Spokeshave help

[Jay Knoll]

Hi

I'm working on a curved stretches for a bench, and trying to smooth off the cut from the jigsaw.

Never used a spokeshave before but thought it would be faster than a scraper and/or sanding

So I bought a Stanley contractor grade for $20. That might have been the first mistake.

Anyway, I sharpened the blade like a chisel, flattened the back, ground the bevel and the microbevel, I can shave the hair off the back of my arm with it.

I flattened the sole of the spokeshave -- maybe I should have called it a Spokeshave kit! :)

Anyway I can't get it to cut a shaving, I've been carefully increasing the depth of cut, it just skates along the surface without cutting. Then if I get it to engage the wood, it just jams or splinters out a piece (I'm working with maple). I back off a tiny bit on the adjusters and I'm back to skating again.

Any thoughts/suggestions

Thanks

Jay

[Tyler Howell]

You get What you pay for.

You're a tool snob now Jay and neeeeed these.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=49142&category=1,50230&abspage=1&ccurrency=2&SID=

[Jerry Palmer]

Some time back one of the mags (I think it was FWW) did an article on spokeshaves. One of the thingsthey mentioned about the new stanleys was that the surface on which the cutter rides was rough and unfinished leading to its not properly supporting the cutter.

The flat soled models are pretty limited as to clutting concave surfaces, and that may be the problem with yours. By the time there is enough blade extended to reach the wood, too much unsupported blade is protruding to get a nice thin ribbon cut.

A card scraper should make fairly quick work of those surfaces, or a shave with a convex front to rear sole.

[Tom LaRussa]

So I bought a Stanley contractor grade for $20. That might have been the first mistake.
Nothing wrong with that. A spokeshave is a very simple tool, so the modern ones are okay so long as you tune and use them correctly.


Anyway I can't get it to cut a shaving, I've been carefully increasing the depth of cut, it just skates along the surface without cutting. Then if I get it to engage the wood, it just jams or splinters out a piece (I'm working with maple). I back off a tiny bit on the adjusters and I'm back to skating again.
Jay,

First off, if you are using a flat bottomed shave then I think Jerry has it right.

Otherwise, I think you are holding the shave incorrectly and/or at the wrong angle to the wood. Spokeshaves are a bit tricky to use a first -- I know because I'm still at the stage where I get "tricked" quite a bit. :D

Check this website on making spokeshaves by John Gunterman. You have to scroll down a bit, but he includes a section on how to use the tool. http://www.shavings.net/TEACHSHAVE.HTM

You might also want to take a look at this tutorial on spokeshave tuning by Bob Smalser: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7415

[Mark Singer]

Jay,

The blade should just be very slightly protruding from the body. The curved bottom Stanleys and Records are a bit easier to use. You can either pull it toward you or push it away. With the blade set fine the angle is sensitive and you need to find it by slightly canging the angle on a piece of scrap wood. A great spoke shave which is real easy to use is the older Lee Valley. You can flip the mouth piece for concave work. After spokeshave I go to a Rasp like a Nicholson 49 or 50...using a diagnol stroke.
http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/sandingshaping/05p3201sb.jpgA very well spent $49 !!!!

[Bob Smalser]

Not sure I can help as I can't see your work piece and watching you do it, but flat shaves have to be used just like planes....only more so.

Pressure at the beginning of the cut has to be hard on the forward sole....and hard at the end of the sole by the end of the cut. Many folks do that without ever realizing they are doing it. The harder the pressure, the finer the blade setting and shaving that can be obtained.

The wood grain plays a huge part, too:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7528&highlight=drawknife

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3854395/47481216.jpg

[Jay Knoll]

Well, I'm getting there, the information is very helpful and I'm getting better shavings. Bob is certainly a weath of information.

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions

Back to the shop (after doing some "paying work")!

Jay

[Pam Niedermayer]

I'm not altogether sure what a Stanley contractor grade shave looks like; but Stanley 51's and their kin work fine on fairing gentle concave surfaces, like those found on the fails of craftsman rockers.

Pam