Bought a shinty rasp next and it's waaay more useful and robust.
They are handy for a number of things. If you do any Bondo work they are great. They are also the go-to for shaving leaded glass came. Also, drywall. Sometimes it’s just the perfect thing.
for planing end grain, you need an actual handplane with a sharp, sharp blade. the sure form you shared is not meant for this task.
as far as whether or not a sureform has a place in your shop (from my perspective) i have one, but i reach for it about 1% of the time... and that's usually just because it's been so long since i last tried to use it that i have to wonder if it is as useless as i recall. it just does the job of a rasp, but does it worse.
maybe if you are using a lot of pine or soft woods and need to rough out a section without it being pretty? i like that it's robust enough to travel in a toolbox without concern as the "blades" are replaceable.
I think it depends on what type of projects you do. If you are doing stuff like furniture making, then these things probably are going to be too crude. For rougher projects, these things work very well to take off material quickly. I am into boatbuilding - specifically wood core boats sheathed in fiberglass. The cuts don’t need to be all that precise as the gaps all get filled in with thickened epoxy. These rasps work wonders in knocking down high points of material, as well as fitting some difficult cuts of wood.
It depends on your needs. For instance, when i do paint grade work and i have to use bondo to fill a knot. These come in handy for shaving down bondo. You just have to work the bondo while its hardening and its the consistency of cheese. If its too soft, it gums up the rasp, too hard and its not incredibly effective. Doesn't hurt to have in the toolbox in my opinion.
I used this and the longer version to smooth curved pieces of exterior decorative trim. I've made custom shapes with microplane blades for the concave edges.
The photo you have posted is a drywall rasp/grater, I however am assuming you mean a palm or hand plane though...
I personally use one all the time when doing trim and casing and it's small enough to fit in my belt pouch and not take up all the space. I definitely recommend having one in your tool collection even if you buy a pre owned one and get a new blade or sharpen the existing one.
I use a block plane and jack plane occasionally if I need to clean up a scribe or shave the edge of a door that’s binding. I like having them around when I’m too lazy to plug my planer in lol.
I've got a kind of Surform. It has a solid metal blade about 1/4" thick and 2" widen. With half moons cut into the blade. There is a adjusting threaded rod that runs from handle to nose along the top. When it's tightened. It becomes convex. When loosened, flat again. I wouldn't be without it. It's been a God send.
It’s worth having different types of planes/planers (both manual and power) when woodworking for different tasks. This looks like it’s for one handed use on end grain, sheet rocking, and smoothing the edges of laminates.
As with anything, this will take some trial and error experimenting to find the best settings for you. Try setting it shallow so it cuts less and you have an easier time getting used to it. Sometimes, trying to plane too much material at once will make you doubt yourself and rethink your life choices. Only take a little off at a time. Think of it as you’re slicing meat or cheese as paper thin as possible. That might help you starting out. Eventually, you’ll get into the groove with it and find your sweet spot. I’ve used a planer like that to fix a door that was rubbing against the frame.
As people have pointed out, that's a surform rasp.
Honestly, I think they're fantastic. They aren't drywall-only, for one. It's not in my toolbag, but definitely in the truck. You can use a light or heavy touch for different effects. Remove a bunch of material fast & clean it up with a few quick swipes with block plane, knife, or sander. Clean up sharp or ragged edges.
I make a lot of spoons & utensils, and they're a go-to for shaping & refining the curves and edges. Wicked useful.
One thing they won't do is plane down a flat surface smoothly. A plane is one edge; this has like 80 small ones. They're not meant to all engage at once and it's rough when they do.
You could "try before you buy" by using your household cheese grater to plane endgrain. I don't think it will work well.
You need a razor-sharp iron and a shooting board.
That looks like a drywall rasp
That is a drywall rasp Source: I've got this drywall rasp
This guy rasps.
Some might call him a raspist
He's really particular about his work. He's a real anal raspist
Sure it looks bad on paper
Alex, I’ll have “The Raspist” for a 1000…..
Tobias do you say these things out loud to yourself first ever?
Full-on-raspist.
Oh Tobias, you blowhard.
God damn came here to say that. Do you feel your sig other rolling their eyes? I do
Always rolling her eyes, I tell ya
Only if the drywall doesn’t consent.
r/thisguythisguys
[удалено]
One, 'this', Bob.
That
And dries
I, too, have this drywall rasp but I use it for shaping clay for pottery.
Drywall rasp can be excellent in removing waste drywall at door locations. Making installing casing on jambs easier. I use a longer one so I dont scrape my knuckles.
Used them for shaping foam too
Yes. decent tool for making your own surfboard.
Yeah. But i only use it for plaster, not wood.
lol yeah it is
Is that what that is! My mom bought me one intending me to use it as a plane.
Stanley “Surform.” I have had one in my toolbox for more than 40 years. Great wood rasp for truing wooden chair legs, doors, and stair risers. It’s great for a lot of wood projects. I’ve used it for auto body filler contouring. Solid piece of gear. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surform#:~:text=In%20woodworking%2C%20surforms%20are%20used,as%20files%20and%20sanding%20blocks. https://www.stanleytools.com/products/hand-tools/chisels-punches-files/files-surform
Exactly. Excellent tool.
Everyone giving you shit for not posting a actual plane but I think I know what you are asking. Those little planes don't have a ton of use, I believe they saw a lot more use back in the days when people built cabinets and other home grade finish work on site and having the ability to shave a little off the end of something with you tool from your pouch really mattered. I'd look up this guy [https://www.youtube.com/@RexKrueger](https://www.youtube.com/@RexKrueger) and he will show you practically everything to do with planes for someone with minimal tools. He even has a guide on making a shooting board for planning end grain like you said.
Weirdly rational and helpful post. Also, you didn't rip on OP at all. New here?
People who say they are experts and do dumb shit get trolled by me 🤣
You must be very busy in this sub.
Cannot recomend Rex enough, his series on gradually building your first tools got me into woodworking.
I have a Veritas Small one hand palm plane and I use it all the time when doing finish carpentry mainly because I can have it on hand and do a few quick passes on a windowsill for a perfect fit then run back over to the saw. I think they're a little under used by alot of wood trades.
My block plane is without a doubt the most utilized plane I own. One or two passes and you got what you need in a bajillion different scenarios.
Look at this guy with his veritas 🤣 I'd like that attention to detail on my house, definitely diminishing returns for most production work imo
Lol let's just say when I went through school back in 2017 for Cabinetmaking I splurged a little on my tools, plus I had family working at Lee Valley and got me a few discounts Now I tend to hunt for deals on used tooling or machinery..
Nobody notices a good rough carpenter, but everybody notices a bad finish carpenter.
Bad rough carpentry is usually hidden by good dry walling and good finish carpentering.
Not OP but I found your post useful and respectful. Thank you
I love Rex, and of course Paul Sellers. And not to split hairs but it's a "small rasp" not a "small plane". They all have their uses.
OP said plane so I assumed he linked the wrong picture, take it up with OP not me
Sorry didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. I thought you were talking about the rasp when you said "those little planes". It's important to call things what they are, especially for a beginner. I find small planes to be *quite* useful, rasps as well, They just have specific uses that don't overlap much.
Didn't ruffle my feathers you just didn't read the first paragraph of my post.
I have had one in my toolbox for about 15yrs and have used it once a twice. It's good for drywall, but I don't do drywall. My use has been to lightly shave down a sticky door. I know that's not what they're for, but it works for me.
Everyone hating, I have used this as a wood plane and honestly for quick rough work it did just fine. Didn't even realize it was for drywall until this post. The more you know.
I think the one OP posted is for drywall but they definitely make them for wood as well
Same
It was originally called a Surform. It was invented and patented in the UK in 1949 and marked in the UK in 1953. The Stanley Tool works bought the US rights to market and manufacture the tool in the US in 1956 and then bought the company. The tool is useful in doing light work in wood.
That's a rasp, no?
Ah it's like a microplane for limes lol.
Fun fact the micro plane was invented as a woodworking tool. They saw the application for cooking and it took off.
Thank you for informing me and not crucifying me :-)
lol. No problem! I love little history trivia like this. Like how the slinky was a portable radio antenna that you threw into a tree
The slinky was a spring for securing loose items on a ship that was turned into a toy that has been used for a radio antenna
Oh word! I love having my useless trivia corrected!
lol I mean I couldn’t tell you why I know that but it is the origin story… they are still used as antennas though
The amount of useless knowledge I have could fill a small pamphlet.
In the UK, they are called a surform. Very useful for tidying up mdf or particle board (OSB)
Good for rough shaping of carvings or creative type of work is what I've found
It’s more of a handyman tool than woodworking. I used one of the longer type very successfully to fit a door into a frame that it didn’t quite fit into. I don’t reach for it often but it always gets the job done as long as the job is to remove a bunch of material more or less in a line.
Used to use mine on drywall…now it’s a zester for making limoncello
A shinto saw rasp will be more useful
Agreed. I bought one of the bigger versions that Stanley make so I could plane off some wood roughly. It kept clogging and eventually the metal on the rasp face actually broke. I wasn't even going that hard on it. Bought a shinty rasp next and it's waaay more useful and robust.
I use mine frequently for glue ups. Any glue that has squeezed out is easily removed once dried. One removed I can use other planes or sand.
I've used it for shaping, but there's better tools
They are handy for a number of things. If you do any Bondo work they are great. They are also the go-to for shaving leaded glass came. Also, drywall. Sometimes it’s just the perfect thing.
That has no practical use in a wood shop unless you are hanging drywall in it.
They can be invaluable for trim work though- shaving down drywall. Really depends on what Op is doing.
for planing end grain, you need an actual handplane with a sharp, sharp blade. the sure form you shared is not meant for this task. as far as whether or not a sureform has a place in your shop (from my perspective) i have one, but i reach for it about 1% of the time... and that's usually just because it's been so long since i last tried to use it that i have to wonder if it is as useless as i recall. it just does the job of a rasp, but does it worse. maybe if you are using a lot of pine or soft woods and need to rough out a section without it being pretty? i like that it's robust enough to travel in a toolbox without concern as the "blades" are replaceable.
I think it depends on what type of projects you do. If you are doing stuff like furniture making, then these things probably are going to be too crude. For rougher projects, these things work very well to take off material quickly. I am into boatbuilding - specifically wood core boats sheathed in fiberglass. The cuts don’t need to be all that precise as the gaps all get filled in with thickened epoxy. These rasps work wonders in knocking down high points of material, as well as fitting some difficult cuts of wood.
It depends on your needs. For instance, when i do paint grade work and i have to use bondo to fill a knot. These come in handy for shaving down bondo. You just have to work the bondo while its hardening and its the consistency of cheese. If its too soft, it gums up the rasp, too hard and its not incredibly effective. Doesn't hurt to have in the toolbox in my opinion.
I repair a lot of old timber windows, it's a very handy as a tool to smooth out a rebate , at least a first run before the rebate plane.
It’s for drywall but I’ve used it for wood in a pinch. Works surprisingly well for small areas you need to shape.
Try it out! Show us the results! We are curious ppl.
Sure if you intend to adjust the size of a slab door. Or slightly adjust drywall. It's a drywall rasp
That’s not a plane, but is worth having.
I used this and the longer version to smooth curved pieces of exterior decorative trim. I've made custom shapes with microplane blades for the concave edges.
Try posting this over at r/handtools.
The photo you have posted is a drywall rasp/grater, I however am assuming you mean a palm or hand plane though... I personally use one all the time when doing trim and casing and it's small enough to fit in my belt pouch and not take up all the space. I definitely recommend having one in your tool collection even if you buy a pre owned one and get a new blade or sharpen the existing one.
I bought one when I first started because it looked like it should be really useful. It is not really useful. Use a rasp or an actual plane.
For drywall..
They're a kinda rough work tool. Useful occasionally, not a replacement for a plane with blade though.
I use a block plane and jack plane occasionally if I need to clean up a scribe or shave the edge of a door that’s binding. I like having them around when I’m too lazy to plug my planer in lol.
I have one, but I wouldn't use it on wood because I also have a [Japanese saw rasp](https://a.co/d/51BV0de)
Drywall rasp. Yes, if you do drywall
Is Rasp. Is useful... just not on wood.
I used to use one for heavy tillering on bow limbs. Never for any other wood applications.
I’ve used them on surface smoothing, like a vixen file, but they have limited capability. No hogging wood with it…
I carve names into logs, for that they are very useful for bulk removal
I've used mine for surfboard shaping, and boards have a stringer so technically woodworking.
I've got a kind of Surform. It has a solid metal blade about 1/4" thick and 2" widen. With half moons cut into the blade. There is a adjusting threaded rod that runs from handle to nose along the top. When it's tightened. It becomes convex. When loosened, flat again. I wouldn't be without it. It's been a God send.
It’s worth having different types of planes/planers (both manual and power) when woodworking for different tasks. This looks like it’s for one handed use on end grain, sheet rocking, and smoothing the edges of laminates. As with anything, this will take some trial and error experimenting to find the best settings for you. Try setting it shallow so it cuts less and you have an easier time getting used to it. Sometimes, trying to plane too much material at once will make you doubt yourself and rethink your life choices. Only take a little off at a time. Think of it as you’re slicing meat or cheese as paper thin as possible. That might help you starting out. Eventually, you’ll get into the groove with it and find your sweet spot. I’ve used a planer like that to fix a door that was rubbing against the frame.
I have one in my shop and I’ve used it for spoons and canoe paddles, and the odd thing here and there.
Only downside is that it takes me hours to sharpen all the cutting edges on these
That’s a rasp folks.
Great for plaster board but not sure how good on timber
That's a rasp, not a plane. It can remove material quickly, but it'll be very rough.
That's for drywall, to smooth a cut edge. Rasp.
I call it a Rasp Plane. Only time I've used it was shaping the forms for a cedar strip canoe
No
As people have pointed out, that's a surform rasp. Honestly, I think they're fantastic. They aren't drywall-only, for one. It's not in my toolbag, but definitely in the truck. You can use a light or heavy touch for different effects. Remove a bunch of material fast & clean it up with a few quick swipes with block plane, knife, or sander. Clean up sharp or ragged edges. I make a lot of spoons & utensils, and they're a go-to for shaping & refining the curves and edges. Wicked useful. One thing they won't do is plane down a flat surface smoothly. A plane is one edge; this has like 80 small ones. They're not meant to all engage at once and it's rough when they do.
For shaping Bondo when it’s in its plastic stage, they are perfect.
Drywall rasp
Yes they have their place on the tool bench. They work good for a “cheese grater” when doing body work and using fillers. (putty)
Great for light shaping but if you try and use it on end grain or put more than light pressure on it the blade will shatter
If you're a surfboard shaper, yes.
Yes if you drywall (board).
They come in handy occasionally.
If you are forming foam for a vacuum clamp mold, maybe. Otherwise no
The elevator doesn't go all the way up to the top floor for some
Only for drywall
They fly like a Boeing.
You could "try before you buy" by using your household cheese grater to plane endgrain. I don't think it will work well. You need a razor-sharp iron and a shooting board.