Improving A Useful Tool

Many, many years ago a dear friend gifted me a pair of “Shinto” rasps, and for some time they sat in the drawer.  Slowly I began to incorporate them into my work, and recently I have integrated them fully into my projects as needed.  The tool really does hog off material unlike anything else in the shop.

Sometimes the bulkiness of the rear handle and the outboard front handle were not a problem, there were times they even provided the perfect place for my hands to grab them and really bear down on the work.

Other times the handles simply got in the way and I tried removing them.  The cutting surfaces then come into direct contact with your, which hand is about a -5 on the pleasantness meter.  I tried wrapping the ends with electrician’s tape but found that to be an unsatisfactory long-term solution.  However, by adding appropriate-sized rubber chair leg tips over friction tape I now do have a setup that pleases me very much.  I suspect I will be using this tool even more in the future.