Stanley 55 Spokeshave

[David Katz]

Does anyone know the proper angle to grind the blade of a Stanley 55 spokeshave? I got one at a garage sale and it would appear the blade is currently ground at 52 degrees. It will not take a shaving. Do I need to re-grind it down to 25 degrees and put a 30 degree micro-bevel on it?

Thanks.

[Boatman53]

That would be my choice.
Jim

[Bill_Houghton]

That's pretty far off normal grind.  You're probably not touching the cutting edge to the wood.

Some people grind bevel-up plane irons - which is what you've got, functionally - at 30 degrees; some at 25.  I imagine either one would work.

That'll be a tricky re-grind.  Good luck.  One thing I have found is that, absent a slipstone the right size, a dowel with sandpaper around it is good.  And, if you present the dowel at an angle to the edge, rather than straight across, you can find a "section" on the dowel that will fit your curve pretty well.

[Admiral]

I'm a 25 deg guy.

[David Katz]

That's pretty far off normal grind.  You're probably not touching the cutting edge to the wood.

Some people grind bevel-up plane irons - which is what you've got, functionally - at 30 degrees; some at 25.  I imagine either one would work.

That'll be a tricky re-grind.  Good luck.  One thing I have found is that, absent a slipstone the right size, a dowel with sandpaper around it is good.  And, if you present the dowel at an angle to the edge, rather than straight across, you can find a "section" on the dowel that will fit your curve pretty well.

Paul Sellers has demonstrated the technique you describe. I agree it's gong to be tricky.