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Thread: Endgrain cutting, too little to saw, too much to plane?

  1. #1
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    Endgrain cutting, too little to saw, too much to plane?

    How would you remove a few mm from the top of, say, a table leg, or in my case one of the styles of the cabinet I am working on? I should have let them be longer, but I am now faced with four substantial pieces of cherry timber that are just a few mm too long. Sawing is probably not going to work, not enough material. But planing is still going to be a lot of work, this being endgrain.

    Looking forward to see some very good ideas from the forum!

    IMG_3817.jpg

  2. #2
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    For small adjustments like that I use my miterbox. It is capable of very fine, accurate cuts. Are these too big for a miterbox?

  3. #3
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    How about treating it like chopping out a dovetail? Scribe around the sides and chop with a chisel.

  4. #4
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    Clamp a scrap to the front and back longer then the piece. Saw thru the scraps and the work. Or Use a mitre box with the work up against a block clamped to the mitre box fence that covers the whole end of the work.
    Jim

  5. #5
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    I would probably use a Japanese pull saw and follow up with block plane and/or rasp/file.

  6. #6
    I think you can saw it, Kees. You can use a somewhat more dainty saw than you would use if there were more waste and take your time. Because this surface is not to be seen, you can saw right to the line, not having to leave extra for clean up.

    There are two reasons I like to leave more waste on ends like this. One is that you don't have to worry about the mortise breaking out the end while chopping. The other is that a substantial waste there helps in getting the joint apart after a trial assembly.

  7. #7
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    If no miter box or miter trimmer(Lion type) is available, you could just scribe all the way around where the board needs to be shortened to. Then, chisel or BETTER YET, block plane a bevel down to that line. This gives you something all the way around to look at while you plane the end of the board down to the bottom of the bevel. It also keeps the wood from splintering. It helps keep you from getting the board too short too. Provided, of course, that your bevel cutting was done very accurately.

    I have done this myself at times in the 18th. C. shop, where I had no guillotine type trimmer (The Lion type I mentioned).

    Those Lion type trimmers are now made in Taiwan, and though I have a real one, bought for only $35.00 at a flea market in the 70's, the Taiwan made one seems just as good. Being a tool hog,I have both. I can vouch for the Asian made one. Being mostly a guitar maker,I only occasionally need the trimmers. Actually,I recall that my Lion type was missing the handle.so I bought the other one to get the handle, and found the Asian trimmer suitable in all respects. And, the handle fit the Lion perfectly.(Both are just CAST iron). Keep those blades sharp, and they will work so well, it is amazing!!! I used the Asian one to finish trimming all of the quarter round baseboard trim which was missing in this entire house. I wanted no dust, so cut the trim with a miter box and trimmed it with the Asian trimmer. The power chop saw stayed in the shop! Besides, I felt more secure in my guesses as to length with the hand tools only. You might well not believe it, but after doing a couple of rooms, AND closets,I got to where I did not have to measure the moldings. Just accurately cut them by eye. I have no idea how I was able to do that, but I did. Just too much trouble trying to use a tape measure in a crowded closet.
    Last edited by george wilson; 05-03-2017 at 8:09 AM.

  8. #8
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    I would saw from the fat side - either a Western carcase saw or a Japanese Kataba - then chisel a bevel from each line, creating a flat pyramid. Finish with a block plane.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  9. #9
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    Thanks a lot guys. That's way more ideas then I could think up!

    This one has the most waste. The other 3 are shallower. So for this one I can try with a fine saw (no miter box in the shop). And the ones with less waste I can try the bevelling with a chisel first and then a sharp plane.

    Next time I should leave more waste for all the reasons mentioned!

  10. #10
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    I just had to deal with the same issue and was not having much luck with planning the end grain, even after re sharpening two different low angle types. I then tried out a rasp and had good luck with the rasp getting me close to the line, after which I went to paring to final dimensions with a chisel. Typically, I am able to plane end grain, especially with a re sharpening, but not this time. My amount to remove was not as great as in the photo you show however.
    David

  11. #11
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    Cut right to the line with a Japanese saw.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy bessette View Post
    Cut right to the line with a Japanese saw.
    You could just as well cut right to the line with a non Japanese saw, right?

  13. #13
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    "You could just as well cut right to the line with a non Japanese saw, right?"

    No. None that I've ever used. But I can cut a compound angle, right to the line, using my Japanese razor saw, a few mm from the end of the stock.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy bessette View Post
    "You could just as well cut right to the line with a non Japanese saw, right?"

    No. None that I've ever used. But I can cut a compound angle, right to the line, using my Japanese razor saw, a few mm from the end of the stock.
    I've got a little razor saw also that is nice for detail work because of its super thin blade but the depth of cut Kees' needs is way beyond what my saw can handle. On the other hand, I'm pretty confident my Veritas dovetail saw could get the job done. My japanese crosscut saw has a pretty flimsy blade and gives me fits with cuts like this.

  15. #15
    Could clamp a reference block and then saw it while lightly holding and pushing down another wooden block on a top of the saw. Sort of like sawing a dado with a batten.

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