Chop chop chop

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have always just sort of resigned myself to the unhappy fate of having the end grain faces of my chisel-chopped joinery look like - - well - - it was hacked out with an old cold chisel.
Yah yah they are all hidden deep in the joint and don't show but they look so awful when un-assembled.

Every once in a while I hear about some guy who insists on paring his joinery down that last bit to get the cleanest end grain he can. I've seen one guy's claim that he "NEVER" uses a hammer on his work that all of it is paring from the get go. I found that claim a tad hard to swallow.

Any way, doz any o' yous galoots have a dab hand at not shredding the end grain when chopping out your DTs or mortises? If so wot yous doin?

[Mike Henderson]

I don't care what it looks like since it doesn't show. I think I've had DT which had fairly smooth end grain but I don't really remember since it wasn't important to me.

I don't think the area should look "hacked up" since you might have to sand or plane that area deeply (for some reason) and the hacks would show up as gaps in the DT. But beyond that, why would you worry about it?

Mike

[Brent Smith]

I usually take a final paring cut on the end grain before assembling the joint. Two reasons; to give it a bit of an under cut where necessary, or to make sure I've got flat mating surfaces in other joints........... and just because it makes it look purty.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I recall one feller who uses a triangular rasp to clean his up, he's got a web site somewhere.

[Jack Camillo]

good saw will do it. pare with sharp chisel if necessary. sharp block plane helps it needed.

[Brent Smith]

I recall one feller who uses a triangular rasp to clean his up, he's got a web site somewhere.

Rasp, float, chisel, plane......they're all going to get you to the same result, whether the end grain looks good or not :).

[Jeff Craven]

Any way, doz any o' yous galoots have a dab hand at not shredding the end grain when chopping out your DTs or mortises? If so wot yous doin?
Putting a sharper edge on the chisel. ;)