Large Cheek Float - Push

Using Floats

Floats work similarly to files and will perform best with controlled light pressure. Very light pressure will produce finished surfaces by removing small amounts of material. A bit more pressure and they can cut aggressively, but too much pressure will cause difficulty with chattering and digging.

Like many hand tools, let the float do the work. If the surface finish is not satisfactory, try switching to the opposite tooth configuration. This will often make a big difference in cut quality.

With push floats, the first tooth is the most important, and establishes where the other teeth will follow. By tilting the float upward slightly, the first tooth will act as a scraper for heavy stock removal. Because the teeth are only on one face of the tool, they will not cut into adjacent surfaces, making it easy to control where stock is removed.

While the floats can be used as is out of the package, they will benefit from an initial sharpening for the best performance.

How to Sharpen a Float

Sharpening

For sharpening, we recommend a 5''XX slim taper file, the same type used for saw sharpening. These files closely match the tooth profile of the float. The floats are hardened to Rc 50–52, like a saw, and will file easily.

For the initial sharpening, simply file the black oxide coating until the teeth edges are shiny. On floats with wider sections, there may be low spots on the teeth faces. This is normal and a result of the heat-treating process. Only the front of the teeth needs to be filed clean. After the first sharpening, coat the teeth with a felt tip marker for a visual aid when filing. Both the top and front face of each tooth should be addressed with the file. Use light even pressure and do not remove more material than necessary. A sharpening jig consisting of a board with a shallow, 1'' (25mm) wide rebate that the float can be positioned against is helpful.

Jointing

After several sharpenings, the float should be jointed to maintain even tooth height. This is done by draw filing with a single bastard cut file of around 10'' (250mm) in length or so. Hold the file crossways to the float at 90 degrees and lightly push the file forward until a small flat appears on all the teeth. After this, use the felt tip marker again and proceed to sharpen as normal, filing until the flat from jointing just disappears.

The first tooth on push floats should have the front face sharpened to 80 degrees, just like the other teeth. This allows it to be used as a scraper.

Dank Scwank has written a blog about the process, well worth a read HERE.

About Red Rose Reproductions

Red Rose Reproductions LLC was created in 2014 with an objective to bring resurrected woodworking tools to the market.  Daniel R. Schwank, company founder, has made many tools for his own use, and decided that others may appreciate them too.  Red Rose Reproductions focuses primarily on moulding planes patterned off mid 18th century British designs.  Offerings also have branched into other bench tools and work holding devices.

In October 2017, Dan gave up his work as a tool and die maker to pursue the business full time.  He makes a number of his tool offerings in batches and offers them primarily through this web site and tool shows.  Some tools, such as hollow and round moulding planes, are generally made to order.  He also teaches classes on making hollow and rounds in his shop, which is now relocated in Sterling IL.

Dan’s interest in furniture began with his marriage in 1994, when he was introduced to woodworking by his Father-In-Law.  Thus began a journey to build his skill levels and knowledge of furniture design and construction, and later hand tools.  As a tool & die maker, Dan found woodworking and tool making to require many of the same skills and approaches to tasks as metal working does.  This also made it a natural transition into making tools.

Dan is primarily self taught, although he has taken quite a few classes devoted to 18th century furniture styles and construction techniques, and plane making with Tod Herrli and with input from Larry Williams of Old Street Tool. His approach is a combination of both modern machinery and traditional hand tools, although with plane making, most of the work is done by hand.

Red Rose Reproductions, located in Sterling IL, is modest but well equipped. A lot of effort has been put into keeping the overhead down while at the same time striving to work as efficiently as possible. The result is pricing that is very competitive yet of high quality.