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2 Two Ways to Pare Plugs Plugs are a good way to disguise the heads of screws. The challenge is trimming them flush. Here's a simple, three-step process that will guarantee great results. The first thing to do is to cut off the plugs close to the surface with a hand saw. The second step is to use a chisel to trim the plug flush. And doing this depends on the type of plug you use. End-Grain Plugs. A section of dowel can be used to make an end grain plug for a screw hole. But it's difficult to make a smooth chisel cut across the tough end grain. To trim the plug flush, I start with scoring cuts around the perimeter (photo at right). Then gradually increase the depth until the plug is cut off nearly flush. A last bevel-up cut will trim it smooth. Face-Grain Plugs. Face-grain plugs are a little simpler. The thing you want to avoid here is having the plug split off below the surface. To prevent this, I take thin cuts across the grain, working down to the surface (inset photo). Finally, you can touch up the plug and surrounding wood with a little light sanding. ▲ The Right Angle. To trim end-grain plugs, make cuts from all sides to avoid breaking off the fibers. On face-grain plugs, a cross-grain paring cut will keep the wood from splitting below the surface. No More Glue. To remove glue from corners, hold the chisel bevel down. Along an edge joint, a vertical, "scraping" cut eliminates glue and protects the surface (inset photo). 3 Versatile Glue Scraper Even though removing dried glue squeeze-out is a common task, it's no picnic. The photos at left show two ways a chisel is the perfect tool for the task. When glue has dried in a corner, like the drawer you see at left, I use a bevel-down grip to "pop" the glue out. The bevel acts as a "safety" to keep the cutting edge from gouging the workpiece. Squeeze-out on edge joints call for a different approach. Here, you want to hold the chisel nearly vertical and pull it along the glue line (inset photo). This scraping action quickly shears off dried glue. One more thing: To avoid having to spend a lot of time resharpening my best chisels, I bought an extra, inexpensive chisel just for this job. 4 Trim Edging Flush 5 Marking Knife Trimming edging flush to the end of a plywood panel may seem like a tricky task. But it's really not much different than trimming an end-grain plug. Start by rough cutting the edging with a hand saw. Then with a horizontal cut, make several passes to bring the edging flush. To avoid tearout, trim from both edges toward the center. A final, light pass will level out the slight hump in the center of the edging. & A Layout Tool. To use a chisel as a marking knife, hold the back against the square and tilt it up so the edge won't catch. 15 |
