Spokeshaves

Cool tools for curved work

By Craig Bentzley

I n case you haven’t noticed,

there’s a hand-tool revolution
hand plane to remove the machine
marks left by your thickness
Spokeshaves are available in
a multitude of configurations,
going on. Well, actually, it’s planer. But unless all your work is including models with concave
more of a hand tool rediscovery. straight and flat, there’s another or convex blades and models
After decades of enjoying the valuable tool you’ll want to add dedicated to chamfering.
efficiency of power tools, many to your arsenal: the spokeshave. However, unless you’re a
woodworkers have come to When it comes to curved work, a chairmaker or have specialized
realize that most machines properly set up spokeshave will needs, straight-bladed models
simply cannot finesse work the perform a variety of tasks ranging will handle most common
way certain hand tools can. from simple smoothing of arched jobs. In this article, I’ll explain
For example, there’s a good edges to shaping of spindles, how to get a straight-bladed
chance you’ve discovered the cabriole legs and other curved spokeshave into good working
benefits of using a well-tuned forms unsuited to hand planing. order and how to put it to use.
40 woodcraftmagazine.com Dec/Jan 2011
Depth adjustment
screw

Throat wear plate

Cutting edges
Blade locking
knob

Adjustable shoe
A for depth of cut B
Modern bevel-up shaves have blade-locking knobs. Bevel-down spokeshaves have a sole that’s flat (Stanley
Blade depth is controlled either by adjusting No. 151 at left) or slightly convex (No. 151R). Knurled
underlying screws or the height of a front shoe. knobs adjust the blade in or out to set the depth of cut.

Types of spokeshaves usually have to install a new Although the low angle tends
Spokeshaves can be categorized throat plate to close up the mouth. to tear out areas of reversing
into two basic types based on These old models also lack blade grain, the mouth on most new
blade orientation: bevel up and depth adjustment screws, instead spokeshaves can be set for a fine
bevel down (Figure 1). First is incorporating friction-fit tapered opening to minimize the problem.
the traditional bevel-up shave, tangs, which can be fussy to Bevel-down spokeshaves are
originally manufactured with adjust. With new models the most commonly available.
a wooden body. If you frequent available in both wood and These metal shaves have a blade
antique tool sales and flea metal (Photo A), it makes configuration much like a hand
markets, you’ll find these tools sense to forego troublesome plane and are manufactured
in abundance, but be aware that vintage shaves. with either a flat or slightly
most of them are worn beyond Because of their lower convex sole (commonly called
their useful life cycle, suffering cutting angle, bevel-up shaves a round-bottom spokeshave)
from misshapen soles and wide- excel at rapid stock removal of (Photo B). The flat-soled
open mouths that compromise straight-grained woods. They’re versions will handle convex
control. At the very least, you’ll also great at slicing end grain. and long, sweeping concave

Figure 1: Basic Spokeshave Types Blade locking

knob
Bevel-Up Shave Blade locking knobs
Frame with Shoe-locking
handles screw

Adjustable
shoe
Shoe-locking Adjustable shoe
screws

Blade depth
Bevel-Down Shave adjustment knobs Locking screw
Frame with
handles Blade Cap iron Blade
screw
Cap iron Blade depth
adjustment knobs

Cap iron screw Cap iron Profile of round-

bottom sole
Locking screw Sole Sole Mouth

Photos: Paul Anthony; Illustrations: Chris Glowacki Dec/Jan 2011 woodcraftmagazine.com 41

 Cap iron should
contact notches.

Also flatten
inner edge
C of cap iron. D
Flatten the sole on 100-grit sandpaper on a dead- If necessary, file the screw slot to allow the cap-
flat surface, using firm, short side-to-side strokes. iron shoulders to contact the body notches.

curves, but you’ll need a round- The venerable Stanley model Tuning a spokeshave
bottom shave to get into tighter No. 151 and its various imitations Contemporary bevel-up
curves such as the ankle area are readily available new and spokeshaves—whether wood or
of a cabriole leg. The steep used. Blade adjustment on these metal—rarely require as much
cutting angle makes bevel-down models is very user-friendly and tune-up work as their bevel-
spokeshaves the best choice allows you the option of skewing down counterparts. Since the
for working figured woods. In the blade slightly to take heavier blade on a bevel-up shave serves
general, they’re used for fine cuts on one side of the tool and as a large portion of the sole,
shaving, not gross stock removal. finer shavings on the other. make sure to flatten and polish
the entire underside of the blade.
Also, ease a blade’s sharp trailing
Blades: Bigger Is Better edge with a file or honing stone
The blade that came with my secondhand spokeshave was totally used to prevent it from scarring your
up and could not be advanced any further to take a shaving. This was work on the backstroke. The
actually a blessing in disguise because it gave me an excuse to replace wear plate on a wooden bevel-up
it with a thicker, aftermarket blade. Thick replacement blades by IBC shave should be as smooth as
or Hock Tools are available through Woodcraft (woodcraft.com). possible, as should the adjustable
shoe on a metal bevel-up shave.
Whether you buy new or used,
most bevel-down spokeshaves
don’t come ready to use. For
one thing, the castings on
inexpensive models often
suffer from poor quality and
sloppy machining. This may
mean an out-of-flat sole or a
blade that doesn’t seat properly,
contributing to control problems
The thicker IBC blade (top) will and chatter marks on your
replace a stock blade (bottom), work. Blades may be improperly
reducing chatter and closing sharpened or, in the case of an
up the mouth in the process, old shave, sharpened so often
which helps reduce tear-out. that little usable blade is left.
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to
42 woodcraftmagazine.com Dec/Jan 2011
 E F
Flatten an inconsistent blade bed with a mill file, using Screwing a spokeshave blade
a series of overlapping diagonal strokes. to a wood extension allows
the use of a honing jig.
perform a complete tune-up, the cap iron won’t contact the
rewarding you with a tool that shoulders on the body as they finer grits. For bevel-up blades,
cuts smoothly and cleanly. should. In that case, elongate maintain an angle of 20-30°. If
For this article, I purchased the cap iron screw slot using a you work primarily in softwoods,
a used Stanley No. 151, typical chainsaw file as shown in Photo a 20° angle works fine. For
of those found at flea markets. D. To avoid lengthening the hardwoods, a 25-30° angle is
I began by disassembling the slot any more than necessary, best. When honing the blade on a
tool and putting all the parts in check the fit frequently bevel-up shave, the posts can get
a rust-removal bath for a few with the blade inserted. in the way. To do the job, pinch
hours. Then I flattened the sole On a metal-bodied spokeshave, the blade at both ends while
by rubbing it aggressively side the blade bed often requires straddling a narrow stone and
to side on a piece of 100-grit some work. Heavy, uneven rubbing the blade back and forth
aluminum oxide sandpaper japanning or bad castings can and sideways. Alternatively, take
affixed to a granite slab prevent a blade from seating diamond paddles to the bevel.
(Photo C). I followed up by solidly against the bed, inviting For bevel-down blades,
polishing it in the same manner chatter in use. With sloppy maintain an angle of about
using fine emery cloth. To polish japanning, you can often scrape 25°. To help with honing the
a round-bottom spokeshave sole, away the paint blobs. An out-of- bevel, I made a simple plywood
I back up emery cloth with a flat casting can be smoothed and blade holder that fits into my
piece of 1⁄4"-thick cork and scrub leveled with a mill file, working honing jig (Photo F). If the
with a side-to-side motion. in the diagonal fashion as shown back of the blade is rough, I’ll
Next, you'll want to attend to in Photo E. Check your progress hone it using a progression of
the cap iron. To minimize blade frequently, and continue filing waterstones, finishing up by
chatter and to prevent chips from away high spots until the blade polishing it with 8000 grit.
jamming under the cap iron, the doesn’t rock while in place.
bottom of its leading edge needs Finally, the blade needs to be Adjusting a spokeshave
to make solid contact with the flattened and sharpened. Because As with a hand plane, you’ll
blade. Flatten that section using it's so short, a blade can be hard want to adjust a spokeshave to
the same technique used to to hold for sharpening. Instead of take a cut that’s appropriate for
flatten the sole. Also smooth and using a grinding wheel, I suggest the job at hand. But setting a
polish the top of the cap iron’s sharpening with honing stones. spokeshave can be tricky. Unlike
leading edge to allow chips to Begin with as coarse a grit as is a hand plane, a spokeshave
break away cleanly and smoothly. necessary to restore the edge and provides very little sole to
On some shaves, the “ears” on then move through progressively serve as a sighting reference.
Dec/Jan 2011 woodcraftmagazine.com 43
It’s of little use trying to set a
blade by feel because a cutting
edge that projects far enough
to feel will probably create too
coarse a cut. The best approach
is trial and error, making test
cuts on a piece of scrap.
Shaves with depth adjustment
knobs are easiest to set, but be
sure to take up any backlash
after adjustment by advancing
the adjustment knobs until they
contact the bottoms of the blade
slots. Spokeshaves without
adjustment knobs require a G
different approach. For these, To set a shave that lacks adjustment knobs, snug up the cap iron locking
place the tool on a flat surface, knob, tap the blade lightly to advance it, then tighten the locking knob.
bottom out the blade, and then
snug up the cap-iron locking don’t have to reposition yourself Even the most highly tuned
screw, but not too tightly. Tap or your work frequently. That spokeshaves can chatter during
the blade lightly (Photo G), said, I find that pushing gives certain cuts. If this occurs,
secure the cap-iron locking me the most power and control, try skewing the tool as shown
screw, and make a test cut. especially with unruly woods. in Photo I. Skewing the shave
I own a number of spokeshaves
and set them differently. For
some, I like to skew a blade to
take a fine cut on one side, and
a slightly heavier slice on the
other. This creates a sort of
two-in-one shave that’s great
for preliminary work. I follow
up with a shave that’s set to
take fine, uniform shavings
for a more refined surface.

Using a spokeshave
Using a spokeshave requires
concentration, especially if you’re
new to it. Because the handles
are so long, beginners have a
tendency to grab them out at
their ends. However, this type of Shaving Kits
grip will not allow your wrists to Making a wooden bevel-up spokeshave from a kit is an affordable
control the cut. Instead, I place way to make a tool that’s anything but cheap. I’ve been using mine
my thumbs and forefingers as for over 10 years, and I love it. Dave’s Shaves (ncworkshops.com)
close to the blade as possible, with offers a complete $65 kit, including a Hock blade, pre-marked wooden
the handles simply serving as a blank, and comprehensive instructions. It takes maybe an afternoon
resting place for the remainder to build the shave. For those more adventurous souls who want to
of my fingers (Photo H). build the body from scratch, a Hock blade with locking screws can
Spokeshaves can be pushed be purchased directly from Hock Tools (hocktools.com) for about
or pulled. It’s a good idea to $36. With it you'll find instructions for making the tool body.
master both techniques so you
44 woodcraftmagazine.com Dec/Jan 2011
Figure 2: Shave With The Grain.
Round-bottom shave

Flat-bottom shave

Flat-bottom Round-bottom
spokeshave spokeshave

lowers the blade’s angle of finish the bottom of a curve. to smooth everything out prior
attack and usually results in a If you can’t perfectly smooth to assembly and finishing.
cleaner cut. It also helps combat the tangency point where the Once mastered, the spokeshave
resistance on end-grain. grain reverses, you may need to is an indispensable tool, so join
Use a flat-bottom shave to resort to a scraper. In any case, the shaving revolution. Chances
cut convex areas, and a round- you’ll probably want to refine are, once you learn to handle the
bottom shave for concave the spokeshaved surface with tool, you’ll depend less on your
surfaces. (Bear in mind that a scraper and/or sandpaper to oscillating spindle sander. n
you can’t cut a concave radius remove any chatter marks and
that is smaller than the radius
of the spokeshave bottom.)
Always work in the “downhill” About Our Author
direction of the grain, as shown Craig Bentzley has been restoring antiques
in Figure 2. Tight radii are and building furniture for nearly 40 years. In
particularly challenging, and addition to writing, Craig also teaches at guilds,
you may have to work the shave woodworking shows, and at Woodcraft stores.
in side-to-side slicing cuts to

H I
For best control, hold a spokeshave close to its Reduce blade chatter by skewing a spokeshave. Here,
blade, pinching it firmly at the base of the handles. the shave is being pulled downhill with the grain.
Dec/Jan 2011 woodcraftmagazine.com 45
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