Tool Help

[IrishMonk]

adjustable, flat face, round face, radius, half round ... which spoke shave do I need ? wood river, stanley ?
Thanks... sry for the newb question.

[sailordad]

you dont necassarily need a spoke shave
i use nothing more than an antique draw knife,surform rasp,hand rasp,scraper and sandpaper
hell i dont even know how spoke shave works 

but my surform is a roundbelly blade,i do switcht that out occasionaly for a flat belly blade if i need it

[bigcountry]

Only thing I use my spokeshave for is thinning out bark on hickory. 

Looking back, I really have very little use for it.

[crooketarrow]

    You can get by with just a drawknife,rasp and scraper.

[IrishMonk]

Hmm, thats good to know. Thanks

[Frode]

On the other hand, I live by my spokeshave!  But only the low angle kind!  I use mine to do the majority of the work on a bow these days, and I find it is easier on my elbows.
In fact, I just traded Robin Hood II to a blacksmith for some larger shave irons and a gutter adze.  For me, Best.  Tool.  Ever.  Here's a link to a brief video showing one in action, apologies for the picture quality, I'm new at the video thing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opex9pX1d1A

Everyone is different, though, and you should experiment and see what works best for you.  What everyone else has said is the true truth  .
Frode

[Bevan R.]

Only use a spokeshave when working rattan.

[Grunt]

I use my spokeshave a lot in the initial stages of floor tillering. You got to go slow though it's easy to take off to much wood. I ground a radius profile on my blade that allows me to take off a shaving about 3/8" wide or 1/4" wide if I angle the tool. By having a radius on the blade the tool has much more control. Polish the shoe and relieve all edges on the body of the spokeshave and hone the blade. I'm not sure what make I have, it has two blade adjusting screws.

[gstoneberg]

I don't use a spokeshave at all.  I go drawknife to scraper on the belly, sometimes using a drum sander to take out tool marks and to shape the handle.  I really think tool choices are heavily influenced by what you learn on, and I learned to build bows with a hatchet, draw knife and scraper.

George

[JW_Halverson]

I use my spokeshave for everything but final tillering and sanding. 

Grunt's advice for tuning up the spokeshave is excellent.  Most people take a spokeshave brand new from the factory and wonder why it doesn't work so good.  I also use gunstock bedding material and bed the blade to the tool.  I have eliminated virtually all reasons for the tool to chatter, the main reason people hate their spokeshaves. 

Heck, I ought go into business "tuning" spokies for folks.  Any takers?

[Pappy]

I have all the above and never use them,I know people that do and love them,It is an art in it self to use one right so I never took the time to learn. Draw knife/49/50 file/farrier rasp and scraper is all I use,well except for my bandsaw.
   Pappy

[Frode]

Here's one more video, with a modified handle on the same low angle spokeshave iron, showing a little better what the tool can do.  The (larger) handle is a split of osage off a stave I'm working down, not flat, not square, but very hard, and quite workable.  It gives more control over the direction and depth of cut.  Another reason I like these shaves (in addition to not tearing my elbows up as much  ) is that they produce very little dust, which in recent years has become important to me, allergies and such.
Anyway, enjoy!
Frode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuRFMxPs0L4