Rasping Tools are those which act by abrasion or rubbing away the material to which they are applied.

There are many kinds of saws in use, but those which the amateur artisan will most require are the Hand Saw, Tenon Saw, Dovetail Saw, Keyhole Saw, and Frame Saw. These are sufficient for all ordinary work. To these, in order to save wear and tear of the hand saw, a saw called a rip, or ripping, saw may be added. This saw has large, triangular teeth, and is used for sawing along the grain. It is therefore useful for sawing planks, battens, and boards the way of the grain; the work being done more expeditiously with a rip saw than a hand saw.

The Hand Saw is generally useful, and will serve the purpose of a rip saw or a panel saw, a finer kind of saw used by joiners.

The Tenon Saw is used more especially for cutting across the grain of the wood, and leaves the surface of the wood that is divided by it as smooth as is possible when the nature of the operation is considered. The blade is of necessity thin and fine, and, in order to keep it straight when in use, it is inserted into a back of iron or brass. It is worked by means of a handle differing in form from that of the hand saw. A tenon saw to be really useful should be from 14 to 18 inches in length.

The Dovetail Saw and the Sash Saw are nothing more than tenon saws of small size, being identical with these in shape and make. They range from 8 to 12 inches in length.

The Keyhole Saw consists of a long narrow movable blade. The handle is pierced throughout with a narrow slit sufficiently large to allow of the easy passage of the saw. It is useful for cutting out curved work, while rough coarse fretwork may be done with it, and perforated work for rough carving.

Rasps, generally speaking, are used in carpentry for cutting away or smoothing wood, or for wearing away the sharp edge left in a circular hole that has been cut out with the keyhole saw, so as to impart a bevel to it sloping from above to the under part. A rasp is flat on one side and slightly convex on the other, and is covered with fine projecting points beaten up by a mallet and punch. They are of different degrees of roughness.

The File, whose ridges are finer than those of the rasp, is used for cutting metal and sharpening saws.