STEPS FOR FINISHING YOUR TRAVISHER
(Steps necessary for a working tool are in bold, the others are for aesthetics. Please note: the brass-alloy sole contains lead, so wear dust protection when cutting)
1. File, rasp, spokeshave, and/or sand all surfaces. A belt sander works well for the back of the tool. For the other surfaces, I start with 80 grit on a 3” spindle sander, correcting shapes as I go and making things smooth and symmetrical.
2. Round front edge of brass slightly with a file or sandpaper. This will keep the front edge sliding smoothly as you use the tool.
3. Remove blade and clean up router marks on the brass. I use triangular files, needle files, and 220 grit sandpaper. The goal is to blend the router-cut contours without changing them too much. Be careful not to lower the ends of the brass as that part shields the corners of the blade, preventing them from cutting (which could cause the shavings to jam). Soften sharp edges at the ends. Finish brass with 320 grit.
4. Clean up bead of epoxy from inside the mouth. This will help keep chips from jamming. A Dremel wire-wheel works well for this, but wear safety glasses. 5. Chisel 1/8” chamfers on top and back edges of the throat.
6. Finish sanding the body of tool by hand with 220 grit, softening all sharp edges except for the chamfers from step 5.
7. Brush or spray travisher with 2-3 coats of shellac, and cure overnight. Re-sand with 320 grit, removing shellac from brass. Wax and buff. Or use your preferred finish.
8. Polish flat surfaces of blade on a burnishing wheel. I also soften the corners, being careful not to round the edge.
9. Sharpen the edge. I hollow-grind the bevel to make honing easier. This can be freehanded on a grinder wheel with a toolrest by screwing the blade to a concave holding-block. There’s a video demonstrating this on the travisher page of our website. Or the existing flat bevel can be sharpened as is.
10. Hone the edge. I use red and blue Eze-Lap diamond tabs. (See sharpening notes on “Using a Travisher” insert – also on website). It is important that the back of the blade not become convex during sharpening or control of the tool will suffer.
11. Replace the blade and check that its corners do not protrude above or beyond the sole. If they do, I just dull the front corners of the blade on the de-burring wheel so they will not catch and make unwanted marks. I also polish the blade screw tops.
12. Remount the blade and test the full cutting edge on a pre-scooped pine board in a raking light, cutting perpendicular to the long wood fibers. A well-sharpened travisher will leave no white lines on an endgrain cut and will make a crisp, clear cutting sound. If chips get jammed in the throat, I carefully open the throat by chiseling a little more wood near the base of the brass.
13. If the travisher is cutting too shallowly, remove the blade and carefully lower the indented flat at the top of the brass sole with a regular card scraper or fine file. For the 3.5″ radius travishers, we like this flat to be .016″ to .018″ lower than the blade; for the 12″ radius travishers, around .012″. But you may like something different. Be careful to keep this flat parallel with the blade and roughly 1/8″ in width. If scraping widens it more than this, file the angled slope (maintaining its angle) until the flat is 1/8” once more. A thin coat of wax will protect the sole and blade from tarnishing and rust.
Written by Seth Elliott ~Toolmaker
Purchase these tools on the travishers page.