Switched from a handheld rasp to a stand grinder for my own shoes

I used to do all my rasping by hand, it took forever and my hands would ache bad. Last month I finally bought a used stand grinder from a guy in Boise, and I tried it on a set of keg shoes. It cut my time from about 20 minutes a shoe down to maybe 8, and the fit on the hoof is way more even. Has anyone else made that swap and found a big time savings?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerj228d ago

Man that hand rasp grind is real, my knuckles used to be wrecked after a dozen shoes. Making the switch to a stand grinder changed the whole game for me too, so much more consistent pressure across the shoe. Happy to hear you're saving time and getting better fits, it makes the whole process way less miserable.

murray.drew8d ago

You ever actually try to dial in the speed on a hand rasp though? I get the appeal of stand grinders but I've found the hand rasp lets me feel the leather way better, especially around the toe spring where you gotta be careful not to go too thin. My knuckles are toast too but I'll take that over grinding a spot too deep and ruining a pair. Plus you can't beat the control when you're doing repairs on older shoes with weird wear patterns.

nancycooper8d ago

Naw, I get what you're saying about feel, but a good stand grinder saves my hands and still gives me plenty of control.