A spoke shave next? Why? Which one?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

I think I want a spoke shave next. 

Current inventory:

#5 scrub
#5 jack
#7 jointer
#4 wooden smoother
#92 shoulder
Veritas medium router

Now I build almost exclusively tables since I started a small business on the side...I'm currently building three with more coming. 

I use my router on almost all projects, mainly to tune tenons.   My shoulder also gets lots of use.  My #7 is a wall decoration.  My smoother is bored.  My #5's get occasional use as needed. 

I'm primarily a power tool user but love pretending to be a Neanderthal every now and then. 

So, building mostly straight stuff...will a spoke shave maybe be useful?  If so, why?  Which one?

What say you?

[ajkoontz]

useful/ why? - it depends. Spokeshave wasn't a game changer for me, but it is very handy to have. I'm getting into building chairs, and for that they are indispensable, but for mostly flat work I can't make a compelling case to get one. If you're a WW without a lathe (like me) and occasionally want to make square things round (or round-ish) then a spokeshave is pretty handy to have around.

which one?- This is a little easier to answer. #1 Paul Sellars has a pretty good video on YT talking about which one to buy and why. I'll add my 2 cents. Absolute best spokeshave you can get right now, IMO, is the Veritas flat bottom. It's based on the 151 (adjustment mechanism), and a flat bottom is a good spokeshave to have if you only have one. Second best bet, get a vintage 151, or copy. Stay with the 151 version as the two adjustment screws are the way to go. These average around $50 on ebay, etc. You may be able to find one cheaper, but good luck, it seems to me the prices on these have gone up. I used to see them for $10-$15 all day long at fleas, but haven't seen a decent one this low for quite a while. Third option is look at Taylor Tools 151 clone, around $25 on Amazon. The fit and finish is not as good on these as a vintage, but it's a decent budget option if you want to try one out and see if you like spokeshaves in general. I bought one of these for my son, so he'll keep his mitts off my Veritas. Again, the Veritas is my favorite, by far. One of the things I like best is the thick blade, which makes it easier for me to freehand sharpen. The 151's have pretty thin blades and they are too short to fit in a jig so they can be a bit fussy to sharpen. I also like the round/ wood handles on the Veritas as they are more ergonomic to me.

[ajkoontz]

Boy the traffic on this site isn’t what it used to be. I’m no expert on spokeshaves, I was hoping you’d get a good discussion going here. Maybe post about a festool or Sawstop spokeshave and it will get some attention.

[bandit571]

IF the OP really wants to try out a spokeshave..I'll send him a Stanley spokeshave....since it is a spare and all I would need is an Address to mail it to.  

Currently, I have 2 Seymour Smith & Son Spokeshaves I always use....I can refresh the edge on the Stanley one, and have it IN the mail....

I'd have to go and check out what Model Number it is....will do that later today..

   

[AHill]

If you want to venture into curved table legs, a spokeshave is a valuable tool. In that case, I'd opt for a low angle version like the Veritas Low Angle spokeshave or a Lie-Nielsen Boggs flat spokeshave. The Veritas spokeshaves with wood handles are very nice, but maybe overkill for shaping table legs. I'm assuming you can do most of the preliminary shaping on the bandsaw. Avoid any spokeshaves with curved or concave blades. You can do 95% of rasp work with a flat bottomed sole.

Another consideration for curved legs is a couple of really nice rasps. Auriou or Liogier from France are the best. More affordable rasps which are halfway decent are Gramercy (Tools for Working Wood) or Narex. I've not tried the Narex, but if their rasps are on a par with their chisels, they would be pretty decent.

[Handplanesandmore]

Spokeshaves can be used to chamfer edges too. If you are getting one to try, get the flat bottom one, which you can learn to make curve cuts. The Veritas are among the premium ones if your budget allows.

But Bandit's generous offer is hard to beat. You can get some experience with it and then decide if you need another spokeshave.

Simon

[fredhargis]

Hardly an expert on them, though I do have one. It seems to me they are more for shaping things live chair arms and so on. Your best bet may be to take Bandit up on his generous offer and see if it's useful for what you do.

[bandit571]

Just picked a Stanley No. 51, today...amongst a few other tools....and...saw a LOT of tools someone else thought were "Gold Plated"....

[ajkoontz]

Just picked a Stanley No. 51, today...amongst a few other tools....and...saw a LOT of tools someone else thought were "Gold Plated"....

What did you have to give for it if you don't mind me asking? I looked long and hard for a 151 for around 2 years and $50 was about the best I could do for a decent one. Maybe the 51's are going for a lot cheaper?

#2- I've only used spokeshaves with the screw type adjustments (151 style), how fussy is the blade adjustment on the 51's, etc.? Are they pretty easy to dial in for a semi-novice like me?

[bandit571]

$10 + Tax..and is missing one of the bolts