08-12-2018, 10:10 AM
About every three years the scrap pile fills up so that I start making boxes. Typically, very thin stock--3/8" or 1/2" thick, exposed dovetails. Delicate things. As we are all aware, nothing is perfect and finishing up work needs doing to trim back proud dovetails, or trim off the walnut toothpicks inserted to fill a gap. A box has to be perfect--in a package this small, the eye picks up a lot and the fingers even more.
To date, I've done all this finishing up work handplanes. But doing it this way is tedious, and sometimes problematic. I've had endgrain on a dovetail chip out on the exit stroke, a sudden piece tear-out, etc. In once case I made a mistake that cause the force of the plane stroke to rip apart one particularly delicate box. I am not normally a sander type guy, but am seeing the wisdom of the 6" wide stationary belt sanders some boxmakers use.
For this kind of work, which tool-with-a-tail is your favorite?
To date, I've done all this finishing up work handplanes. But doing it this way is tedious, and sometimes problematic. I've had endgrain on a dovetail chip out on the exit stroke, a sudden piece tear-out, etc. In once case I made a mistake that cause the force of the plane stroke to rip apart one particularly delicate box. I am not normally a sander type guy, but am seeing the wisdom of the 6" wide stationary belt sanders some boxmakers use.
For this kind of work, which tool-with-a-tail is your favorite?
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