Microplane Tools

Woodworking

• The Microplane tool line began with the Microplane rasp. The tool is made through a process known as photo-etching where the holes are made by using a chemical instead of drilling. This creates a tool that finely slices, not tears, wood. Rasps are commonly used for cleanup and smoothing saw cuts. Shaping rasps are used for shaping and smoothing final carves. Microplane also offers rotary shapers that attach to a drill to perform jobs normally reserved for belt or drum sanders. The company is currently working on the development of a stainless steel sandpaper.

Kitchen Tools

• It wasn't long before the Microplane rasp found its way into the American kitchen. By 1995, the woodworking tool was routinely purchased for kitchen rather than garage use. Homemakers and professional chefs discovered the rasp was an effective zester and grater. While the company may have been surprised by this turn of events they adapted to their consumer's desires. Grace Manufacturing currently offers numerous kitchen tools including pizza cutters, cheese and herb mills, peelers and sea salt shavers.

Personal Care

• The use of the Microplane rasp seems to be continually evolving. According to Chris Grace, Richard's son, in an article in the "New York Times," a woman used a Microplane to grate the calluses from the soles of her feet before attending a wedding where she was wearing sandals. The company responded by marketing a foot file in 2004. The Microplane personal care line now includes a buffing pad, designed to be used as the finishing step after foot filing, and spa socks to protect and pamper your feet.

Medical Products

• Grace Manufacturing took the Microplane technology to the next level by introducing a series of medical and surgical products. The company offers a disposable acetabular reamer. This is a device used to prepare a patient's hip socket for surgical implants. The company also manufactures blades designed for cutting through bone as well as bone mills used to shape and grind bone into paste.