Cutting a Scarf

I tried something today I swore I couldn't do... cut scarf joins by hand. The entire reason I built a scarfing jig for my router was to avoid making these cuts by hand.

So, what the heck was I thinking this afternoon? What changed enough to convince me to try...? Two things factored into the decision. First, Mik's discussion of finger-joined materials potentially being a bit fragile. Seemed to me the router would "stress" the chine-log pieces more than hand cutting. Second, my growing confidence in working with the Japanese-inspired pull-saw. (I've been referring to that saw as a Japanese saw, but after an exchange on the forum about it, I decided to be more precise in my terminology. True Japanese saws are traditional saws that have evolved over many years. They tend to be very pricey tools. One objection to adding "another" saw to the kit was the expense. My counter to that was my Japanese-inspired pull-saw, made in the US, cost $20.00 at a big box store - and the blades are replaceable and interchangeable.)

I calculated the length of the join (8:1, 18mm thick board needs a 144mm long join), marked it on the boards (staggered and clamped together), and began cutting. The cut went well enough and I was pleasantly smug with myself at accomplishing this task. I actually cut through one of the finger-joins without causing any noticeable damage to it, so maybe these things are not as fragile as I thought.



That self-satisfied smugness vanished when I dry-fit the two pieces together. Actually, they did not fit together very well at all - not even close enough for epoxy to overcome. Disappointed doesn't begin to cover what I was feeling, and that little voice in the back of my mind began telling me, "See, I knew..." I cut that conversation short and pondered what could I do to salvage the work.

I clamped the pieces back together staggered as they were for the cut. I tried the block plane but that didn't work very well on this particular problem. Using a straight edge, a square, and a pencil I figured out what needed to be trimmed away. I pulled out the new ROS, outfit it with 80-grit paper and started sanding. Sand a little, check the progress, sand a little more, check the progress... It took a little time but I did get things squared away. The matching surfaces really do match each other and will make a good strong join.

I'm pleased with the total effort. And that little voice has been quieted.