old spokeshave

[neilyweely]

i have this old spokeshave, which I know is probly a bit of tat, but works well. I need to sharpen it but, not having any experience with these things need to know how. It has a slightly curved blade (concave??)

Any ideas? Can you see the shape of the blade? What should I do? I really do not want to be told not to use it as it works better than the 2 (modern) stanley spokeshaves i have!

Am getting the hang of pictures on forum!!!

 

[jonbikebod]

Hi Neilyweely,
I think these are wonderful tools. Yours doesn’t look in bad shape at all. I personally consider the wooden spoke shave to be a development of a draw knife. Metal spoke shaves on the other hand are more closely related to a Bailey plane (except the Veritas LA of course).
You often find these shaves have been sharpened to ever higher angles and to make them cut with the ease they should, it is often necessary to lower the bevel and so the cutting angle. I do this by holding one tang in a metal working vice and then use a power file to remove the bulk of the metal. I then finish off with a slip stone to polish but a small diamond stone could be used although the finish then would probably not be as good. I flatten the ‘outside’ of the blade with wet & dry stuck to something flat. This can take a while because the blade gets quite hot with the friction so frequent pauses are needed. If the blade is curved along its length, a gentle rocking as you do this works well. As the blade is sharpened the blade gets narrower, opening the mouth, also the wood just ahead of the blade tends to get worn away. The remedy for both of these things was and is to inlay a brass wear strip. The blades on these shaves always seem to be good steel and once sharpened, stay sharp for a remarkably long time. With a low cutting angle they are of course very good on end grain but I also find them better with the grain than most metal shaves.
If you want a metal shave that works, I suggest you look out for an old Preston. They can still be had for sensible money.
Jon.

 

[neilyweely]

Hi jonbikebod

Thanks for taking the time to educate me about my old spokeshave/drawknife.

I thought there was quite a difference between the wooden spokeshave and the metal stanley's I have, which I don't get on with at all.

The blade is, as you say, exceptional at holding an edge, and I have only had to sharpen it this once. which is why I am asking you these questions;

How far back can the blade be sharpened before it needs replacing? Does mine look like it has much life left in it to you? Can I purchase a replacement easily, or will I need to get one fabricated?

I know I am taking advantage of your knowledge on the subject, but you are the first person I have come across who knows what they are talking about!!!

Many thanks Jon.

Neil (P.s I do have an old Black and Decker powerfile, like a small belt sander, that looks like it could be used to do what you describe; it is again quite an unusual tool- I think Makita make one, but you don't come across them too often either!- is this what you are talkin about? Thanks again)

 

[neilyweely]

jon

I know I should have put a ruler in the pic to give you a scale, but the paper behind is A4 if this helps.

 

[jonbikebod]

Niel,
An old black & Decker powerfile, as you describe, is exactly what I use. I suspect only Maketa make them now.
It isn’t really practical to replace the blades, they all seem to be slightly different sizes and by the time it is worn out the tangs are probably a loose fit in the body. A wear plate closes the mouth and this will allow you to take fine shavings, avoiding a lot of tear out - with difficult grain. If you don’t have that problem, you needn’t worry.
Most old tool dealers have some of these ‘shaves and they are usually priced £5 - £10 (in London, probably cheaper elsewhere). Some will be worn or rusted to the point of being useless so the ones to look out for are those that have had little or no use (invariably the same price). It can be handy to have more than one shave, one set to remove material fast and one finely set for finishing. The wider mouth is an advantage in the first case. If you find an unworn or tight mouthed shave, this would complement it. Apparently it was usual to set the blade to take a fine cut one end and a course one the other. These days they are so readily available and inexpensive it hardly seems worth the bother.
Jon.

 

[neilyweely]

o k jonbikebod, thanks a lot.

I go to camden on a sunday, do you know any dealers there who may have one for me? Or where do you get yours- if you are prepared to let on!!!

Thanks for all your help, oh and when I described the BandD as old, mine is, its black, and doesn't have that orange dust collector gadget on the back, so mine is old! Yours, by the sound of it, is not. Please don't think I am 'dissin' your tools!!!

Thanks for your help mate,

neil

 

[jonbikebod]

Neil,
On Sundays your best bet would probably be provincial car boot sales. I am not aware of anywhere in Camden but it is the right sort of place. There is a stall holder in Covent Garden on Monday mornings called ‘John’. I believe he also has a stall on the Portobello road on Saturdays. He is inclined to over polish brass too much but that isn’t a problem with spoke shaves. A trawl of the web would probably find other places but beware of old links as the places do tend to come and go. I have made a number of wasted journeys in the past.
Jon.

 

[neilyweely]

Jonbikebod

You are a gentleman and a scholar

Thankyou sir

Neil