stanley spokeshave

[Tim Reagan]

I want to introduce myself to using a spokeshave and have read here stanly 51 and 52's are reasonable choices if tuned properly. Is the modern one they sell remotely similar to an older version. This is one I saw at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-951-SpokeShave-Flat-Base/dp/B00002X1ZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1272665682&sr=8-1
thanks

[James Scheffler]

I want to introduce myself to using a spokeshave and have read here stanly 51 and 52's are reasonable choices if tuned properly. Is the modern one they sell remotely similar to an older version. This is one I saw at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-951-SpokeShave-Flat-Base/dp/B00002X1ZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1272665682&sr=8-1
thanks

The modern 151 equivalent is just like the older 151's, but the older ones are far better made. I paid $25 for an old one from a dealer. It looked a little rough but was in perfect working condition. For the few bucks difference, I feel it was worth it. There are a zillion of them out there.

Lee Valley Tools sells great replacement blades at a very reasonable price, if you choose to go that route. I recommend a new blade whether you go for a new or old Stanley spokeshave.

Jim S.

[Jonathan McCullough]

I don't have experience with the 151 but I do have a 51 and with the Harbor Freight version. The older 51 is machined well and is superb. I was using it on a picnic table recently to round corners on end grain as well as to chamfer the edges. It's the kind of tool where you could get overenthusiastic and shave your entire project away to a pile of long, stringy spills just for the pleasure of it. It's fun.

Alas, the Harbor Freight version should be avoided. On the one I got, the casting isn't machined adequately (perhaps not at all?) so that the blade, which looks to be high speed steel, just flutters on the bed there like a playing card in a kid's bicycle wheel spoke. I'd just file it down but the way it's configured, you can't really get a file in there. It really needs an end mill (just fire up the ol' Bridgeport next to the Kitchen-Aid, right?). False economy. Still learning my lessons.

[Bill Houghton]

I can't speak to newer vs. older, except to say that the general experience is that newer isn't so good. There are enough on eBay that you should be able to find an older one; or you can contact any of the reputable dealers.

I do, though, have an opinion on the 51/52 vs. 151. Mind, this is my opinion; others may differ. The 151, which is what you linked to from Amazon, has little knurled adjusting nuts sticking up above the cutting iron. The 51/52 don't. This means you have to learn to adjust the 51/52 by hand, which takes a little while to learn (though it's not too hard*). That's the bad news. The two-part good news is that the nuts on the 151 can get in your way around tight inside corners, so the effective inside radius possible with a 151 is significantly larger than with a 51/52 (that is, you can get into tighter corners with the 51/52); and the lighter 51/52, in my opinion, handle better, kind of like a Mazda Miata vs. a sedan.

*Adjusting, at the beginning, is like this: you set the spokeshave down on a smooth flat surface, loosen the cap iron, let the iron fall down to the surface, and tighten the iron. Try it. If it's not cutting, put a piece of paper under the sole in front of the iron, and repeat the loosen/tighten step. Repeat until you're getting a light but respectable shaving. This assumes you've sharpened the iron.

Also: gripping a spokeshave. The natural tendency is to grip the handles like bicycle handgrips and go to shaving. A more sensitive and effective grip is to grip the edges of the "body" - where the cutting iron is - lightly between thumb and first finger, using the handles as a convenient place to rest your other fingers. This will let you guide and direct the shave more effectively.

Myself, I like the 52, something I can safely say now because I own two. The straight handles of the 52 just feel more comfortable in my hands than the gullwing of the 51.

[Tim Reagan]

great info, and thanks for the quick how to use primer!

[Jim Belair]

FWW had an article a couple of years back called Souping Up Your Spokeshave by Brian Boggs. (its available online and in their compilation book on Hand Planes)

I followed most of the steps there to fine tune my 151 (laying down a bed of epoxy, reshaping the cap iron, installing a shim to close up the mouth). It performs better but still not great. I didn't replace the blade and am holding off on doing so since I may end up getting a Veritas or the smaller of the LN versions. I wish I had done so in the first place (a familiar story).

Jim B

[Derek Cohen]

I prefer the #51 to the #151. The #51 does not have an adjuster. I find spokeshaves without adjusters tend to have a lower centre of effort (i.e. less top heavy), which increases control.

You can close up the mouth of a #51 (and other Stanleys) with a shim - use brass or an old Coke can. I've also used wood veneer ...

For setting the blade on spokeshaves and woodies (anything without an adjuster), I recommend glass .. yes! See my article: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/SettingupaWoodiewithaGlassBladeSettingBlock.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[James Scheffler]

I want to introduce myself to using a spokeshave and have read here stanly 51 and 52's are reasonable choices if tuned properly. Is the modern one they sell remotely similar to an older version. This is one I saw at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-951-SpokeShave-Flat-Base/dp/B00002X1ZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1272665682&sr=8-1
thanks

If you decide you want an old 51 or 151, I'll put in a plug for this dealer: http://www.workingtools.biz/#Spokeshaves

He currently has three 51's for $18 - $25 and one 151 for $22. I've had good luck with his tools.

Jim S.