Is it just me??

[Corset]

I have just bought an old spoke shave (stanley 51) off ebay i have duly sharpened the blade (30degrees) for my first spokeshaving experience. Off i go.....

It just jumps all over the place, i can chamfer edges but anything else it just bounces along. I was hoping to even out a bandsaw curve but it looks like i will be sanding it. Is there some mystery i am missing?? My long term plan was to get a shave to do an inside curve (thats a concave i think, i get confused) but i seem to be missing the skill.
By putting loads of pressure on i can improve the cut but then it takes big shavings off.
I don't want to cheat with the power tools but i can't figure what i am doing wrong.
Any ideas
Owen

 

[Philly]

Owen
First thing is depth of cut - make sure you are taking off a very fine shaving if you are planing wide stock. Obviously a sharp blade makes a lot of difference but sounds like you sorted that.
Sadly most metal spokeshaves are pretty bad performers
I can recommend the Veritas shave, a real gem for the money. It is built like a brick out-house and is a world apart from the sad old metal shaves.
Cheers
Philly
Who also has a bunch of useless old metal shaves...... :lol:

 

[Corset]

Thanks i feel slightly better, i must admit i was having difficulty getting the blade to a very small projection. The mouth is very wide but i thought that was normal. Obvious question but do i need a different spokeshave for inside and outside curves.
Owen

 

[Nads]

I have to agree with Philly I would also recommend the veritas shave, I've just been smoothing some back feet of a chair cut out with a bandsaw and I was really impressed with the vertias’ performance. I find that the flat soled shave deals with most things but a round soled shave is better for tight concave curves.

Nads

 

[Paul Chapman]

Owen, there was a thread a while ago about spokeshaves and how frustrating many of them are, which you might find helpful https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... es&start=0 There are one or two good ones, like the Veritas low angle, see Alf's review here https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?p=36032 The Stanley 53 is also good if you can find one second-hand, but many spokeshaves are a bit of a pain.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Alf]

Sadly most metal spokeshaves are pretty bad performers

Only the more modern ones...

Light cut, check you're going with the grain, practice. Avoid the round-soled variety like the plague until you're comfortable with the flat sole 'cos they're a whole extra learning curve. Low angle one's are frequently easier to get to grips with - personally I prefer wooden to the Veritas one. The fundemental thing to remember with spokeshaves is that absolutely no serious spokeshave user has just one. Not because they're all rabid collectors (although they might be that as well...), but because different shaves excell in different situations, often without any apparent logic at all.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Corset]

Cheers everybody i will now go and have a look at the veritas offerings. I'm glad to read i am not the only one whom has had problems.
owen

 

[woodbloke]

The old Record and Stanley 'shaves are pretty ropey old tools at the best of times tho' they can be made to work significantly better if you pack out the bed with some veneer or cardboard. This has the effect of reducing the size of the mouth and should prevent chatter. If you can afford it, better quality shaves are a good investment...Alf has recently posted a rather tasty review on some new offerings that look quite respectable - Rob

 

[Paul Chapman]

On a related point, some of the spokeshave blades (particularly ones like that in the Veritas low angle 'shave) are very small and can present some difficulty in holding when honing. I have found this very good http://www.brimarc.com/home.php3?page=products&pc=P3203 Or you could make up a holder yourself.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Owen

Spokeshaves like the #51 have enormous mouths. Chatter (the "bouncing" that you note) is in the main caused by a blade that has too much projection. A fine shaving makes a huge difference. A small mouth makes it easier to set up for a fine shaving.

Rob's suggestion of packing is a good one - the only solution with this spokeshave. In addition to veneer and cardboard, I have had good results with masking tape - just add another layer until you have the mouth size you desire. I was recently using a #51R (round), which is a pig of a spokeshave, but managed a respectable result when used this way.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Amateurrestorer]

I have some old preston spokeshaves and they seem to perform very well , I have also found the stanley one with the adjustable mouth ( can't remember the number )does a good job as well.

 

[bugbear]

Avoid the round-soled variety like the plague until you're comfortable with the flat sole 'cos they're a whole extra learning curve.

Amen, in large letters.

BugBear

 

[RogerS]

I found that cutting at 45 degrees to the grain helped and not pressing down very much.

I may be the odd-one out but I actually *like* using my spokeshaves !

 

[bugbear]

I may be the odd-one out but I actually *like* using my spokeshaves

Me too, but round bottomed ones are the hardest; I use a Stanley Sweetheart #63 for a lot of handle fitting work (e.g. hammers)

BugBear

 

[wayne]

One trick that many spokeshave users employ is to set the blade at a very slight skew so that a thicker shaving can be taken on one side, and only an extremely thin shaving on the other side. One can then find a "sweet spot" where just the right amount is removed. -wayne

 

[David C]

A fundamental problem with Stanley round bottoms is,

that the curvature is often much too much.

I always intended to get some flat bottoms and put much more subtle rounding on with a file.

There are 3 articles on spokeshave tune up and sharpening in my third book.........

David Charlesworth

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

A fundamental problem with Stanley round bottoms is,

that the curvature is often much too much.

I always intended to get some flat bottoms and put much more subtle rounding on with a file.

Hi David

I think that you are on the right track. I do think that reshaping the curvature and the bed support will alter the characteristics in the right direction. In particularly, attention might focus on the amount of bedding on either side of the mouth. The Stanley #51R has minimal flat area. By contrast, the HNT Gordon has a wide gentle curve (so much so that it is almost flat at the mouth) that then tapers off more rapidly in the outer halves.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Philly]

I found that cutting at 45 degrees to the grain helped and not pressing down very much.

I may be the odd-one out but I actually *like* using my spokeshaves !

Roger, don't take my comments to mean I don't love shaves - I have loads!! :lol: They are a great tool and real fun. You also learn a LOT about grain direction with a shave.
I feel a spokeshave is a finishing tool - removing a lot of material with a shave is hard work (get yourself a drawknife or jump on the bandsaw) With a fine mouth, a sharp iron and delicate (yet firm) touch you will get great results. And don't forget to try both pushing and pulling the tool to find the best result. Although not at the same time.... :wink:
Cheers
Philly

 

[Modernist]

I think is has a much to do with the action as the mouth. Try holding the shave at an angle of about 30 deg. I find this cures the chatter.

 

[Alf]

I feel a spokeshave is a finishing tool - removing a lot of material with a shave is hard work

Forgive me, Phil, but nuts. Ack, I blame LN and LV for making all these tight-mouthed shaves, shims and so forth. You can hog off a lot of wood in a hurry with a spokeshave, if it's the right sort. The disregarded #63 is a marvellous shaping tool f'rinstance - wish I'd had one years ago. Then there's the wonderous flexibility of the adjustable mouth #53/#54 which can go effortlessly from hoggin' to whispies - why in hells no-one's making one now I can't imagine, except they'd probably make it so it'd go from "tight mouth" to "can't even see daylight" and ruin it... I had a whale of a time taking of big thick ribbons of beech with my LV wooden kit one too. Condemning all spokeshaves to nothing but finishing cuts is a horrible fate - we're starting to get out of doing that to planes, thank goodness; let's not saddle spokeshaves with it instead.

Cheers, Alf

Initial shaping with a #63