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IMG_1586.jpgHere is a picture of my set. Several of them have flat faces, but several others are curved. Has anyone tried chemical sharpening of floats? Two of them are marked "Hosson Houghton" on one side and "Special Alloy" on the other. Google doesn't turn up anything on them. The set came from the UK if that is helpful.
Last edited by Dave Bozell; 03-15-2017 at 7:32 AM.
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Does anyone make any thing like that anymore? Seems they would be quite handy.
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No way of telling the exact intended original use of these floats, but fitting gun actions would one one use. However, since they came in many widths, there must have been another use in mind. I have made similar floats myself, for smoothing the bottom of violin peg mortises. Brownell's still offers a dog leg float for gun action use. But, only in one width, if I recall correctly.Pattern making can encompass a myriad of shapes,so they may well have been made for pattern makers. You know,way back when making patterns was more than making box shapes stacked upon other box shapes(at lease on modern metal lathes! No aesthetics at all,any more. They used to make the shapes to fit around the gears inside(like Bridgeport milling machines still do). Now it's all boxes.
Last edited by george wilson; 03-17-2017 at 9:49 AM.
Contributor
I wonder if they were used by a pattern maker to size keyways in patterns for pulleys and gears. Years ago I did business with a pattern maker that had all manner of custom woodworking tools like these. He also had a warehouse full of 8/4 pattern grade mahogany (drool).
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
Member
Smoothing out keyways makes sense.
[OP]
Member
Joinery Floats are sized with cabinet making and furniture building in mind. They are capable of extremely precise work.
https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4089/joinery-floats
https://www.fine-tools.com/carvingfile.html
Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 03-18-2017 at 9:18 PM.
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