A rasp is a coarse hand tool used primarily for shaping wood or other materials by removing large amounts of material quickly. It consists of a tapered steel bar with individually cut, raised teeth and often has a handle attached to a pointed tang. Rasps come in various shapes such as rectangular, round, and half-round, and vary in coarseness from fine to very coarse, making them suitable for rough shaping before finer tools are used for smoothing
. Rasps are commonly used in woodworking to chamfer corners, round edges, and shape curved surfaces. They remove wood rapidly without causing tearout and are easier to control than drawknives. After rasping, the rough surface left behind is typically refined with files or sandpaper
. In summary, a rasp is a woodworking tool designed for rough shaping and rapid material removal, characterized by its coarse, individually cut teeth on a steel bar
