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+-- Thread: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? (/showthread.php?tid=7350076)
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Tony Z - 09-04-2019
I've used a #13 Auriou flat rasp to flatten a missed cut through tail, but......
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - bandit571 - 09-04-2019
I MIGHT use a coping saw like a file....but that is about it....usually just a sharp chisel will do...
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Woodenfish - 09-05-2019
I think all the good woodworking tips are already known. All the latest one’s are pure horse hockey.
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Bibliophile 13 - 09-05-2019
I’ve tried it before, and it works fine if you’re careful. But it’s quite slow. I generally just pare to the line with a chisel, which I find to be faster and just as accurate. I could see it being a good option for very small adjustments when working very hard woods.
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - rwe2156 - 09-10-2019
Seems to me like a good way to screw it up.
I'm surprised FWW would publish that.
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - adamcherubini - 09-10-2019
(09-03-2019, 11:41 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: The latest Fine Woodworking issue has a reader's tip on using a file to fine fit the dovetail joint. Is a file part of your dovetail kit too?
Simon
You gotta keep telling yourself the intention is to encourage woodworkers to work wood and enjoy it. This might help some guys. I don't think I've ever filed a dovetail. If you asked me I'd probably say its unnecessary and potentially a bad idea, but some guys may find this to be just the thing!
Adam
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Derek Cohen - 09-10-2019
I saw the article on the FWW website and posted a comment.
Looking at the method used - laying the file against the wood - I was concerned and advised that anyone trying this technique needed to grind off the teeth from the edges of the file ... essentially turning the file into a "safe file". To not do so will cause the file to not only remove waste from the side of the socket, but also from the floor!
Regards from Perth
Derek
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - TraditionalToolworks - 09-10-2019
For me the answer is simple. If you need to use a file to clean up your dovetails, you need to practice your sawing techniques more so that you can split the line. If you cut your dovetails properly there should be no reason to clean them up, and if you do need to clean them up, a chisel works fine for the occasional miss.
Using a file on a dovetail is using the wrong tool, I wouldn't use one, but that is just me.
Cheers,
Alan
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Handplanesandmore - 09-10-2019
(09-10-2019, 12:02 PM)Derek Cohen Wrote: I saw the article on the FWW website and posted a comment.
To not do so will cause the file to not only remove waste from the side of the socket, but also from the floor!
Regards from Perth
Derek
Good point.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2019/09/05/workshop-tip-use-a-file-to-pare-hand-cut-dovetails
Simon
RE: Do you use a file in your dovetail work? - Handplanesandmore - 09-10-2019
TraditionalToolworks
For me the answer is simple. If you need to use a file to clean up your dovetails, you need to practice your sawing techniques more so that you can split the line.
Cheers,
Alan
That's Alan Peters's approach, too, and Cosman calls it "sawcut to sawcut."
Simon