Need to make some Cabriole legs - recommended spokeshave?

[Mike Dowell]

I've got to make a table with cabriole legs. It's going to be made out of pine per customer request. This looks like a great excuse to buy more tools!

I need a spokeshave as I currently own zero of them.

Honesty check: I've never used one of these before.

I saw one on Amazon that had decent reviews - the 12-951. The price was extremely attractive but I figured I would come here and let the vets weigh in. I don't want to spend a ton of money, I'm just looking for something that will get this -and the next- cabriole leg job done.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[Andrew Bell]

I guess it depends on the curvature of the feet and what other tools you have / will be using for the project.

If it were me and I were going for a budget approach, I'd go vintage. I'd get one flat bottomed and one round bottomed stanley 151, tune and sharpen them and see if that meets your needs. You use the flat for most of the time and the round where you are going into curves the flat won't get into - I have a smaller 61 stanley which I like for finer work. These two may not get you into every curve, especially around the feet, thats where you decide if you are going to scrape / chisel / use a very small and narrow shave.

I've read that the quality of new spokeshaves leads much to be desired (without going for a premium maker) but have not used any so don't know the truth of this, I do know that a quick buy it now ebay search will yield 2 spokeshaves for around $30USD so there is not a lot to lose.

[Ryan Griffey]

I've had wood ones, vintage stanley, veritas and ln's. I sold all the others and now use only the ln's. The older ones are serviceable but not the same tool as the ln's. The veritas works quite well but I don't like the weight and the adjustments tend to rattle. They are clunky. The wood ones are great but the mouths tend to be wide. If you need something that works right away I can only recommend the ln's.

[Mike Henderson]

The Lie Nielsen Boggs spokeshave is excellent. I have a bunch of spokeshaves of all types and the LN is the one I usually go for. But it's for fine trimming. If you want to hog off wood, you need one with a bigger throat.

Mike

[Derek Cohen]

See if you can find a Stanley #53. This has an adjustable mouth, and can hog away fast or be tuned for fine work. It is suited to softer woods, such as Pine.

I think that you find that a couple of rasps would be easier for working specific areas. Look at the LV website - they have a range of prices (generally you get what you pay for).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Dowell]

Thank you for all the input! I definitely don't do enough custom work to spend what the LN spokeshaves cost - although they look amazing as do their planes. Think I'll check out the Stanley's and see where that leads. These legs will be pretty simple, not even a pad foot, just the two curves down the leg and done.

What's the LV website? I feel like that's going to be something obvious and make me look dumb but I'm chancing it anyhow.

[Ryan Griffey]

Thank you for all the input! I definitely don't do enough custom work to spend what the LN spokeshaves cost - although they look amazing as do their planes. Think I'll check out the Stanley's and see where that leads. These legs will be pretty simple, not even a pad foot, just the two curves down the leg and done.

What's the LV website? I feel like that's going to be something obvious and make me look dumb but I'm chancing it anyhow.

http://leevalley.com/

[Prashun Patel]

Lee Valley makes these little rosewood contour planes that are a secret gem. Even for the newly initiated, they are easy to adjust to take very deep or very light cuts. Also, the soul conveniently goes concave with repeated use. For laterally convex work like chair legs, this is a good thing. The only caveat with these is that the blade has prongs, so if you're a all-my-blades-must-fit-one-jig guy, this will be an issue. I think it's easy to free-hand sharpen this one, though...

Also, consider investing in a good cabinet makers' style rasp. A rasp is another secret weapon that deals well with tight details and switchy grain. The learning curve is also shallow as can be.

[lowell holmes]

Make that rasp an Auriou from Lie Nielsen or Tools for Working Wood.

I have a Nicholson 49 that is terrible. If someone wants it, they can have it for packaging and shipping costs.

I also have the Auriou which you can't have.

I have LV contour planes and agree with Prashun.

My go to spoke shaves are the Lee Valley and a wooden Lovejoy. I like the Lee Valley because they send shims with it and you can adjust the mouth opening.

[Mike Henderson]

Why don't you put your location on your profile. Someone who lives close to you may be willing to lend you a spokeshave (or two). That would give you a chance to try one before you buy one. I have a bunch of spokeshaves and might sell you one.

If you buy a Stanley, go for one of the older ones on eBay. They're pretty easy to sharpen and set up. Don't buy one of the cheapo shaves.

There's something very satisfying about working with a spokeshave (one that works well).

Mike

[Adam Cruea]

Make that rasp an Auriou from Lie Nielsen or Tools for Working Wood.

I have a Nicholson 49 that is terrible. If someone wants it, they can have it for packaging and shipping costs.

I also have the Auriou which you can't have.

I have LV contour planes and agree with Prashun.

My go to spoke shaves are the Lie Valley and a wooden Lovejoy. I like the Lie Valley because they send shims with it and you can adjust the mouth opening.

I snagged 2 Auriou rasps. . .a cabinet maker's and model maker's, 6 and 9 grain I think.

They are absolutely wonderful to use, and they remove wood fast. The 6 grain is extremely fast, actually.

Excellent for making curved surfaces.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Needs and personal preferences vary. If you modify your profile to add your location maybe someone will be near enough to you to allow you to try some. If you live near enough to southern NH, roughly the Derry area, I have more than a dozen you can try. Hi, my name is Dave and I have a spokeshave problem.

[Tony Leonard]

I bought a nice used 151 several years ago. I have made about a dozen legs with it. Works great. They are pretty inexpensive. There have been several articles in the wood rags about spokeshave tuning. I added a Hock blade later. That was a nice addition. I've never had a need for a radiused bottom shave in my work. Might find it useful if I tried one though!

The way that I learned to make cabriole legs didn't require a whole lot of spokeshaving - mainly to clean up the bandsaw marks just to make it easier to mark/work the legs. You might could do without it! Watch your hands with your rasping - those things bite!

Cabriole legs are fun to make. One of my favorite things in woodworking. I believe there are a couple of videos of Phil Lowe on Youtube that could be useful.

Good luck with your project and your new tool!

Oh, I recently saw a youtube video by a boat builder that described a quick and easy way to sharpen and setup a 151. Might be a good reference too.


Tony

[Tony Wilkins]

Only spokeshave I have is a Dave’s Shave wooden one that I don’t have many miles on so I can’t comment on comparisons. Rasps - I have both an Aurio and a couple of Liogier. Both are good but I’d give the nod to Noel at Liogier. Look him up and give one a try.

[Mike Dowell]

You guys are awesome. Seriously. I'll modify my profile in just a moment. In the meantime, I'm in Maryland about 30 miles NE of Baltimore City in a town called Bel Air.

I was looking on Ebay at the 151's. I noticed that they are all straight. I thought there were concave and convex models as well. I guess they are more rare than the straight models?

@Tony Leonard - I will definitely check out those videos.

I'm really excited about this actually. I can totally understand the pleasure of working with a spokeshave even though I've not done it. There's something very romantic about crafting with hand tools - at least for me. I've read all over "just use a spindle sander and be done with it". Nah. That just doesn't embody the type of work I do.

[Adam Cruea]

Howdy, neighbor!

Not many of us in the DELMARVA area. I'm about 30 minutes south of "Balimer" by the NSA in a town called Odenton. Or, as the locals pronounce it. . .Odingten.

[Mike Holbrook]

Welcome to the Creek Mike.

The traditional tools for the work you mention would be a drawknife and spokeshave, maybe finishing with a simple card scraper.

Drawknives are one of the few items that I think you can still find good deals on at that large auction site. Look for Weatherby, Worth, Barton.....I can't even read the name on my current favorite. The most popular have 6-8" blades.

Woodjoy Tools specializes in spokeshaves and has quite a few options. Glenn offers a very nice spokeshave kit. Glenn's kit arrives with near complete parts, all you have to do is shape the handle to fit you. Glenn's kit contains: a superior A2, RC 60, hollow ground blade, very good adjustment/system nuts, a brass wear plate that is longer than the cutting blade and a nice pre tapped and recessed wood handle all for under $60.

Rasps as Derek mentions are another option. The Japanese Iwasaki wood file/rasps/floats are excellent, available in just about any shape you may need and they are a much better buy than the hand made rasps. These rasps have cutting edges that work more like plane or scraper blades, making something closer to shavings than dust. The very hard steel lasts very well too. Highland Woodworking, Lee Valley and others carry them.

[Mike Dowell]

Welcome to the Creek Mike.

The traditional tools for the work you mention would be a drawknife and spokeshave, maybe finishing with a simple card scraper.

Drawknives are one of the few items that I think you can still find good deals on at that large auction site. Look for Weatherby, Worth, Barton.....I can't even read the name on my current favorite. The most popular have 6-8" blades.

Woodjoy Tools specializes in spokeshaves and has quite a few options. Glenn offers a very nice spokeshave kit. Glenn's kit arrives with near complete parts, all you have to do is shape the handle to fit you. Glenn's kit contains: a superior A2, RC 60, hollow ground blade, very good adjustment/system nuts, a brass wear plate that is longer than the cutting blade and a nice pre tapped and recessed wood handle all for under $60.

Rasps as Derek mentions are another option. The Japanese Iwasaki wood file/rasps/floats are excellent, available in just about any shape you may need and they are a much better buy than the hand made rasps. These rasps have cutting edges that work more like plane or scraper blades, making something closer to shavings than dust. The very hard steel lasts very well too. Highland Woodworking, Lee Valley and others carry them.

I had never even heard of a draw knife before! So here's something funny... I called my father-in-law and told him I was going to be making some cabriole legs and that I had posted on here about spokeshaves. He says "spokeshavers? I've got a box of em'". So, the next time I saw him, he gave me a spokeshave and drawknife. The spokeshave is a Stanley 151 - made in england. SCORE! Any advice on setting it up?

[Chris Fournier]

I use drawknives, spokeshaves and rasps quite a bit. I really like my Lie Nielsen spoke shaves, wouldn't give them up for nothing.