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• Sunday, March 24th, 2019
NT Dresser

Here are a couple of handy little tools that might get overlooked. More important, they call to mind a similar shop-made necessity

I got these NT Dresser mini rasps from Lee Valley, who call them “Japanese finger files,” as a last minute add-on to an order. No regrets though, because over the past year I have found them very helpful for finishing off details. 

Made of stainless steel and only .023″ thick including the grit, they can get into very narrow recesses. Yet they are stiff enough, when backed up as needed with a finger, to apply adequate cutting pressure and to preserve crisp details. Below, I am holding the half-round mini rasp, which is, of course, stiffer than the flat one. 

NT Dresser mini rasps

The “grit” is composed of tiny rough, tough knobs on the steel plate. Unlike conventional detail rasps, the NT Dressers cut in any direction so they can work in some places that those other tools cannot. I easily clear them of wood dust with the same stiff hog bristle brush that I use on regular rasps.  

NT Dresser grit

The “medium” grit sold by Lee Valley is actually quite fine. The tool feels about like 220-grit sandpaper but leaves a surface more like 320-grit sandpaper. These are not aggressive tools; they are for details. 

NT Cutter (Japan) makes these in different shapes and grits, along with a line of larger tools. 

I’ve always kept a set of these little shop-made sanding sticks, pictured below, for use in countless detail and touch-up situations. They are probably not in any book’s list of important woodworking tools but I consider them shop necessities. They’re just PSA sandpaper (or glued-on regular sandpaper) on a squared-off tongue depressor or similar sliver of wood. The NT Dresser tools are more nimble though, which makes them a good complement to the old standbys.

shop-made sanding sticks

Made or bought, sometimes these humble little tools are just what you need. 

Category: Tools and Shop
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2 Responses

  1. 1
    Job Couwenberg 

    Thank you for sharing Rob! I think you are totaly right. It is very handy. I personaly use something simular. I use diamant files that are even thinner for detail work on knife spines. but I also use them for other kind of detail work. So I can understand that this comes in very handy if you do a lot of detail work in wood. Great tip for the people who are not using these kind of files.

  2. 2
    Rob 

    Thanks, Job.
    Rob