Dishing the cheeks

[John Parchem]

Do you chiselers also clean up with sandpaper, or are you able to get smooth cheeks in that stubborn endgrain just with your chisels?

From the picture I thought it was showing cutting the relief between the cheeks and the tenon. I can not see how one could get a smooth cut on the cheeks from the photo.

On the cheeks I use chisels and scrappers. I for the life of me can not get a flat surface with a sanding block I always end up with a nice curve. At the very end I do you a strip of sandpaper to floss the cheeks against the body.

[Tim Benware]

Dave are you talking about the relief cut so you just have that 1/8" or so edge or the cheeks themselves when fitting the neck angle if needed?

[Dave Bagwill]

Yes, just talking about the relief cut that leaves the outside 1/8" or so cheeks for flossing if needed.

[TonyinNYC]

Do you chiselers also clean up with sandpaper, or are you able to get smooth cheeks in that stubborn endgrain just with your chisels?

What is there to clean up? The part that will be hidden against the box? I use a quarter inch chisel and cutting the end grain is not a problem. It cuts cleanly. The eighth that you are not touching, well...since you have not touched it, it needs no cleaning up. Every neck needs some sanding to get a perfect joint against the box, don't they?

[Dave Bagwill]

Yes the side that will be hidden against the box. Perhaps this is just not a problem that is common - probably just what I call laughingly my 'technique'. Anyway thanks for the answers.

[TonyinNYC]

Yes the side that will be hidden against the box. Perhaps this is just not a problem that is common - probably just what I call laughingly my 'technique'. Anyway thanks for the answers.

Well how bad does it look that you have considered sanding it?

If your technique is an issue, I certainly am no expert in chiseling, but I take very thin shavings, and taper the cut, going deeper at the tenon. My chisel is a Home Depot purchased .25" buck brothers or some such. It was not expensive, I can tell you that. I use scary sharp to sharpen it, but I think the most important thing is that it is .25" wide, and I take shallow, tiny bites. The dremel works fine, but I feel more in control with the chisel.

[Dave Bagwill]

It's not a big problem, not perfect though.