3.5″ RADIUS
Travishers are curved spokeshaves for carving chair seats, bombay chests, coopered panels, cricket bats and other concave shapes. The blades are made from 1/8″ thick O1 tool steel and bent in a 3.5″ radius, tight enough to fit in the deepest chair seats. Sporting a brass sole, the travishers will cut both hardwoods and softwoods (though hardwoods require significantly more effort). Get the 3.5″ radius if you’re buying your first travisher. Made in my shop by Seth Elliott, based on a design by Peter Galbert.
3.5″ Radius Walnut Travisher — $300 each
3.5″ Radius Travisher (blemished) — $280 each
Proposition 65 Notice: Brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
12″ RADIUS
While visiting Dave Sawyer, professional Windsor chairmaker for over thirty years, I found he used a travisher with an 12″ radius to great effect on the front half of his seats. Final scraping of the seat was easier because the travisher’s curve closely matched the seat’s curve, leaving a flatter surface. While not as versatile as the 3.5″ radius travisher above, this flatter one complements it nicely. Made in my shop by Seth Elliott, based on a design by Peter Galbert.
12″ Radius Walnut Travisher — $300 each
12″ Radius Mahogany Travisher (blemished) — $300 each
Proposition 65 Notice: Brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
TRAVISHERS IN THE RAW
These travishers are the same as our finished travishers above, but they still need their blades sharpened, and their bodies shaped, cleaned, and sanded (wear a dust mask while cutting the brass). The travishers can then be finished to your specifications or left unfinished. Wood species of the bodies varies with availability. Included with your purchase is a list of steps for completing your tool. Note: This is not a money-making venture. Rather it is an attempt to make our rather expensive tools more accessible to people who will use them.
3.5″ Radius Travisher in the Raw — $150 each
Proposition 65 Notice: Brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling and wear a mask while cutting.
TRAVISHER & SPOKESHAVE BLADES
Make a travisher or wooden-bodied spokeshave! These blades are the same as those used on our travishers, made from O1 tool steel professionally tempered to RC 60-62 hardness. The blades come with two counter-sunk holes for a #8-32 machine screw and a 30 degree (unsharpened) bevel. They will have some twist/warp from the heat-treating process. Travisher blades may not work as replacement blades for our travishers, since each tool is fitted to each blade. Plans are not included, but are available with Claire Minihan’s video (link below).
An optional 1/8″x3/8″x5″ piece of brass is available to make a wear-resistant sole. It still needs to be drilled and shaped to fit your tool (brass can be easily cut and scraped with hand tools). Wear a dust mask while cutting. Brass for travisher blades comes bent to the approximate curve of the blade.
Travisher/Spokeshave Blade — $50 each (free shipping in USA)
Proposition 65 Notice: Brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling and wear a dust mask while cutting.
Claire Minihan makes and sells beautiful travishers. She shows how to make a travisher and a wooden spokeshave in this video. She also covers blade-making and sharpening. Plans are included (the plans will need to be stretched if you are using my travisher blade, which is longer than hers).