LV wooden shave kit, a question.

[paul cottingham]

Sorry not to reply earlier, I literally had brain surgery on Monday, and am now home recovering. I angled the wear strip to about 2degrees and it seems to work pretty well. The mouth remains tight, and I still have the brass strip if I change my mind. Of course, I have no idea how well a wooden low angle shave should cut end grain or long grain for that matter, so I have no point of reference for how it should work.
I kinda botched the wear strip on the ends, so it ain't pretty, but it works. I may post photos to share my shame.

[paul cottingham]

Another interesting fact I have discovered in regard to "flat" bottom spokeshaves. If you put a level on LA wood planes you may discover that the mouth, Paul's cocobolo, is frequently not flat. I have quite a few WoodJoy shaves and the brass plates on the WoodJoy tools are at around 4-7 degrees I believe. I should try to actually measure them one day, maybe when I put one of Glenn's kits together it will have instructions with the info. I am curious if the LV instructions that come with their kit mentions details on making the mouth?

I want a small/medium 2-2 1/2" spokeshave with "gull wing" handles and a small curve in the blade. Not a travisher, a spokeshave made a little like a travisher. Travishers are typically large and more exagerated both in the handles and blade curve. I want a smaller tool for finishing Windsor chair seats. I think I will have to make it.

The instructions specify a 2degree angle. I came pretty darn close to it. Now I want to make a travisher.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for the info. on the LV instructions guys. I took a Windsor Chair class from Peter Galbert. I was quite surprised at how small changes in angles on or around the blades of drawknives and spokeshaves changed how they could be used. Many spokeshaves and travishers do not offer any mechanism for adjusting how large the mouth is or what angle the blade will meet the wood at. The small LN spokeshave I bought a ways back had a mouth that was so small that when the blade was extended enough to take a cut there was not enough room for even a small shaving to pass through. I have had to physically enlarge the bronze mouth enough so shavings can pass. I am struggling with a travisher I bought recently too. The travisher has a fixed blade and mouth and currently will only take a very small shaving.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Remember one thing Mike, a travisher is a finishing tool and is used after a scorp so it only has to pass a thin shaving. In the way I was taught to make windsors it is the last step in finishing the seat.