I Only Need One

I ran into an interesting problem in the shop. I need to trim some extra material on the soles of the travisher parts I got from Caleb James. I can’t even remember why he added the material, but it has something to do with his machine. If I was only making one tool, it would be simple enough to clamp the part and plane off the excess. But we have 125 parts to modify, so it made sense to figure out a jig and machine process.

Tool making is all about problem solving. Starting of course with the problem the imagined tool will solve, then tackling the functionality and finally the production process. I love most of these stages. Altering the already shaped part was a bit of a challenge, mostly because the only solid flat reference surface to mount the tool is the very one that needs trimming. It took a little head scratching and mdf mock up, but I found other references that I could use to stabilize the part and make sure the sole would be 90 degrees to the shaper table top.