Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions Finishing the curved surface of oak braces

I haven't cut a curve in strait stock in nineteen years, never made sense to me, trees grow crooked every day.

Even so, I'm still often milling the the sapwood off of natty curves - Free form following the grain, a chain saw with rip chain, sometimes guided on bigger section pieces by a second set of eyes and hands via a stinger handle.

Cleaning that up with a Mak curved body. Not caring much for sanders or the finish they yield, I prefer to produce a final finish with this Spokeshave > http://www.veritastools.com/products/Page.aspx?p=116 Pricy but worth the investment - Chatter free and smooth, it is great for cleaning up large curved reductions and relief cuts also.

The key point I see on that spoke shave is how low to the work the handles are. I have never been able to make the spoke shave with high handles function with out is rolling over onto my knuckles. My only spoke shave has handles almost flat to the blade/sole.

In my video you can see how dusty that jig is, I cringe when the client asks for cut curved braces. Wider stock, longer mortices, more work,