Spokeshaves

In its original form the wooden spokeshave is unique; no other woodworking tool has its cutter fixed in such a simpie but highly effective manner. It is also rather odd that most of the spokeshaves mentioned in the records from the early sixteenth century onward occur in lists of coopers' tools, rather than the more obvious wheelwrights. The earliest known illustration of the wooden spokeshave is in Smith's Key to the Manufactories of Sheffield (1816), again among the cooper's tools.

There is reason to think that the cooper's "spokeshave" of the late medieval references was a kind of drawing knife for cleaning up wooden hoops. Tools of this type used on a shaving-horse are usually pulled, hence the general term "draw knife"; although a spokeshave can be used in this way, for best results it is more usual to work away from the body with a pushing action.

In many other European languages the name of this tool is the same as that for "scraper". The nearest to the English "spoke-shave" is the Dutch spookschaaf, but spook in Dutch means the same as it does in English. However, it may be significant that in Norwich in 1558 and again in 1589 a cooper's apprentice was promised at the end of his term a "spooke shave" by the master. It seems likely that the Dutch borrowed the tool and the East Anglian way of spelling it at that time. It must therefore be regretfully confessed that the genius who invented the spokeshave. and where and when he did it, is not definitely known, but he may have been an East Anglian cooper of the late sixteenth century.

The modern metal spokeshave was a spin-off from the development of metal bench planes in the 1860s and 1870s, the main difference being that the cutters are now fixed and adjusted like plane irons.

Spokeshave

SIZE: Metal: Length 9 to 10ins.; Cutter width: 1-3/4 to 2-1/8in.
Wooden: Length: 8 to 16in.; Cutter width : 2 to 4in.

MATERIAL: Stock: beech, boxwood, cast iron; Cutter: steel

USE: To smooth curved wood

The spokeshave produces the same result as a smoothing plane, but it is specifically designed to finish narrow curved sections of lumber. The face is curved for concave shapes or flat for convex curves.

Wooden spokeshaves are not common today. Although they are efficient in use, their narrow section wears very quickly, which makes it difficult to set the cutter finely. Some of the more expensive wooden spokeshaves are reinforced at the critical points with brass, but they are rare.

The cutters have a tapered tang at either end turned up at right angles. These tangs are tapped into the matching holes in the stock holding the cutter at the required setting by friction alone. Modern catalogues have largely dropped the wooden spokeshave, replacing it with the metal version.

Adjusting spokeshaves

All-metal spokeshaves have straight or slightly curved winglike handles on either side of the stock. The main difference between the various types of spokeshave lies in the method of securing and adiustsng the cutter of the tool.

The cutter, in all versions, is essentially a small plane iron. On the simplest type the cutter is positioned by hand before being clamped by a cap iron, whch is then secured by a thumb screw. Fine adjustment can only be achieved by slightly slackening the thumb screw and lightly tapping the top edge of the cutter with a hammer. If the setting is too coarse, the cutter must be retracted by hand and line adjustment begun again.

There is a superior version of the spokeshave which has a cutter adjusted by means of two screws, one on either side located near the top edge. The cap iron is secured with a thumb screw as on the humbler types of spokeshave, but the cutter can be finely set up or down as well as accurately aligned with the face before being finally clamped in place.

Adjusting the cutter
Adjust the two screws ore the top edge to set the cutter accurately before clamping into place with the thumb screw.

Round and Hat face spokeshaves

A round shaped spokeskave has a curved underside to accommodate concave curves, while a flat face spokeshave is designed to cut convex shapes.

Sharpening a cutter

The metal spokeshave blade is sharpened like a plane blade. A honing guide is useful for keeping the short blade at the correct angle. To remove the cutter from a wooden spokeshave tap the ends of the tangs with a hammer. Remove the burr from the flat face of the cutter on a flat oilstone. Re-fit the blade and adjust the depth of cut with light hammer taps.

Hold the cutter flat on a bench overhanging the edge and hone the cutting edge with an oiled slipstone. Remove the burr with the same slipstone.

Stand an oilstone on edge while holding the cutter, bevel face down, at an angle across it. Apply oil to the stone and sharpen the entire edge as you would a chisel or plane iron.

Using the spokeshave

Hold one handle in each hand with the thumbs placed on the back edges to control the angle of the tool. Push the spokeshave away from you as you would a plane. To prevent tearing, work from both ends of a curve in the direction of the grain. (This applies equally to convex or concave curves.) For finished work set the blade finely, as you would for a plane.

Convex curves
Push the spokeshave down each-side from the centre.

Concave curves
Push the spokeshave down toward the centre from each side of the curve.

Half Round Spokeshave

OTHER NAME: Hollow spokeshave

SIZE: Length: 10in.; Cutter width: 2-1/16in.

MATERIAL: Stock: cast iron; Cutter: steel

USE: To smooth sections of wood which are curved in two directions

The half round spokeshave is used to finish a curved section of wood which is also rounded off on the top edge, such a curved seat rail. It is similar to a standard spokeshave, but has. a concave face and matching blade. The blade must be adjusted by hand as itis a simply clamped by a back iron. Hone she Cutter wnth a slipstone.

Combination Spokeshave

SIZE. Length: 10in.; Cutter width: curved: 1-3/8in.; Flat: 1-5/8in.

MATERIAL: Stock: cast iron;, Cutters: Steel

USE: To do the work of a flat face and hollow face spokeshave

The combination spokeshave is a dual-purpose tool, having a hollow edged cutter mounted alongside a flat edged cutter. It has the advantage of costing little more than the single spokeshave of either variety.

Chamfer Spokeshave

SIZE: 10-1/2in..

MATERIAL: Stock: cast iron;, Cutters: Alloy steel

USE: To accurately cut chamfers to size.

The chamfer spokeshave is fitted with a simple cutter clamped by a back iron. It has two angled fences on the underside which can be adjusted to cut chamfers up to 1-1/2in. wide. The fences are secured by a thumb screw on each side.

Double Handed Scraper

OTHER NAMES; Cabinet scraper, scraper plane

SIZE: Length: 11-1/2in.; Cutter width: 2-1/4in.

MATERIAL; Stock: cast iron Cutter: Steel

USE:To scrape wood prior to polishing

The double handed scraper provides a method of jigging a scraper blade at a constant angle while curving it to produce the required shaving, It takes all the hard work out of using a standard cabinet scraper by providing comfortable handles which relieve !he strain on the thumbs.

The stock, and handles are shaped very much like a spokeshave, and the tool is used in a similar way, but the blade, while in use, is angled away from the worker. It is held between a clamp and the stock by two retaining screws. The curve of the blade is adjusted by means of a thumb screw fitted in the centre of the stock.

The standard double edged blade can be replaced by a toothed cutter to convert the scraper into a toothing plane,

Sharpening the blade

Kemove the blade from the holder and file off any remaining burr from the flat sides of the blade.

If necessary grind each cutting edge to an angle of 45°. Hone this angle on an oilstone. Do not hone a second angle on the bevel as you would on a plane iron.

Raise a burr on each cutting edge with the method described for cabinet scrapers.

Place the stock of the tool on the bench and insert the blade, bevel side away from the retaining screws.

Tighten the screws while leaving the curve adjustment thumb screw slack. Test the tool amd adjust the thumb sorew to produce the required depth of shaving.

Using the scraper

With the blade angled away from you, push the tool away from you keeping the base of the stock flat on the work.