Trimming Type High Wood Type (Alphabet)

The last step of hand finishing routed wood type could be done with wood engraving tools, like those from E C Lyons. That’s how the old-timers dd it.

I’ve never done it myself but I picked up a couple of wood gouges, and they would serve that purpose to carve out the intricate details. At least from what I’ve read, even a file would be use to file away the sharp edges, that I saw in the Typeface documentary. I like your result so far, I think it’s a good result.
There’s also a V shaped bit for rotary tools that you could try to get closer to the sharp angles.
Good luck, and hopefully you’ll post your finished pieces. It’d be a delight to see.

The letter appears to be mounted to wood. Get a few good carving tools from Woodcraft, I use PFEIL and Flexcut.

You’re right, wood-carving tools, since it is cross-grain.

So this v-shaped rotary bit is it for a hand-held Dremel? That’s about as much as I could do because I have no other training…I’m afraid to ruin all this wood type.

I might have to burn it in a wood fire.

Before you light that match, you may want to make a trip up to the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin to see how they handle type trimming.

If you end up attending their Wayzgoose event in November, you’ll have a chance to talk with several of the nation’s current wood type experts that will be presenting. Also the museum staff will be demonstrating type cutting, trimming and etc.

https://woodtype.org

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