Lee Valley Pullshave?

[john brenton]

I have never seen a review here, but it looks like a handy little tool. Anyone have it?

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I have a little bronze "carving spoon" I got years ago, which is sort of similar to a low-tech small version the same idea as this. I really really like it for shaping and smoothing on carved electric guitar tops (like a Les Paul sort of thing) I find I like the control of the pulling from the handle and the rocking of the curved sole. I imagine having a larger and more ergonomic version would be quite helpful for some projects.

I've been debating picking up one of these pullshaves for a while; it's on the list for next time I get to a project that warrants it. I'd also like to see others reviews, but honestly, if it's to the same quality of other LV tools, like their spokeshaves, I don't really see there being anything against the tool, and it really just boils down to whether it's sized well for the work you plan and if you like the ergonomics of this over something like a travisher. The only other caveat I'd have is I'd be curious as to how open the mouth is; the LV shaves where pretty tight for anything for other than thin smoothing work; which is fine for those, but I could see wanting to use this for something heavier. (Never mind, I just looked at the photo, it looks like the mouth is adequately open.)

[David Weaver]

I have never seen a review here, but it looks like a handy little tool. Anyone have it?

Have it, yes. Used it? No. Thought it seemed like a good idea, thought I was going to make a set of chairs, and then bought the chairs.

Why not just buy or make a travisher? I think that's what I really wanted, but then again, since I'm not really interested in making chairs, I wouldn't use that, either.

[David Weaver]

The only other caveat I'd have is I'd be curious as to how open the mouth is

IIRC, looking at it, it's plenty open to pull more than smoother shavings through it.

[john brenton]

David,

I use a traditional inshave and a shop made scraper from a saw blade for chair seats. I don't NEEEEEEEED the pull shave, but it just seemed like something that would be handy. The travishers handles can get in the way on small hollowing work.

[David Weaver]

It might fill in a hole, then. It wouldn't have any lateral restrictions, and maybe the radius is better. After watching a few people using a one-handed scorp on hardwood, I think I'd rather use this thing for smaller work since you can put some pressure right over the cutting edge.

[Niels Cosman]

Hey John,
I have one and I think it's a really great tool. Essentially, it's the love-child of an inshave and a spokeshave. The important features are that it has a mouth and the wings from a spokeshave or travisher are replaced with handles places fore and aft (keeping them from interfering with shaping as you tilt the tool). Important to note that this is not a smoothing tool and the mouth is as wide as say a jackplane . While if you sharpen it it will take awesome clean cuts, you'll still have to follow up with some scraping and light sanding. The same thing essentially can be said of a well sharpened scorp or inshave. I usually use after I have hogged out material with my scorp. the pullshave's mouth give you a lot of control and the ability to refine the shape of your seat.
Of course, I did have some slight issues with the design of the box and made simple little mods from the get go to improve it's range hollowing chair seats. I wrote a blog post about it here:
http://materialogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/making-good-thing-better.html

Cheers,
Niels

[Chuck Nickerson]

I have one and have used it to shape four chair seats and smooth the inside of a dough bowl. (Where are those photos?)

For me it servers a a travisher. Compared to a travisher, the pullshave does not look traditional, but it's much easier on my wrists.

To close the mouth, one can easily shim the blade.

Chuck

[john brenton]

That was a neat blog post Niels. You should send it to Veritas and give them some feed back. Everything you noted about the performance of the shave were things I was considering while I was looking at it. Thanks.

[Adam Cormier]

There's one for sale right now on classifieds. But at the price its being asked for, its not really a bargain....after shipping its only about $15 cheaper and then you wouldn't have the fantastic support of Lee Valley if there are any problems.

[Rob Lee]

There's one for sale right now on classifieds. But at the price its being asked for, its not really a bargain....after shipping its only about $15 cheaper and then you wouldn't have the fantastic support of Lee Valley if there are any problems.

Hi -

We support the used stuff too... :)

Cheers -

Rob

[john brenton]

yeah, the guy that's selling it is a real shady character too. haha.

[David Weaver]

IIRC, 85% of new is usually what LV and LN tools go for when they are unused or used but with nearly no wear (or at least that's what I've paid). Thus the price. I usually sell stuff a little below the going rate, but only if I've actually used it. I just took selling a japanese plane in the shorts last week, so I'm less inclined to make dreams come true this week.

John, my wife says not just shady, but stinky, too. "All you do is stink and make a mess". :)

[Niels Cosman]

Thanks John!
It's a great tool- made even better by it's very design that allows for simple customization. My mods are so minor that I would lump them in with honing the blade for the first time.
One note, The long handle IS very useful and ergonomically more efficient (perhaps like a Japanese saw handle). I still have it and have used it from time to time. The smaller handle requires significantly more kung-fu gripping although for my purposes the stubby is ideal. Because it's being used with two hands the smaller rear handle naturally shifts effort to the front knob which is applying important downward forces. I also i think it enables a better push stroke, which I have used at times rather than switching my stance or reorienting the workpiece.

[Ryan Baker]

I have one too and it's a nice tool. Think of it as a spokeshave with the handles repositioned so that they don't get in the way.

[David Weaver]

There's one for sale right now on classifieds. But at the price its being asked for, its not really a bargain....after shipping its only about $15 cheaper and then you wouldn't have the fantastic support of Lee Valley if there are any problems.

I kept quiet on this. When all was said and done, it cost $6 to ship the thing, and the difference went right back to where it came from.

Every LN and LV tool I have bought, save one that was rusty, was between 80 and 90% of new price, all of them had actually been used, and usually shipping was on top of that.

In my woodworking lifetime, i have never sold a tool for more than I paid for it, and at the same time, when there was something on the classifieds that I thought was high, even if I wanted it, I kept it to myself, and most of the time, it has sold to someone else.

I would appreciate a little more consideration next time, especially regarding the assertion that you get no support on the tool, which isn't true, even if I weren't the type to take something back if the buyer wasn't happy with it.

Like most of the folks on here, I'm not remotely close to a dealer, just cycling things around as part of the hobby.

[Adam Cormier]

I kept quiet on this. When all was said and done, it cost $6 to ship the thing, and the difference went right back to where it came from.

Every LN and LV tool I have bought, save one that was rusty, was between 80 and 90% of new price, all of them had actually been used, and usually shipping was on top of that.

In my woodworking lifetime, i have never sold a tool for more than I paid for it, and at the same time, when there was something on the classifieds that I thought was high, even if I wanted it, I kept it to myself, and most of the time, it has sold to someone else.

I would appreciate a little more consideration next time, especially regarding the assertion that you get no support on the tool, which isn't true, even if I weren't the type to take something back if the buyer wasn't happy with it.

Like most of the folks on here, I'm not remotely close to a dealer, just cycling things around as part of the hobby.

I wasn't pointing out anything that you hadn't pointed out in your posting (you had advised the percentage of the retail price that you were asking). The opinion I gave was just to a fellow Creeker who was thinking about buying a pullshave.

There are many tools listed for 80-90% of new as you note. Then there are some listings that are listed for much lower than that. There are some really good deals on the classifieds and some not so good deals (again, that is just a personal opinion. Something that may not be worth $100 to me because I can buy it locally for $90 may be worth $100 to someone who doesn't have any access to a product and can't find the item for cheaper than $115 via the internet). Trust me, as an owner of tools who likes to upgrade, there is nothing I like more than seeing a used tool going for 80-90% of its retail. It makes upgrading tools that much easier for all of us.

At the end of the day, I wasn't telling the Creeker not to get the pullshave and I certainly wasn't trying to be inconsiderate. If anything, I was advising the Creeker that you have one for sale which he could purchase if he is interested but also noting that the tool was not much cheaper than retail. Until it was pointed out to me on the actual post, I didn't think that a company (Lee Valley in this case) would transfer customer support/warranty from the original purchaser to another individual. I am glad to hear that they do. That way, if I have any issues a couple of years down the road with my LA block plane, I can drop by Lee Valley without a receipt and have them take care of it for me as I wouldn't expect a Creeker that I purchased a tool from years earlier to address the issue on my behalf.

Anyway, I hope you understand what my intention was and don't take it the wrong way now that I explained it a bit more.

[David Weaver]

There are TOS provision in some other forums just to prevent such a thing. It's a different story if someone is trying to sell an item for more than it's for sale elsewhere in multiple places, or especially if someone would do something like list a commonly available tool for more than it costs new.

And it should be a consideration issue for all people on here (where there are no commercial sellers) and not just me. I have seen a lot of snark in the classifieds, and 99% of the time it's from people who aren't thinking about buying a listed item to begin with, so they're really not in a position to make a value judgment.

I seriously doubt that anyone who is buying LV tools doesn't know how to find the price for them, it's entirely inconsiderate and unhelpful. I've gotten it as a buyer, too, with folks messaging me telling me they think I've gotten ripped off when I bought something from the classifieds, as if I hadn't thought about it at all. I can see why it's a TOS item in other forums. Your intention was to modify my behavior or someone else's when it really isn't your place to do it. I'm not going to comment about it again, but i'm not backing off of it either. It's inappropriate.

[Adam Cormier]

I seriously doubt that anyone who is buying LV tools doesn't know how to find the price for them, it's entirely inconsiderate and unhelpful. I've gotten it as a buyer, too, with folks messaging me telling me they think I've gotten ripped off when I bought something from the classifieds, as if I hadn't thought about it at all. I can see why it's a TOS item in other forums. Your intention was to modify my behavior or someone else's when it really isn't your place to do it. I'm not going to comment about it again, but i'm not backing off of it either. It's inappropriate.

I think this is an assumption based on the fact that every woodworker or potential woodworker is well aware of LV and the products they sell and that every member of this website is familiar with how "forum's" work. What you wrote above is your opinion, which you are entitled to, just as everyone else is entitled to theirs, like in a "forum" if you will.

In what appears to be a typical fashion, we've used the forum to publicly vent frustration with how we both dealt with this. I apologize for my part in doing so.

[Pam Niedermayer]

This is absurd. Someone offers an item for sale for whatever price. If someone else doesn't think it's a fair price, don't buy it.

I'll give you an even more egregious anecdote. I had bought a LN 10-1/4 on the classifieds (another forum) for $100 (about 25%) less than the new price; but the item had never been used. Right after I received it, I found the rebate planes I really wanted (a pair of Japanese by Tsuenesaburo, a very good smith); so I bought the Japanese and put the LN for sale on the benefits auction of the forum. My stipulation was that everything over $275 would go to the forum. I honestly couldn't afford to give away the whole thing. LN planes typically sell for almost retail on ebay, and the point, the whole point, of the benefits classified is to give the forum some operational funds while still providing the buyer with a very good tool.

Well, about 5 Adam's showed up complaining. I understood, because they thought I was trying to rip them off; but I wasn't. I was trying to help support the forum. I immediately pulled the item and will put it on ebay real soon now and collect the whole sale price.

So, if you'd like to discourage forum classified sales, keep complaining. If David stated that they were 80-90% of retail, why isn't that sufficient? And do you really think the OP wouldn't know how to look up a price on LV?

And I don't think there's any problem in trying to make a dollar or two selling good tools. How about the person who finds a Stanley 51 in a barn but doesn't want or need one? Do you really think s/he should post it to classifieds for a $0 price?

Pam

[Adam Cormier]

This is absurd. Someone offers an item for sale for whatever price. If someone else doesn't think it's a fair price, don't buy it.

I'll give you an even more egregious anecdote. I had bought a LN 10-1/4 on the classifieds (another forum) for $100 (about 25%) less than the new price; but the item had never been used. Right after I received it, I found the rebate planes I really wanted (a pair of Japanese by Tsuenesaburo, a very good smith); so I bought the Japanese and put the LN for sale on the benefits auction of the forum. My stipulation was that everything over $275 would go to the forum. I honestly couldn't afford to give away the whole thing. LN planes typically sell for almost retail on ebay, and the point, the whole point, of the benefits classified is to give the forum some operational funds while still providing the buyer with a very good tool.

Well, about 5 Adam's showed up complaining. I understood, because they thought I was trying to rip them off; but I wasn't. I was trying to help support the forum. I immediately pulled the item and will put it on ebay real soon now and collect the whole sale price.

So, if you'd like to discourage forum classified sales, keep complaining. If David stated that they were 80-90% of retail, why isn't that sufficient? And do you really think the OP wouldn't know how to look up a price on LV?

And I don't think there's any problem in trying to make a dollar or two selling good tools. How about the person who finds a Stanley 51 in a barn but doesn't want or need one? Do you really think s/he should post it to classifieds for a $0 price?

Pam

To answer your question Pam,

If a Stanley 51 came up for sale for $0 then I can honestly say that all 5 of me would send a PM expressing our interest.

[Pam Niedermayer]

To answer your question Pam,

If a Stanley 51 came up for sale for $0 then I can honestly say that all 5 of me would send a PM expressing our interest.

Would that be 5 times $0? :)

Pam

[Adam Cormier]

Would that be 5 times $0? :)

Pam

hahaha...alright, I like you Pam. Good sense of humor :) Ok, I'm calling it quits now.....lol

[Pam Niedermayer]

Likewise.

Pam