How well do the chamfer spokeshaves perform?

[Mike Manning]

I just posted a WTB ad in the Classifieds. I probably should have asked this question here before posting the ad though. How well do the Stanley No. 65 spokeshaves perform for putting a chamfer on a board? How are they in soft versus hard wood?

Thanks!
Mike

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Mike,

I have a 65 as well as a 72 chamfer plane. Not interested in selling either at the moment. I don’t use them as much as I thought I would. Both work fine as long as the blade is razor sharp and you follow the grain direction. But I guess you can say that about any edge tool. I usually rough out the chamfer with a block plane and then refine it to exactly what I want with either the 65 or 72. They are a bit finicky to adjust (especially the 72), but leave a very precise chamfer. Hope this helps.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I should have added, stick with Stanley or Record. Don’t be tempted by any of the knock-offs like Kunz or Avant regardless of the price. No experience but have read nothing but horror stories about them.

[Mike Manning]

Thanks a lot for the information Stephen. That's helpful. And is really what I expected to hear wrt a sharp blade. I didn't expect to hear that the No 72 was finicky to adjust. Interesting to know.

Mike

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I find the 72 to be the more difficult because you have to gradually creep up to what you want by incrementally adjusting the toe, which houses the blade and slides up and down, rather than the blade itself. It’s harder to eyeball than the 65, at least for me. It does provide more stable surface area than the 65, though.

Btw, I also have a pair of chamfer guides for my drawknives. They’re quite handy and work surprisingly well on large softwood timbers, leaving a beautifully smooth, splinter-free edge.

[Mike Manning]

Chamfer guides for a drawknife? That could definitely be another option. I'll look into that. Thanks!

[Stephen Rosenthal]

If you get a pair, make sure they have the center connecting bar. Makes life a lot easier.
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[Jim Koepke]

There are also planes made for chamfering an edge:

Chamfer Planes.jpg

Mine are used often.

There is also a tool called a Radi-Plane:

Radi-Plane.jpg

These could use an optional set if blades for making a chamfer instead of a radius. Mine has both blade sets.

In the instructions of a Stanley #55 is a method for using it for chamfering an edge:

Moulded Chamfers w:Stanley #55.png

Of all the speciality planes the #55 is the one with the ability to adjust the size of the chamfer. Draw knives or spokeshaves with chamfering guides can also be adjusted for different size chamfers.

Otherwise it is fairly easy to make a controlled chamfer with a smoother or block plane.

jtk

[Axel de Pugey]

I should have added, stick with Stanley or Record. Don’t be tempted by any of the knock-offs like Kunz or Avant regardless of the price. No experience but have read nothing but horror stories about them.

There are other designs.
I have a 65 but my favourite chamfer spokeshave is a P1392. it performs extremely well on end grain as well.
I only use it on hard woods and could not say how it performs on soft woods though.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

There are other designs.
I have a 65 but my favourite chamfer spokeshave is a P1392. it performs extremely well on end grain as well.
I only use it on hard woods and could not say how it performs on soft woods though.

Yes, of course. I forgot about Preston, but those are pricey and much more difficult to find. Patrick Leach offers them occasionally, usually priced at >$100. A Stanley or Record in good condition can be had for considerably less, although who knows in the current marketplace.

[Tom M King]

I use one for matching old work, that doesn't have to be perfect. The cheap, Japanese planes make a much prettier chamfer.

[Derek Cohen]

I made this BU chamfer plane a few decades ago. Jarrah construction and 15 degree bed …



It works very well, and can use a high cutting angle for interlocked grain as well as a low cutting angle across the grain. Still, unless the chamfer is wide and a feature (greater than 1/4”), I prefer to use a block plane. It is very difficult to see the imperfections of a narrow chamfer.

Regards from Perth

Derek