Took my new face float for a drive

[Kent A Bathurst]

Couple months ago, I got an LN face float and a cheek float. Priorities got juggled. Back on track.

Making A+C dining room table, plus end tables and chairs. But - the dining table is the critter that has large through-tenons. 2-5/8" x 11/16" though 3" square legs, and an I-dunno-yet [maybe, like, 13/16" x 7"] where the stretcher joins the lower end rails.

Anywhooooo......cut the leg mortises + rail tenons. Time to tune them up for a nice, tight fit. Got out the face float and the triangular file. Spent maybe 30 minutes filing it sharp, then off to the races.

Cat's pajamas. Very easy to go inside that deep mortise, and tune it up, keeping the faces flat and evenly cut. Had never used one before, but I took a shot and bought them [cheek float still on the sidelines for now]. It's certainly a one- or two-trick pony, but I'm very happy. Also used it for just one or two quick, light swipes on the tenon cheeks - Lenox 1/2" Tri-Master really does a job.

Derek C has a great derek-ism posted here [2007?] & on his site - he shows how to sharpen it, and what it's like in use. I definitely like it better than rasps - much easier to control with more consistent end results. And - for the inside of the mortises, the rabbet block plane didn't seem like the ticket .

BTW - same project[s] provided a "plausible excuse" for drawbore pin sets & dowel plate. I like them too - rather than finessing everything, those tools give you stress-relief by getting a hammer and just whacking the crap out the wood.

[Glen Butler]

I was looking at the LN floats and think having one around would be great. I like my tenons to fit just so, and working them into the right size takes a lot careful bumps and very minor movements of fences and/or bits and blades.

The question is mainly push or pull? I kinda feel pulling would shave material easier and would prevent the tool biting in. Also, is there any good reason a single face float couldn't do any task at hand?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Glen......beats me on push v pull. Personal preference, I guess. My push works fine for me - it is basically the same hand position, stroke, and muscle memory as using a rasp. All my hand saws are western push [except the flush cut one for pegs] so I guess I'm just a push-type of guy.

It doesn't "bite" - it does shave - but you aren't getting small dust-like pieces [once its sharpened]. You get more like very thin splinters is all I can think of as a reference at the moment - full width of the float.

It can do anything you want. I still need to sharpen the cheek float for smaller inside tasks.

[Glen Butler]

You pose a good point. Every other similar tool from files to rasps uses a push motion . . . even a hand saw does more work in the push stroke. I guess that answers it - I'm a push guy as well.

Do you find that the float takes off material more quickly than a rasp?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Glen..........hmmmm....good question.....hadn't looked at it that way.

Here's my gut response.....

About the same - if you are talking about, say, a Nicholson #49, less aggressive than an N #48. Just a gut feel. Nowhere near as much as a hog-it-off rasp. It has not been an issue for me - it is a question of # strokes and down-pressure. Light touch, keep a nice, even control of the float's face. The finished surface is nice and flat-smooth.

It is far superior to a rasp on tenons, IMO, in that you are taking a wide swath v the narrow profile of a rasp/file - you won't be as likely to go off-line, or off-angle - pitch-roll-yaw thing, like an airplane - you've screwed those up on tenons, as have I. Easier to control the attack on the face. Cleaner surface than a router plane, which I use often to get to the general ballpark, and then smooth it up and fine-tune it with the float.

Tee it up. Guarantee you it won't be near the top of your "I spent too much money on this tool" list, and I don't know anything about what is already on your list. Be sure to get the correct sharpening file, though - either from LN, or from anywhere - generic is fine.

Again - it is a tool that does not have all of the variety of uses as, say, a chisel. But then, neither of us has just ONE chisel, do we? Buncha them, and the total $$ adds up.