Do you use a file in your dovetail work?

[adamcherubini]

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

Right on queue! The puffy shirt police have arrived!

[TraditionalToolworks]

Right on queue! The puffy shirt police have arrived!

Nope, no puffy shirts here, and you won't find me working in my long underwear either.


Cheers,
Alan

[TraditionalToolworks]

That's Alan Peters's approach, too, and Cosman calls it "sawcut to sawcut."

Most of my dovetail technique, but not all, comes from Cosman. I've always liked how he explains it. It was Cosman's explanation of the houndstooth that got me to try them on projects.

My affection for dovetails led me to build a log home using them, at least attempting. Hoping to get the shell on the foundation soon. The half dovetail is one of the most remarkable joints of all time, IMO. You don't have to worry about pins and tails, it's all tails. Interesting, when working with large timbers, I do my layout with a fine ink pen and split the line with an Olaf knife, rough out close to the line with a chainsaw, and sneak up on the line with a small Stanley 60-1/2 hand plane. A handsaw works to rough out also. The idea with half dovetails is to dish the center and leave the edges of the flat proud so the joint fits nicely. Most of log building can be done with a sparse amount of hand tools. This is exactly the opposite way I do it for cabinet work. For all of that I try to make my cut count, and that means splitting the line when at all possible.

Cheers,
Alan

[jstraw]

What I learned this week for better woodworking:

Short handle sledgehammers and files.

I think I’ll stick to my testing this week with how much difference a new, thick chip breaker and blade makes on an old Sargent 4 1/2 plane.

[Handplanesandmore]

What I learned this week for better woodworking:

Short handle sledgehammers and files.

Simon

[Aram]

Short handle sledgehammers and files.

Prison break thread