Sanding, Scraping, & Filing

Sanding, scraping, and filing encompass a wide range of shaping and smoothing tasks. For example, you can sand the tails and pins flush after assembling a dovetail joint, or scrape away the mill marks after planing a board. Use rasps and files to shape a cabriole leg, then scrape and sand it smooth to prepare it for a finish.

What all these activities have in common is that you are removing a controlled amount of material from a wood surface. In each case, you want to sand, scrape, or file the surface flat or fair. In this context, “flat” means without any noticeable high or low spots, and “fair” indicates a contoured surface without awkward transitions in its curves. In many instances, you may remove enough stock to level an uneven surface or create a different shape or contour entirely. And you always want to leave the wood smoother and cleaner than when you began, often in preparation for applying a finish.