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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?
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My go-to tool is an 6X89 edge sander.
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08-12-2018, 11:08 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-12-2018, 11:09 AM by BrokenOlMarine.)
I just finished exactly this task. I used a razor sharp chisel, working in toward the box and cutting very thin shavings until the joints were flush (ish). I then sanded with 220, 320...
The entire box was sanded to 400 at the end, assuring the pins matched.
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(08-12-2018, 10:42 AM)Wood Wrote: My go-to tool is an 6X89 edge sander.
This, most times.
Steve
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The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020
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I use a palm router, with a flush trim bit, to clean up the proud ends of the box joints on boxes I make. I don't have an edge sander and I used to use a belt sander or ROS, with a coarse belt/disc to do it. I would occasionally round over the corners a bit. Easy to do with the aggressive grit. The flush trim bit works better for me.
These boxes I make are 10" x 11" x 23", with 1/2" thick stock.
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Depending on the size of the piece, I'll stick a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface with some Super 77 adhesive and do it by hand. I have a couple of fairly good sized granite tiles for this, and have also used the tablesaw top (gasp!) More control than with the belt sander, and particularly good for getting something with feet on it to sit flat.
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I get by with a random orbital sander.
My Rigid (from Home Depot) cuts much faster than my old Porter-Cable unit and collects dust better too. It will hook up to a shop vac too.
On the fastest setting it cuts scary-fast, especially with 60 grit.
The soft start has a long delay that took some getting used to.
And just $60.00-- a bargain too.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-5-in-.../100053683
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