I need a good Spokeshave

I want to buy a good spokeshave. I have some $25 types and they work but they chatter and require constant attention. Lee Valley has what looks like a nice one and so does Lie Neilsen but at significantly more money. I need some advice. EdG

Reply to
EdG
Loading thread data ...

thanks for posting this question. I'm also considering some LV SS's.

Dave

Reply to
David

but they chatter and require constant attention. Lee Valley has what looks like a nice one and so does Lie Neilsen but at significantly more

money. I need some advice.

I use old Stanley 51's and 52's without any problems. I pay about $15.00 for them from old tool dealers. Just keep them sharp and set. You don't need to shell out big bucks for a spokeshave to get good results.

Reply to
joeljcarver

I have a LV Vetitas spoke shave and I love it. There are not too expensive either. I've also use the Lie-Nielsen, and it's great. If cost is a factor go with the Veritas.

On another note there should be some articles out there about tuning your spoke shave. Get a thicker blade and replace the veler cap with a solid brass cap and you may save a few $$$ and get a unique spoke shave! A friend did this and the results are very good. There is an article floating around on this.

If you can find an old stanley off e-bay or a tool dealer that cool too!

Reply to
Buster

On 31 Oct 2005 18:50:48 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "EdG" quickly quoth:

formatting link
not the LVT shave, why not buy a blade from Ron Hock and make your own?

formatting link
for the iron.
formatting link
Spokie's famous shave page.

Also, look into a drawknife for shaping. I love my Veritas 6" carving drawknife. (The price has doubled since I bought mine!)

------------------------------------------- Stain and Poly are their own punishment

formatting link
Comprehensive Website Design ======================================================

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Lee Valley. Don't even bother with the capped kind. The LV are ready as they arrive to do what spokeshaves do. Not only that, but you get two for one. Concave shaving or convex/straight in the same package, but only if you reverse the leading aluminum. I have two, each preset, because when I'm smoothing out stuff at the horse, I don't want to do anything more than grab the appropriate tool.

The kits also look good. Threads answer the chief objection to the traditional low angle shave, that of the sliding wedge action. One of these days I'll fill out an order with one.

I don't own LN shaves, but I have Stanley and Record, and they are even properly fettled for best use. Haven't touched them in four years. Like the low-angle types better.

One further advantage - the low angle are easier to develop proficiency with. Kids at school who struggled with regular shaves got the low-angle ones working with ten minutes practice - even on end grain.

Reply to
George

Lee Valleys Contour planes work very well

formatting link
I use them as well as the flat and round ones
formatting link
can get nice thin curlies from marine plywood using any of the four. Haven't used the concave yet but I've got access to a bunch of long scrap that might make a few nice walking sticks to practice on. Joe

Reply to
Joe Gorman

I also like the LV metal spokeshave - I use it on contouring electric guitar bodies and also have the curved one for guitar necks and it works very well also. I must admit I am not the best with a spokeshave yet but get better. I have not had to sharpen it much but sharpness of the blade does seem to make a difference also. The thing with LV is the precision of machining and the components which makes all the diference in the world IMO.

Mike

Reply to
gadgetman

Where's the link to the one you've made?

Reply to
no(SPAM)vasys

I have a Veritas and it's a great tool.

Last time I checked, Lee Valley had a satisfaction guarantee.

Barry

Reply to
B a r r y

Well that may be true with some caveats

  1. Do you want it to work on concave surfaces OR convex surfaces?

Normally to work on both concace and convex curves you need two spoke shaves. The Lee Valley/Veritas version is supposed to be able to do both. But normally, a tool that does multi-functions doesn't do either as well as two dedicated tools do.

  1. Do you want to hog off wood or create a near finished surface?

The greater the distance between the cutting edge and the front of the mouth opening the more wood can be removed with each pass - but at a cost - likely tear out and less control. A tight mouth will produce finer shavings and a better finished surface, with less or no tear out and with a lot of control - but it's slow.

  1. Do you want to shave with a pull stroke, a push stroke or both?

Because the direction of the grain changes in curves it's nice to be able to pull in one direction and push in the other. A shave that is comfortable and controllable in both modes is nice to have.

  1. Are you good at controling hand tools?

The Stanley type spoke shaves have the handles up off the wood by several inches. That means they're easy to accidentally tilt - and dig in. The closer your hands are to the wood, the less apt to tilt the tool.

If you're good at "seeing" that your tool is square to the sides you're working on then you don't need fingers in contact on both sides of the wood. But if you aren't, the Stanley won't let you have contact with the sides of the piece your shaving.

just some things to think about

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

Current issue of Shopnotes shows you how to make your own...

Reply to
D Steck

On Tue, 01 Nov 2005 12:50:45 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "no(SPAM)vasys" quickly quoth:

Oh, a smartarse, eh? Well, Yack, here are a few pics. Man, that camera I had in '99 was lousy for tool photos, huh?

formatting link
and click on the Tools link, bottom right.

I made the spokeshave from a DerGunterSpokie kit and his piece of purkleheartless wood. I later found the little piece of Lignum Vitae and inset a hard mouth in the beastie. It helped!

See? I have completed a few projects after all. Pffffffffffffffft! ;)

Reply to
Larry Jaques

"EdG" wrote in news:1130813448.376652.255090 @g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Love my Lee Valley spokeshaves. I have both the metal low angle one, and the traditional wood handled one (convex bottom). I prefer the feel of the traditional wood handled one for most work.

Reply to
Nate Perkins

[snip of caveats]

Given all that, do you have a recommendation for a good spokeshave? I've been kind of looking around for one and haven't seen anything that really spins my wheels.

-- "We need to make a sacrifice to the gods, find me a young virgin... oh, and bring something to kill"

Tim Douglass

formatting link

Reply to
Tim Douglass

I got mine [several sizes] still mint from yard sales and flea market ...$1 or $2 per. I never go over $5 for anything, and never buy anything I can't use or spend little time cleaning up. It pays to be patient.

Reply to
Guess who

Same here. Your only hope is estate sales, and even then only one in ten have anything worthwhile.

Reply to
justme

Stanley #63 or #64, cheap off eBay. These are the _small_ version of the more common #51 or #151 pattern. They also work far better,

Or else the Lee Valley. This is an excellent thing and because it's a metal copy of a wooden spokeshave, with the geometry of a wooden spokeshave, then it handles in a different way that most people prefer.

I do have #51 spokeshaves that work well (after much fiddling). But my usual tools are drawknife, wooden spokeshave, #64, depending on the size of what I'm working on. The #51 falls somewhere in the middle and this would apply to a good Preston or Lie Nielsen spokeshave too - for bigger jobs I prefer the low-angle geometry of a wood shave, for final finishing I prefer the smaller #64.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Andy Dingley wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Try

formatting link

Reply to
Henry St.Pierre

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.