Spokeshave & Shoulder Plane.....what to look for??

[George Farra]

Hi Everyone

Well, it is time for me to add a spokeshave and shoulder plane to my workshop. The last FWW issue got me inspired so I'm taking the leap. I was leaning towards a flat bottom spokeshave and a medium sized shoulder plane.

Oher than Lee Valley & Lie Nielson....what other sources should I consider? If I am looking at the used market...what should I look for?

Thank you

George

[David Weaver]

Buy an old stanley 51 wherever you find one in decent condition and cheap. You can decide if you need anything better. Shouldn't be a task to find one $20 or cheaper. They work well, and you may decide they're all you need (do not buy a new one from groz, kunz, anant, etc, there is no reason and they're likely to be lower quality and probably cost more anyway).

I personally would spend the money on new for the shoulder plane. Old ones are not by any means guaranteed to be square, and if you do find a vintage one at some point that you prefer, you will not be out much to resell the LN or LV version you buy. You may even make money (nominally) if it's 5 or 10 years from now. Stick with planes other than shoulder planes for old stuff.

[Bill Houghton]

I concur, almost, with David about the spokeshave. I happen to like the No. 52, which is like the 51 but with straight handles instead of the gullwing handles of the 51. You need to learn, with either, how to set the iron by sight and guess; but this is not too hard.

People nervous about learning how to set the iron manually will wonder about the Stanley 151/152 (and the various equivalents by other makers, like Record), which have adjusting nuts. I had one (a Record) and gave it away, because the nuts got in the way on tight inside curves. Also the 51/52 are lighter and thus more agile in the hand.

Lee Valley is selling replacement blades that fit both series of shaves. I had to file the mouth on my 52 to fit it, but it gives me a solid cutting edge and a small mouth; a worthwhile buy, if you can afford it.

Incidentally: some people push a spokeshave, others pull, still others push or pull depending on the circumstances. I generally push, but on tight inside corners I'll pull, because, on a inside corner like that, your curl your hands around to keep the shave in cutting attitude; and it's a lot easier to curl your wrists in than out. I grip my shave between thumb and first finger right on the body of the shave, using the handles as a place to rest my other fingers so they don't flop around. This is a more delicate, controllable grip than grabbing the handles as if they're bicycle/motorcycle grips; I learned the grip from a Fine Woodworking article by one of the elders of the trade years ago.

[Andrew Gibson]

I would agree
I would go with a LN or LV shoulder plane... I am saving for one myself.
As for spoke shaves I inherited a 51 and I quite like it. I don't find setting the iron to be a problem at all. Now I am hunting for a round bottom 51. I saw a few 51's at the flea market today for $10 or so each.

[Tony Shea]

I also own an old Stanley or Bailey similar to the 51. Im not up on my spokeshave model # or type study but the shave has no adjusting screws, just a lever cap holding the blade. I much prefer this style compared to a 151 style shave which has the screw adjustments for the blade. Setting the blade depth and lateral adjustments are very simple without the adjusting screws. I ended up selling my 151 and kept my original 51 style spokeshave. I think starting out with a Stanley 51 is very sound advise as this may be all you need.

[Patrick Tipton]

I have both a Stanley 151 and the 51. I also have a LN Brian Boggs round shave. For most work, prefer the 151. I replaced the original blade with a Hock and it is a great tool. The 51 is nice. The LN is wonderful for chair spindles and other work where you are trying to make something round.

Regards, Patrick

[Jim Koepke]

Now I am hunting for a round bottom 51.

I think that is the #63. I bought one recently and it is good for working concave areas and inside curves.

Many years ago I was given a set of AMT spokeshaves. They are junk. I have not tried to fettle them into working tools as yet. The old Stanley spokeshaves are inexpensive enough that it isn't really worth the time it would take if they could be made to work.

Maybe it is a challenge that I should undertake one day just to show how it was done.

jtk

[Bill Houghton]

Now I am hunting for a round bottom 51.
I think that is the #63.
jtk

No, the 63 is a different design from the 51. The 63 (round bottom) and 64 (flat bottom) are shorter than the 51, with a narrower, thinner iron and generally lighter construction. The cap iron has one central hole and is held in place with a shouldered thumbscrew, as opposed to the 51's lever cap tightened with a knurled screw. So that you don't have to remove the thumbscrew completely every time, the iron is slotted all the way to the top and slides out the mouth (in this it's like the iron on the 53/54 and a few, early I think, models of the 65). They're also straight-handled, incidentally, like the 52.

I have heard that there was a 51R, although I've never seen one; I suspect they're quite rare. See Peter Robinson's work at http://peterrobinson.galootcentral.com/spokeshaves/#Stanley-51R-shave, for instance, for references to this.

Another possibility, not too uncommon, is the Stanley No. 67 universal shave with the round sole attachment. I bought one of these a few months back and have done very preliminary messing about but have been too busy with the house remodel to make actual use of it. So far, though, I'm impressed. These can be found pretty easily on eBay, but you have to be careful: they came with both flat and round soles, and you need to know which you're buying (it seems rare to find a shave with both attachments). They're also quite a bit pricier than a 51 or 52 or, for that matter, a 63 or 64. They do have the ability to shave a rabbet, which is cool though possibly infrequently useful.

By the way, I'm not sure I'd buy a 63 or 64 as my first spokeshave; they are awfully lightweight, and quality is pretty variable (though I doubt the worst Stanley is worse than the best Kunz, for instance - I had a Kunz round-bellied shave, and was never able to get it to cut; chattered nicely, though).