Toolipedia: Drywall Rasp

What is a drywall rasp?

A drywall rasp is a handy tool for fine tuning cuts for drywall. A drywall rasp comes in handy on occasions where a piece of drywall is cut out for windows, patches, receptacles or other holes and is too large. Trying to cut small amounts of drywall off to refit a piece with a utility knife or keyhole saw can cause the drywall to break and fracture. A drywall rasp acts similar to a cheese grater skimming off small amounts of drywall with each pass. There are a variety of rasp designs though most have a similar opened, cross-hatched blade. Here are the basic parts of a drywall rasp:

1. Handle
2. Cutting blade
3. Reservoir or drywall cutting catch

Drywall professionals, remodelers and DIYers may all use a drywall rasp to trim pieces of drywall.

How is a drywall rasp used?

Operation basics

• Mark the area on the drywall where it needs to be trimmed
• Draw the rasp back in a pulling stroke (some models can use both pull or push strokes)
• Clean out the reservoir frequently

Accessories needed

• Replacement blades

Safety

• Using a drywall rasp can produce significant dust: use proper eye and respiratory protection

What are the different types of drywall rasp?

• There are a variety of designs of drywall rasps based on handle shape
  • Plane style
  • Sanding block style
  • Handheld
• Some drywall rasps have permanent blades
• Some drywall rasps have different types of cutting heads

What makes a good drywall rasp?

• Ergonomic handle
• Replaceable blades
• Multiple Cutting edges
• Easily cleanable dust catch

Tajima makes a high quality drywall rasp.

Drywall Rasp Tip

Do a couple of passes with the rasp and check the fit to ensure that you don’t overcut the drywall and leave a large gap.

Learn more about drywall here.