Flush trimming is a skill every woodworker needs to master.
It allows you to create joinery that looks seamless and inlays that blend perfectly into the rest of your project.
Through-tenons, dovetails, butterfly keys, edge banding — they all involve flush trimming.
But like anything in woodworking, there’s more than one way to do it. And different methods are better suited to different situations.
Today, I’m giving you six ways to flush trim with different tools.
By learning them all, you’ll be able to get seamless looking joinery no matter the situation — and can use them together for fast and beautiful results.
Chris
November 07, 2022
Very useful tips here, Jonathan, thanks! Can I add a couple of additional things from my experience (no criticism meant, just hope it’s useful!)
1. You could emphasize more the combination of techniques that can work (e.g. flush-cut saw – with layers of tape for safety – followed by chisel/plane/router) as a general strategy.
2. I’ve got a decent flush-cut saw, but I’ve still stoned the ‘flat’ side on a fine diamond stone, just to make sure there are no tiny factory nibs sticking down to mar the workpiece (and I still use tape – Sellotape/Scotch tape, don’t know what your brand names are over there; it’s thinner by far than say masking or painter’s tape: I use that. Its non-sticky side is actually slippery too, a bonus!)
3. I’m really sorry about this one (my daughters call me ‘Grammar Guy’ !😂) I noticed ‘weary’ instead of ‘wary’.