Narra for a spokeshave body?

[Scott M Perry]

Hi, all -

I have a Lee Valley spokeshave kit I'd like to put to use soon. I tend to look for interesting scraps of wood for projects like this. I have access to a piece of narra, and physically it seems like a good wood (though maybe a little open-grained). My concern, though, is color staining/bleeding from the narra to lighter-colored woods. I know this is a concern with sanding dust and when adjacent contrasting woods are finished together; would there be a possibility of the narra's color being transferred to a workpiece by the spokeshave body?

Thanks,
Scott

[Jim Matthews]

Uppa Heya, in Coastal Massachusetts -
we don't like our spokeshaves Narra.

Wai-da is betta.

[Dave Anderson NH]

What you use doesn't really matter Scott. The Lee Valley kit uses a brassed sole to minimize wear. As long as the wood is sturdy enough to hold the screws holding the brass sole in place you are fine. That said, I wouldn't recommend using balsa wood.:D