Spokeshave?

[DrPhill]

Flexcut KN16

I have some flexcut carving tools that do their job very well. I thought that the angle of the handles on this drawknife would give me some extra control (but that was guesswork).

The branch is quite oversize at one end - maybe 3" diameter. I may choose to carve that into something decorative. the thin end of the branch is about 2" diameter, but I need the bulk to try to straighten it a little. I will report back, but my skill level will moderate the usefulness of my experience to others.

 

[Jacob]

Spokeshaves in their natural habitat

http://archaeofox.com/2015/06/28/a-work ... in-part-i/

 

[Lons]

Hi Phill

If you can get hold of a length of large section bandsaw blade, or even cut down from an old handsaw you can easily make a flexible drawknife with handle at each end.
I made one many years ago to pare down a walking stick and I sharpened one edge as a blade and the back edge as a scraper with a burr along the blade. Was very satisfying to use as it produced long shavings and worked a treat.
Someone borrowed it unfortunately and never returned it.

Bob

 

[Bm101]

Is there a way to use a drawknife without a drawhorse? I see in that article http://archaeofox.com/2015/06/28/a-work ... in-part-i/ the author called it a shavehorse but he also called what I'd know as a cleaving break a shaving break. Just different terms for the same thing of course but I was more interested if theres a way to use a drawknife without one. I did a bit of green woodwork many years ago but also knew some guys at the time up in North Wales who were really good, made really high quality Welsh chairs and so on as well as knocking out hurdles and doing hedging and charcoal burning to bump up the money. I just can't picture a scenario you could use it without one, they go together like cheese and pickle. The whole control of the tool is wrapped up in it as far as I found at least. I'm intrigued to know if people are clamping wood and using them on a bench lets say.
Takes no time to knock one out, its just a foot powered clamp and the round sections dont even need a lathe (pole or otherwise). Just get to work with a bowsaw, sharp billhook or an axe.Cut the rounds and cleave the waste away. We used to cut mallets the same way. you could just as easily knock one up out of machined offcuts .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/An-old-10-Dra ... 51d85695ae 25 hours left as I post. Get a grinder/file on it, finish to a decent standard however you choose. Hours work you're good to go. If you never used one before I'm sure theres youtube vids on it, but I used to find it infinitely variable in how you hold it. Because you're working on a long edge thats sharp you can change the control you exert over it in a thousand ways by angle, holding position etc. Great tool.

Sorry if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs. Just a subject dear to my heart. Hope it helps.
Chris

 

[Racers]

I use my bench vise it's o/k but not ideal but works.

Pete

 

[DTR]

Spokeshaves in their natural habitat

http://archaeofox.com/2015/06/28/a-work ... in-part-i/

Most interesting, thanks for the link

 

[n0legs]

Not wishing to hijack the topic.
How are you storing your spokeshaves?

 

[Droogs]

I store mine in Pringle tubes which are screwed onto the bottom of my plane till cabinet. I write the type on the lid and and keep it closed [with a silica pkt inside] when not in use and the tube is just big enough to get into to grab the spokeshave

 

[bugbear]

Is there a way to use a drawknife without a drawhorse? I see in that article http://archaeofox.com/2015/06/28/a-work ... in-part-i/ the author called it a shavehorse but he also called what I'd know as a cleaving break a shaving break. Just different terms for the same thing of course but I was more interested if theres a way to use a drawknife without one.

A drawhorse is the best way, but not the only way.

If you only have a small amount of drawknifing to do, and don't have the room to make/store/use a drawhorse, I can suggest a couple of "intermediates".

Over on OLDTOOLS, long ago, someone invented a small, bench held, shave horse, which he christened the Shaving Pony.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~dmatt/shavepony/

Alf made one;

http://cornishworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... dy-up.html

The other alternative is my "vise on a stick", which gives the height and clearance needed for good spokeshave and drawknife use, but is not as quick in use, being hand, not foot, operated.

http://www.woodworkinfo.site88.net/tour.html#vise_stick

BugBear

 

[Bm101]

Well, that's two nifty ideas! I've saved all three links for future reference. Good examples of creative solutions. Thanks.

 

[DTR]

How are you storing your spokeshaves?

Nestled between the router plane and the egg beater

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I used to have a plastic toolbox, and a plastic veg crate for storing my green woodworking tools, until I decided it just wouldn't do so made myself a tote out of pallet wood, an old bookshelf and left over ash from chairmaking for the handle. Much more in keeping.

 

[DrPhill]

I have had my drawknife a few days now (standard delivery ordered Sunday arrived Tuesday). It is pretty much what I expected, and works well enough (any deficiencies are likely to be due to lack of skill). I have noticed some things that may be well-known but:

• The drawknife bends. This helps to control the angle somewhat
• The drawknife can be used pushing as well as pulling. I like this as grain in the piece I am working on goes every which way.
• Cormel wood tears easily cutting the grain the wrong way.
• Pushing or pulling, it is a lot easier on my wrists than a single handed tool.
• The drawknife can be used with the blade axis at angles other than perpendicular to the direction of travell. At the extremes the action is more like slicing..
• When pulling it is easy to let my thumbs drift into the way of the corner of the sharp bit.
• It is very sharp.
• Wood shavings on the dining room floor hurt my ears.

I do not have one of those fancy jigs for holding the work piece - I pin it with with a gluteus maximus. I am going to shape the piece down to approximate 'bore' and look again at spokeshaves. Will they controll the depth of cut and prevent (reduce) tearing?

I am learning some interesting stuff from side topics here too. So thanks all.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Spokeshaves - well, the wooden ones, anyway - are really miniature drawknives in a convenient wooden holder. They'll reduce the tearout, but probably won't eliminate it entirely.

A finishing tool that might help is a chair devil, or chairmaker's devil. Basically, it's like a cross between a scraper and a scratch-stock - a scraper with a half-round piece filed out of it, a bit larger curvature than what you're devilling, held in a wooden stock like a spokeshave. It's just worked up and down the piece scraping fine shavings off, and being held to the workpiece like a scraper, deals with tearout.

Paul Sellers makes a simple one in this video - https://paulsellers.com/2015/05/making- ... vil-video/ - but fancier ones can be found.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Can someone enlighten me as to what "cormel" is? I can find no reference in my books or by Googling.

 

[n0legs]

Nestled between the router plane and the egg beater

:lol:
Looks familiar

I'm looking for a cabinet based solution. Got a few ideas for storing the planes thanks to Bluekingfisher (David) but want a few ideas regarding the shaves. Don't really fancy a few screws in the back board.

 

[n0legs]

Tony that is gorgeous =D>

 

[DrPhill]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_mas

But they refer to it as corNel, I have always known it as corMel

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Thanks, I've found it now. Yes, it's "cornel" in my book. (The New Sylva)

 

[Eric The Viking]

There is some lovely detail in there, for example the change in depth of the dovetails and what looks like one big sliding dovetail (or a pair) for the handle.

I've made notes

E.