Touching Up Dovetails With a File?

[James White]

If I want to use a file to clean up dovetails. What kind of file should it be? Hopefully something Lee Valley caries. I am working on putting an order together. All the wood files I have are too thick to fit an 3/16"-1/4" space that I have between the tails I am currently doing.

I see these but they don't spec the thickness. What do some of you use?

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=63451&cat=1,42524

James

[Andrew Yang]

I'm definitely not an expert, and certainly don't have any customers, but I use a chisel. Isn't that the traditional way of touching up the surfaces if they're not good enough from the saw?

[David Weaver]

I'm not quite sure I follow why a file is being used, but were I going to imitate what you would use on metal, especially something on a tail where you would need to work into a corner, I would buy a swiss barette file.

Search "Grobet Barrette Swiss" on amazon.

But i would generally avoid using files on them to begin with, or you'll need to use extra glue to cover up that you cannot make a perfectly flat file motion freehanded (you'll be rounding over edges whether you want to or not).

[Derek Gilmer]

When I began oh so many weeks ago cutting dovetails by hand the first thing I grabbed to adjust the fit was a file. My pins were fairly thick because I like the look better so a normal fine file worked ok. I have since moved on to a good sharp chisel. It is to me much much easier than filing. Mainly because of the rounding over problem David mentions.

If you are set on abrading away the wood, perhaps sand paper held taut would work better? It is thin and you can easily get the grit you want to move between fast and slow stock removal.

[Jim Matthews]

I prefer to use the Yeung Chan derived chisels for this...

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=46035&cat=1,41504

They only cut on one side. If a file can leave a glue-ready surface, that might work but I would be concerned about rounding off corners.

[James White]

I thought it was a common accepted practice. I actually read it on this forum. The argument was that paring with a chisel tended to follow the grain of the wood (I agree). But I also agree that the file could lead to rounding. I guess I better just get better at sawing perpendicular.:D

James

[Sean Hughto]

A chisel will not follow the grain if you pare across the grain. The better you get at marking and sawing, the less futzing you need. While futzing can work for some, for most it just makes things progressively worse.

[george wilson]

Definitely use a chisel. A barrette Swiss file,unless VERY coarse,will get you nowhere fast. As said,it will lead to rounding. Depends upon your skill,of course,but a real sharp chisel is what I'd use.

[David Weaver]

Definitely use a chisel. A barrette Swiss file,unless VERY coarse,will get you nowhere fast.

I don't think even the coarsest cut would do anything but plug with wood dust, and it would probably leave an unacceptable ragged finish if it's supposed to be fine work.

Makes a nice file for planemaking though, but metal ╪ wood

[Rick Erickson]

I would like to meet the person (who posts on this site) who has had repeatable success using a file. I couldn't imagine. A chisel is significantly quicker and infinitely easier.

[Chen-Tin Tsai]

Even though I'm a dovetail newbie, I've found that with a bit of practice, my dovetails now meet cleanly, saw cut to saw cut. I use a fret saw to remove the bulk of the waste from the spaces between the pins and tails, and then some quick paring with a chisel cleans it up.

[geoff wood]

if you have left the lines showing on the dovetails, put the tailboard vertical in your vise. then take a scrap board and hold/clamp it behind the dovetails. then pair down to the line, across the grain, with a REALLY sharp chisel that is wide enough to pair the entire dovetail. the sacrificial board will help it from blowing the dovetail apart... this is real easy with thick stock, not so easy with small delicate tails.

[Jim Koepke]

My dovetails look bad enough without messing them up with a file.

My only excuse is that I use pine.

And that is no excuse at all.

jtk

[Prashun Patel]

I used a rasp on my first few dovetails. It does roundover. There's no shortcutting good marking, sawing, and chiseling technique (I am not there yet).

I do notice though that EVERYONE seems to get it with enough practice.

I also notice that there are no tricks or guides that or jigs that substitute for that.

[Pam Niedermayer]

James, maybe the posts to which you are referring involve making infill planes? For dovetailed infills it is recommended that files be used to clean up the metal joinery.

Pam

[Jon Toebbe]

While futzing can work for some, for most it just makes things progressively worse.
+1 to this. The more I "improve" a joint, the worse it gets -- especially dovetails. I don't split the line every time (heck, not even most of the time, to be honest), but it sure is sweet when I do. :) I always start out with a few practice cuts in scrap, sometimes even making full practice joints to get warmed up. That has really helped avoiding futzing.

[James White]

Thank you all for your input. I am really not that bad. I almost get to splitting the line on the front. Then just a hair more left on the back. I am comfortable with pairing that. Then I lay the back of the chisel against the entire surface to make sure it is all flat and no gaps. Again I was asking about "touching up" minor imperfections. More or less I was looking to add something to my LV order if it would be desirable. I don't recall the exact post. But more than one person was advocating using a file and one person said I don't know why more people don't do it. I guess I have a bit of egg on my face for assuming that this was a common practice. Thanks all again for being helpful.

James

[Brian Ashton]

I've got all of these files. I wouldn't be using them for finely trimming a dovetail. Cross grain is too rough as they cut very aggressively