Can you help identify this spokeshave?

[DIYTinkerer]

I inherited a couple of spokeshaves and am going to bring them back into working order, one is a dainty Stanley No64, but the other I've not been able to identify, other than it has a Stanley 'made in England' blade (2 1/8"). It also has some markings stamped in it but I can't really make it what they are
Does anyone know what it is?

 

[IWW]

Um, it's a Stanley, made in England - what more do you need to know?

I don't know if was ever dignified with a model number in the UK, but it's clearly a derivative of the Stanley "51" type. I had one I bought from a department store when I was 13, it was very inexpensive even for the times, which suited my very limited budget.

It wasn't a bad little tool & the blade was of quite good quality. It taught me a few early lessons, in particular, the importance of a sharp blade and also that spokeshaves are not ideal for hogging off great big shavings (I had to wait a few more decades to discover the draw-knife is the tool for that job ).

Cheers,
Ian

 

[DIYTinkerer]

Thanks for you help Ian, I've not got a draw knife so haven't learnt that lesson yet! My first job is to sharpen the blade which is 'a bit dull'.

 

[Argus]

Spokes like that are often improved with a little bit of fettling:

1. Make sure that the back of the blade (opposite side to the bevel) is flattened on your stone. The last 1/8th to 1/4 inch along the base behind the bevel should be as smooth as you can get it; you do this once, then just maintain it - this is after all one side of your cutting edge. A jagged set of marks here on this face will give you a serrated edge when you sharpen the blade..
2. Get the bevel sharp - these things don't really fit in a jig very well, so it's a good time to develop your hand-honing skills. Have a look at some of Paul Sellers free vids, because he has some useful tips on honing these blades. Holding it in your fingers is a pain, literally, so a small hand-vice or set of vice grips is useful.
3. Likewise, the inside edge of the holding clamp needs to be dead flat where it sits on the blade. No gaps whatsoever.
4. Finally, make sure that the section inside the casting where the blade sits is free of schatz and krud and paint blobs - give it a good scrape down to clean metal. The blade needs a solid base to sit on and give vibration-free cuts.

Good luck with it......... and don't forget, the blade goes bevel down!

P.S. I forgot to mention that an old trick with these tools is to set the blade deliberately very slightly on a skew. That way, you can set it for a very fine shaving on one side, graduating to a heavier cut on the other. You'll probably do most of the work in the middle section.

 

[DIYTinkerer]

Thanks for the tips, very useful, I don't think the sole is very flat either so I plan to flatten that as well. I know it is a cheap tool but it will only cost me time to get it to good working condition and it was my Father-in-laws so I can't bear to part with it.

 

[Jacob]

.... Holding it in your fingers is a pain, literally, so a small hand-vice or set of vice grips is useful.....

You just need a bit of 2"x1" like a handle, with a saw kerf to slot the blade in. Trim the underside with a bevel so it clears the stone. Doesn't have to be clamped or tight - it stays in as you work it.
I wouldn't bother with any flattening or excess fettling - you might make it worse!

 

[Argus]

.......... I don't think the sole is very flat either so I plan to flatten that as well.

The sole looks to be in reasonable order from the photo - however you'll see more with a straight edge on it than we can from the pictures.
However, one advantage of rubbing it down a bit through finer grits will be to reduce the friction in use - makes it slide easier so that the effort goes ito controlling the cut rather than overcoming friction.

These spoke shaves were never a precision tool, nor will they replace the flattening work of a plane, but are very effective in free-hand shaping rounded pieces. Again, ensuring a good positive seat for the blade and its clamp will eliminate a lot of potential frustration.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with it in use when it's set up.

 

[DIYTinkerer]

Good luck and let us know how you get on with it in use when it's set up.

Thanks for your advice I'll post a pic once it's done

 

[DIYTinkerer]

You just need a bit of 2"x1" like a handle, with a saw kerf to slot the blade in. Trim the underside with a bevel so it clears the stone. Doesn't have to be clamped or tight - it stays in as you work it.

Thanks I'll try that.

 

[William2020]

Um, it's a Stanley, made in England - what more do you need to know?

I don't know if was ever dignified with a model number in the UK, but it's clearly a derivative of the Stanley "51" type. I had one I bought from a department store when I was 13, it was very inexpensive even for the times, which suited my very limited budget.

It wasn't a bad little tool & the blade was of quite good quality. It taught me a few early lessons, in particular, the importance of a sharp blade and also that spokeshaves are not ideal for hogging off great big shavings (I had to wait a few more decades to discover the draw-knife is the tool for that job ).

Cheers,
Ian

I too had to wait a couple of decades to discover that!

 

[DIYTinkerer]

Here are the renovated spokeshaves. My Father-in-Law would be very happy they are back in use and possibly better than when they were first bought.

 

[Jameshow]

We had a chippie come to our men's shed and use the spokeshave on the curved seat of the airondack chair we were all put in our place!

Cheers James