Hi Wiley, et al:
Yes, floats do have woodworking uses beyond plane making - though, obviously, they seem to be most closely associated with that specific trade.
Floats differ from rasps in that their teeth traverse the width/thickness of the float, with the succeeding teeth effectively forming a series of scraping edges. The pointed teeth of rasps score the wood fibers so that they can be carried away by succeeding teeth. Single cut files are more similar in form to floats, as indicated by the fact that older catalogues and texts often refer to single cut files as floats.
Floats differ from single cut files not only by the larger size of their teeth and the process by which they are manufactured, but also by being tempered so that they can be sharpened with a triangular file. Additionally, if the lead tooth of a push bed or side float is kept very sharp, the body of the float can be lifted slightly and the lead tooth used to make very aggressive scraping cuts. It's amazingly effective.
As to general woodworking usages, floats will often serve in situations where one might typically use a cabinet rasp or file. Though there are times when half-round rasps and files are crucial, so it's important that floats not be thought of as some kind of panacea. Interestingly, depending on how one manipulates a float, one can work quite aggressively or quite delicately, as the situation dictates.
Another consideration is that floats can be made to cut on either a push (thither) or a pull (hither) stroke. This can help accommodate limited access or difficult grain orientation situations. Additionally, thin floats can be slightly flexed to concentrate the more aggressive cutting action where one wishes.
We've had a number of customers purchase floats to use in cleaning up joinery. While I don't personally have experience using them in these applications, people seem to find them particularly useful in larger mortise and tenon joinery - such as through mortise and tenon joinery in work bench bases and in timber framing.
Regarding the latter, I recently found the following quote in C. F. Partington's _The Builder's Complete Guide ..._, c. 1825:
"It is of the utmost importance in framing that
the tenons and mortises should be truly made. After
a mortise has been made with the mortise chisel, it
should be rendered perfectly even with a float; an
instrument which differs from a single, or float file,
only by having larger teeth. ... " (p. 524)
Historically, specialty floats have also been used for cleaning up long runs of mouldings. The Summer 1979 issue of _Working Wood_, asked about the purpose of three such tools, and they were identified in the next issue as cabinetmaker's floats, used especially in cleaning up mouldings in church work. I'm attaching a photo of these floats to give people some idea of their appearance. Many a time, while I was carving handrail fittings (easings, descending volutes, wreaths, etc.), I frequently coveted such specialty floats and sorely wished I had the metal working skills to produce them.
Again, I need to acknowledge that I have a commercial interest in the sale of floats. Not only have Larry and Bill sold floats of their own manufacture over the years, but we (Clark & Williams) currently carry the Lie-Nielsen offerings (made to Larry's designs). Despite that, I thought it important to attempt to answer Wiley's questions, and hope that the information proves to be of some general interest.
Don McConnell
Eureka Springs, AR
