OK, I have cut my dovetails. I am ready to assemble and glue my box together. However, 2 sides of my box have “long” dovetails”. They fit nice and tight, but they hang longer than the edge. I thought about sanding these down, but that is end grain and it will take 3 days to get through it with sand paper and I also run the risk of botching up other areas.
My question: Can I use a plane on this? If so, should I use a low angle block plane to clean them up? How can I prevent grain blow out? Should I plane from outside to inside?
Thanks!
darkmagneto
Replies
Yes, DM, a plane would work. For the amount of dovetail work I do now, it's all I use
Apparently, a router can also be used to with a false base approx 8" x 6", attached so that it covers half the bit/base.
Then set the bottom of the bit to be just above the surface of the drawer side and trim the dovetails almost flush.
Too much mucking around for me to justify, but.
Cheers,
eddie
eddie,
Which way do you plane? In, towards the piece or away from the piece?
darkmagneto
Towards the centre of the workpiece, DM
Cheers (back to work),
eddie
Dark,
You can use a plane for this job. I like to plane from each end towards the center if it's a fairly wide piece like a chest end, or a deep drawer. For a narrower piece, sometimes it's easier to pare one side flush with a sharp chisel, tapering out towards the center, then plane from the other end. The pared end won't break out when you plane across it. Use a sharp plane, and a light cut.
If you want to, you could set up a router with a flush trim bit and mill the excess off. I usually only do this if I have multiple joints to clean up, you'll still have to scrape or sand after you rout.
Regards,
Ray
Dark,
As others have written, a block plane is perfect for this job; and plane from the corner towards the middle. I don't own a low-angle block plane, but my plane old standard angle plane does just fine.
Make sure your iron is sharp: I mean SHARP! Take a very fine cut. It can help on end grain if you skew the plane; turning the plane thirty or forty degrees from the direction of the stroke lowers the effective cutting angle, which often improves performance on end grain.
Alan
Flush trim bit.
Darkmagneto,
it is sacriledge but I've been known to knock-down those protruding parts on my TS to get it within a mil or 2 (or if I'm real lucky and got the drawer glued up square in all planes then completely flush) and then finish off with a low angle block or smoother.
The flush cutting handsaws can work too.
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