Steve Voigt
12-26-2014, 3:38 PM
A while back, I made my first traditional low-angle wooden shave. I noticed, not surprisingly, that tearout was worse than with my Stanley 151, so I set the wooden shave aside.
Right before the holidays, I started thinking about how this shave is kind of like a BU plane. If tearout can be controlled by steepening the bevel angle on a BU plane, why not on a spokeshave? So, I put a 45° secondary bevel on the blade. The sole of the shave is tipped forward about 5°, so the effective cutting angle is 50°. Initial results seem to be that tearout is definitely reduced. The shave is not uncomfortably hard to push, but it is a little more chatter-prone. I was thinking about making another and widening the sole a bit. Most plans (Veritas, John Gunterman, etc) I've seen call for a 1/2"-wide sole in front the blade. I'm wondering if a 5/8" or 3/4" blade would help eliminate the tendency to chatter.
Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else has tried this, and what your thoughts or experiences are. No time to get in the shop right now, but after the holidays I may see what raising the bevel another 5° does.
Right before the holidays, I started thinking about how this shave is kind of like a BU plane. If tearout can be controlled by steepening the bevel angle on a BU plane, why not on a spokeshave? So, I put a 45° secondary bevel on the blade. The sole of the shave is tipped forward about 5°, so the effective cutting angle is 50°. Initial results seem to be that tearout is definitely reduced. The shave is not uncomfortably hard to push, but it is a little more chatter-prone. I was thinking about making another and widening the sole a bit. Most plans (Veritas, John Gunterman, etc) I've seen call for a 1/2"-wide sole in front the blade. I'm wondering if a 5/8" or 3/4" blade would help eliminate the tendency to chatter.
Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else has tried this, and what your thoughts or experiences are. No time to get in the shop right now, but after the holidays I may see what raising the bevel another 5° does.