Michel Auriou released a statement stating that the best maker of handcrafted rasps and rifflers, has shut down its Saint-Juery factory, France. This was after a long labor dispute with its workers.
The Auriou company has been making rasps by hand since 1856, and have only recently become available to woodworkers in the United States and Canada, where they have been hailed as outstanding tools. Many North American catalog companies still stock the tools, so make sure you have your credit card ready. Once that stock is gone, there will be no more.
Mike Hancock, the Auriou representative for the United States and the United Kingdom, said that the company had been growing quickly during the last few years, but that some employees refused to work overtime to keep up with demand. After the August factory shutdown, the situation worsened and the company was handed to liquidators.
The full text of Michel Aurious statement about the closure can be downloaded below.
Aurious rasps are, without a doubt, the most prized rasps in the shop, even more so than the Nicholson patternmakers rasps that most people consider as the best. Auriou also created carving tools, adzes, and other tools.
Here are some places we know of that sell Aurious. Act fast.
Our recommendations on the best rasps depend on how you work. A cabinetmaker rasp is usually followed by one of the modellers rasps. Weve also used the rifflers, which are excellent, if your work demands it. I’m not sure how precise ours are. We like the fact that our rasps are coarser than those of cabinetmakers.
If all those options are exhausted, we suggest you look at the Gramercy Tools handmade raspberry from Tools for Working Wood. Though not quite as perfect as the Aurious, they are high-quality tools.
Get the complete Michel Aurious statement text.
