Thread: Round bottom spokeshave

Oh dear ... more Falcon bashing ... did auscab put you up to this?

You realise ASIO will be monitoring this ...

I don't know much about spokeshaves ... but can think of two possible elements.

1. maybe the (similar) 151 wasn't such a brilliant performer anyway (even with flat sole)? and
2. is it to do with the rounded sole?

I have a stanley 67 with just the rounded sole (that came from SG) and I had to play about with it for a while before I started getting a bit used to it. I certainly don't have it 'mastered'.

How about a photo?

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by pmcgee

Oh dear ... more Falcon bashing ... did auscab put you up to this?

You realise ASIO will be monitoring this ...

I don't know much about spokeshaves ... but can think of two possible elements.

1. maybe the (similar) 151 wasn't such a brilliant performer anyway (even with flat sole)? and
2. is it to do with the rounded sole?

I have a stanley 67 with just the rounded sole (that came from SG) and I had to play about with it for a while before I started getting a bit used to it. I certainly don't have it 'mastered'.

How about a photo?

Cheers,
Paul

I have had a number of Australian-made tools. I have promptly got rid of all of them, except for a Carter plough plane - but that was only because I'd put so many hours into fettling it to a basic useable state that I couldn't bear to part with it. It is still only a barely passable tool. I had the Stanley equivalent and it was night and day.

I did have a Pope Falcon #6 a few years ago that was alright. The finish was rough as guts, but the casting was heavy and accurate. I also had a Turner, which was a genuinely very nice tool (I'd actually recommend these over Stanleys any day, if you don't mind the curious plastic handles).

As far as my spokeshave goes, I know that technique is the likely culprit. These are famously tricky tools. Still, I can easily enough use epoxy to bed it more soundly, or close the mouth. I'm a bit sceptical that a tight mouth is really so important with shaves, but don't really have enough experience to judge.

Does anyone here use one of the old Stanley round-bottom shaves with success?

Originally Posted by snafuspyramid

Does anyone here use one of the old Stanley round-bottom shaves with success?

Well, depends on your definition of 'success'. I have a round-bottomed 151 that was bought new about 25 years ago, or p'raps a little more. Like you, I took some time to get the hang of it, but I can usually get it to make good shavings, now. I also found that for many operations, pushing was a better option, but it's so with the flat-botomed shaves, too - pushing often gives me more control over potential chatter. I'm also a bit unsure of the importance of a fine mouth on a shave for many operations, but it may be important at times. I needed a replacement blade for my old 151, and got one of the thicker blades LV sell. Wasn't expensive, & it closed up the mouth a bit & improved the performance of the 151 noticably, but it could be due solely to the more solid blade - I couldn't say for sure.

I bought a pair of Lee Valley shaves some years ago. They took me a while to get used to! Those round handles were the subject of much criticism by a number of users, & it seemed not many others liked them either! I bought a couple of kits of the brass screws & nuts to make my own handles, but before I got the round tuit, I sort of got used to the round handles, & still haven't 'fixed' them (I intend to do it some day). I do find the LV shaves do a nicer job on some woods than the 151 shaves, & they seem much happier pushed than pulled, too. Their better performance has a bit to do with the finer mouth, and a bit to do with the better blade bedding (I think!).

Have to relate a funny story about the round-bottomed 151. As I said, I just couldn't get on with it at first, and found it quite frustrating - darn near threw the thing out in disgust, a few times!. One day, my then 7 or 8 year-old son was hanging about & wanted to make himself a wooden sword. I was half-helping him & half leaving him to find his own way, & at one stage told him to use one of the spokeshaves to shape the 'blade', but forgot to say which one. By chance, he selected the round-bottomed shave (perhaps because it looked new). Imagine my surprise when I looked around, to see the little b*gg*r working happily away, making perfect long shavings with it....

So, Eddie, I think the moral of the story is that technique is pretty important, & you either have it straight off, or you have to work for it.

Cheers,

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1362215936.912474.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1362215964.896338.jpg

You can see the work that I've done with a file on the bed of the Falcon - wasn't necessary on the Stanley.

Originally Posted by pmcgee

Oh dear ... more Falcon bashing ... did auscab put you up to this?

Cheers,
Paul

Ha ha .
I do love Aussie gear , but some of those planes



I do use a falcon spoke shave and I like them. I have a Stanley and a Falcon favorite . I don't remember which is my flat sole or my curved right now, the Stanley or the Falcon but I prepare them the same way for work, and that is that the sole is polished , I dress them up on my linisher and then polish on the buff. the leading edge is curved up like a ski like a 3mm radius, and the blades are ground curved so that I am using about one third of the blade cutting at any time . and I always have a piece of paraffin wax ready to wipe the sole with. Tight curves in hard wood can be the most difficult and I usually traverse at about 45 degree from both directions, using only one third of the blade means when the middle gets dull I adjust and use the left side , when it's dull I use the right. The shaped work is finished with a scraper then sanded with 280 grit lightly .

Another way I like using them is I set up the blade so that it is taking a big bite on the right hand side down to nothing at the left ,still with the curved blade. It's not really for shaping tight curves but if I wanted to make say a broomstick from a square length of timber I can knock off the corners with big bites and as I get down to finishing it round I move across to the fine side, then finish off with a curved scraper.

Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

Another way I like using them is I set up the blade so that it is taking a big bite on the right hand side down to nothing at the left ,still with the curved blade. It's not really for shaping tight curves but if I wanted to make say a broomstick from a square length of timber I can knock off the corners with big bites and as I get down to finishing it round I move across to the fine side, then finish off with a curved scraper.
Rob

That is how I set up my spokeshaves too. Sometimes I think its more about finding a sweet spot along the length of the blade that works with your technique.

Cheers,

I bought my first spokeshave about a month ago. Stanley #64. $50 with shipping. Crude and nasty little piece of work with a very soft blade. Hanging on the wall.
Instead, I have a pair of $14.50 Samona spokeshaves which cut smooth, fast and clean with a very durable blade. The soles were painted and the mouth of the castings needed a little file work but no big deal.
Really sort of fun to use.

I'd agree that the later model spokeshaves are rubbish. My Stanley is 1915-30 vintage and, as mentioned in first post, very nicely made.