Tool for floor tillering black locust?

[TacticalFate]

I have some locust staves, and unlike other (softer) woods I've used, my favorite floor tillering tool (surform) does not work on locust very well. I do have a farriers rasp, but that takes forever. I can sometimes floor tiller with a drawknife with softer woods, but locust tears out too easily. Is a Shinto rasp more aggressive on locust than a farrier's rasp?

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I work quite a bit of black locust. I get it starting to move with my full weight with a draw knife. Then I use the coarse side of the ferriers rasp o get it to about a 18" draw before I swap over to a scraper. This usually goes pretty quick for me.

Kyle

[Morgan]

I have some locust staves, and unlike other (softer) woods I've used, my favorite floor tillering tool (surform) does not work on locust very well. I do have a farriers rasp, but that takes forever. I can sometimes floor tiller with a drawknife with softer woods, but locust tears out too easily. Is a Shinto rasp more aggressive on locust than a farrier's rasp?

I’ve only worked with one blacklocust stave. With my drawknife, I had to work it bevel down. If I cut bevel up with the flat against the stave it would bite too deep and pull big splinters.

[DC]

I've only worked a couple of BL bows but my farriers rasp worked quite fast. I would say that my Shinto is a tad slower but does a nicer finish. How old is your rasp, maybe it's dull/ worn out?

[George Tsoukalas]

I've made lots of BL bows with a surform. To eliminate tear outs I alternate with a scraper.
Jawge

[Pat B]

Slow down!   The farriers rasp should be a pretty aggressive tool for wood removal. Generally from floor tiller to finish I use a #49 rasp and a scraper with just the scraper towards the end. I made lots of locust bows in my early days. Split locust fence rails are readily available around here. I thought it worked similar to osage.

[osage outlaw]

If your farriers rasp is to slow for you then you need a new farriers rasp.  A good one will remove wood very quickly. 

[ohma2]

X 2

[Jim Davis]

I think it was Tim Baker mentioned (with a warning how it can take wood off in a hurry) the use of a band saw as a power rasp. If I want to take wood off faster to approach floor tiller, I drag the belly of the stave against the side of the tooth edge. It's pretty easy to regulate a cut of 1/6" or so. If there is an eighth of an inch to come off, it's a real time saver.

As I have said before, I'd rather shoot than make bows, so getting there is way LESS than half the fun, for me.