# Spokeshave woes. Please help.



## MidKnight (Aug 6, 2012)

Hello all

I recently picked up a Stanley 152 spokeshave from Woodcraft. I know that this isn't a Veritas tool, but I'm finding it impossible to use. 

I took it out of the box and tried to use it, never having used one before. I had watched a youtube video on how to adjust the blade, but otherwise, no experience. 

I had a heck of a time with it. I was trying to smooth bandsaw marks on a concave curve on soft pine. It either didn't bite at all, or gouged. I took it apart and found that it was bevel up, which made a weird gap between the blade and the "cap iron". I flipped it bevel down and it worked slightly better, but I still get huge gouges.

Could anyone with spokeshave knowledge please weigh in and give me pointers? I'd hugely appreciate it. 

BTW, this is the spokeshave:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005130/4965/Round-Face-Spokeshave.aspx

Thanks in advance!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*wrong tool, difficult wood*

You have a "round faced" bottom which give little or not registration on the surface. Spoke shaves are meant to work on cylindrical obects like wooden spokes, taking very narrow slivers to make them round.

Pine is not any easy wood to plane because of the coarse grain, it wants to split or gouge.

You are working a concave surface, so a sandpaper on a round scrap OR the piece you sawed away would work much better for removing bandsaw marks. Start with 60 or less then work to 150 or finer depending on what you want.


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## MidKnight (Aug 6, 2012)

Woodnthings, Thanks. 

I ended up just using my cheap harbor freight OSS to smooth out the concave surface. 

I had seen on, I think it was Rough Cut, where the host said the round bottom spoke shave was great for this exact purpose. Perhaps I was lead astray. I also thought they might be useful in shaping the seats of a pair of toddler chairs I'm making. 

Maybe I'm just choosing the wrong tool for the application.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Would be better with a different wood*

Seat bottoms are generally a hardwood. Pine is always used by beginners, but they soon realize it's not an easy wood to deal with unless you have sharp gouges and know the grain direction working across it rather than with it. Reading grain will become more important as you get into woodworking more.

You did exactly the right thing using the OSS sander. I have one exactly like it and that the first tool /machine I would have used myself! :yes:


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

A picture of the piece would help.

Hard to tell if the blade is installed the right way.

Spokeshaves are not as easy to use at it seems. I have used on flat boards to make a profile. I had to adjust the blade to get very thin shavings, or else I was not able to make the stroke.

The round bottom one you have would need to be used with the grain. If the grain was running at right angle to the concave curve it would be very difficult to use the spokeshave. If you were able to cut I would expect a lot of tear out.

Sanding works when you can get into the area.

As Woodnthings said, a scraper can frequently be easier to clean up blade marks in a curved surface. 

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020022/19046/Curved-Scraper-Set-of-4.aspx


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

For scooping out chair seats, you could use a round bottom spokeshave (convex). Or, an inshave/scorp might work better for you.


















.


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## Turner1944 (Jan 26, 2013)

*Spokeshave*

Don't feel bad. I can't get my Veritas to work either. The blade keeps falling out !

David Turner
Plymouth, MI.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

One tip I can offer (well maybe two). First to set the blade, loosen the set screw and set the spokeshave on your bench with the blade down. Now just tighten the set screw. The act of tightening the screw makes the blade move just a little bit, setting it at a good depth. Next is that blade has to be SHARP! Third, as others have already said it is imperative that you work with the grain, going downhill so to speak. Last and most important is to lighten up your pressure and work with quicker strokes. I always have difficulty when I'm applying too much pressure to the spokeshave. Lighten up and much better results.

Hope this helps you.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I have a $50 Stanley Crapshave (flat) hanging on the wall. Can't return it as I tried to get it to work. I can't believe that they hardened the blade.

Instead, I run a pair of $15 Samona spokeshaves (flat) from the local HH hardware store. 28 degree bevels, rough castings and paint slopped all over the soles. BUT, once I got them tuned up, I've carved enough kitchen spoon & fork handles to say that I can pull more than 1/2 mile in birch between honings.
I've done about 70 utensils so far, just into the next 24 forks (16th century whisks).

I think that the suggestion of an inshave is a good one, some sanding at the end. Veritas or otherwise, keeping convex and concave blades in condition will be a real task to learn well.


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## MidKnight (Aug 6, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your replies!

I was going "downhill" on the grain. I learned this quickly when I used my low angle block plane to flatten the bandsaw ridges left on my tapered legs. 

I'm using pine because there are "knock around" chairs for my 18 month old twins. 

I used my ROS to quickly shape the seats as best I could. 










BTW, that's a chalkboard top on it. 

Thanks again for all the replies. I will continue to try to master these pesky hand tools. I'm really enjoying them, but they are not easy.

Oh, and yes, I'm a relative wood working newbie and a complete hand tool rookie.


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