Replies

1. 
   roc | Feb 24, 2012 10:41pm | #1

   More practice with the chisel. Sharp . . . chisel

   A file will tend to burnish the surfaces.  This is undesirable for the following reasons :

   • reduced glue joint strength

   • the glue will tend to bead up rather than spread out because the burnished surface has higher surface tension.  The sanding reduces the surface tension.  So does chiseling.

   Filing can push wood fibers out on the side of the work the file exits. This can make the joint appear to be a poorer fit than it actually may be and at the very least makes the scribed lines harder to see.

   Parring with a chisel in the right way will not break out wood fibers.

   It is easier to pare to a knifed line with a chisel than with a file.  Start it exactly where one wants it and cut.  Filing and hoping to get the right number of strokes seems hit or miss and looking after each stroke sounds inefficient.

   Sanding or filing will (I have found from my experience ) always round the area that you intend to keep flat. In many cases it is even desirable to make the "flat" actually microscopically concave for a better / tighter looking fit up.

   By the way there are files available that do not have teeth on the edge for the reason you have mentioned.  But you probably already know that.

   Nope . . . I will be sticking to my nice chisels.

   PS: one area I have found use for files is to trim the ends of the pins after the dovetail joint is glued up and cured.  A bit of tape on the end of the file to protect the drawer side.  Burnishing is actually kind of desirable in this case because it shows off the end grain of the pins nicely.

   PPS: router ?  What is this router you mention for dovetaling ?

    :   )  

1. 
   RalphBarker | Feb 25, 2012 12:40pm | #2

   Router - it's an off-shoot of the "git-er-done" (to be spoken with the appropriate Cableguy accent) concept. Although routers have existed for many decades, their application to fine woodworking is still a matter of considerable controversy. ;-)

2. 
   roc | Feb 25, 2012 08:32pm | #3

   Well Then

   Is there a router attachment that I can use to make my iPad stop dropping out of the FWW site ?

   It didn't used to do that.  May be a change in the forum soft ware here or may  be due to the fancy interactive/full function wowiezowie new generation iBooks that I just bought that are about as touchy as a mother in law who has just been invited over to see the old artist's studio where her daughter is going to live.

   Or what ?

     

1. 
   RalphBarker | Mar 10, 2012 03:22pm | #4

   iPad jigs

   Have you considered a PC OmniJig for your iPad? That way, you could position your tail wherever it needed to be for proper viewing.  ;-)

   The problem with iPads and iPhones is that they don't follow existing industry standards for HTML and CSS, so all the forum-software makers are being forced to adapt to what Apple wants to do to preserve their battery life. Once again, the tail is wagging the dog.

1. 
   roc | Mar 10, 2012 10:19pm | #5

   Oh Thanks !

   You have enlightened me.

   HTML and CSS vs Apple's ideas etc.

   I sometimes forget and try to operate in the Netflix web site using the iPad. Boy howdy does that suck.  Well in the past; the last couple of times I forgot how bad it can be and just tried to change something in my Que it has actually worked pretty well.  In the past though it was enough to make me just burst out laughing it was so slow or uncooperative.

   Usually I am disappointed in the apps for web sites, partly because I can't enlarge things like I can on the regular site and can't navigate around as completely and I just go to the regular .com site.  The BBC news site verses the app is one example.

   Using the iPad I go to the BBC almost every day but I never use the iPad app for the BBC.

3. 
   Rob_Sp | Apr 08, 2012 02:00pm | #6

   Dovetails

   . I am no purist when it comes to power tools or jigs, I have a shop full of them, However with the exception of a Keller dovetail jig which is only used on "production" cabinet drawers my jigs are always shopmade. With that being said  I think many new woodworkers cheat themselves by not taking the time to learn hand skills. This is especially true of dovetails. A custom piece deserves no less, not to mention the satisfaction of hand cutting them. I also believe there is a subtle character to hand made dovetails that is unmatched by a router and jig.

   Try cutting the tails, whether full or half blind with a good dovetail saw precisely to the layout line, then chopping or paring to the lines with a sharp chisel, with a bit of practice further fitting is less likely to be needed-if it is a chisel is far superior to a file or sandpaper. I also sometimes use a router freehand to waste the majority of material between the pins of half blinds but I had to chuckle at the guy in your article, it looks like he is trying to drive a tack with a sledgehammer(with due respect if it works for him-have at it), a laminate trimmer with a sprial 1/4" bit makes more sense to me..  

   As an aside, I was working on a sill cupboard a few weeks ago, I was joining the top to the sides with through dovetails. The sides were six feet tall and very awkward, as the dovetails would be completely hidden from view in the finished piece  I thought "what the hell" and took the Keller jig from its hook where it's been for a couple of years or so.... then I started thinking about dragging out the router, bit changes, test cuts, noise and dust and hung it back up. I cut the tails and pins on a step ladder and chopped out the waste with a chisel and mallet flat on my bench ,I doubt it took much longer than the jig would have.and was much more satisfying.

   Just my two cents

   Whatever you choose to do, have fun and good luck