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Author Topic: spokeshaves  (Read 6288 times)

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UserNameTaken

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spokeshaves
« on: December 26, 2011, 05:44:42 pm »
Hey, I got a spokeshave as a gift, and I noticed this morning that the blade sits at an angle. Is that normal? Here's a picture of what I'm talking about:

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Offline M-P

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2011, 06:46:11 pm »
Howdy,   I've never seen a spokeshave that has the blade look like that.   In my opinion you should take some time tuning this one up.   Spokeshaves are a special form of plane.   The back of the blade should be flat against the "body", as the blade needs the support to minimize "chatter".    Ron
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Offline sonny

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2011, 06:57:46 pm »
I could be wrong but it looks like you have the blade adjusted so far down and uneven that it makes it look crooked.
I've never had the blade adjusted that far down as it only takes the slightest bit to remove curls of wood.
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UserNameTaken

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2011, 07:26:55 pm »
Yeah, I realize that it needs to be adjusted, but that won't keep the blade from going cockeyed. There is what appears to be an imperfection in the casting of the body. It's a lump of cast iron that's keeping the blade from laying flat. It's not that way on the other side. What I need to know is whether or not the blade is meant to rest flat against the cast iron body.
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2011, 07:51:22 pm »
Pull the blade out from the body of the tool and look at the surface where the blade "beds" down.  Do you see anything that gets in the way?  Is there a spur around any of the machining that you can take down with a small file?

On my old Stanley (long since broken when it got dropped on a concrete floor) I used gunstock bedding compound to create a better bed for the blade ro rest on.  Solved a lot of chatter problems at the same time!

If the blade beds nice and flat without anything hanging up it may just be that when the cast body of the tool was bolted into the mill the machinist didn't get it set properly and the bed is milled into the tool body cock-eyed.  If that is the case, use a small file to open the throat or gullet where the cutting edge of the blade pokes thru the bottom. 
« Last Edit: December 26, 2011, 07:54:31 pm by JW_Halverson »
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Stringman

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2011, 08:13:21 pm »
It appears that the blade is turned around backwards. Take it off and flip it, then see if that makes a difference.
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2011, 08:16:46 pm »
Stringman may have the answer.  Make sure the bevel is down or facing towards the back of the tool. 
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Grunt

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2011, 10:01:56 pm »
The shave will work a lot better if the blade has a slight radius profile. Just put some masking tape on the flat side, draw a radius with something big like a tin can and grind the new profile. Resharpen and adjust it till it takes off a ribbon about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. The radius allows fine for control.
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Offline M-P

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2011, 10:32:13 pm »
I went back to photo and can't really see if stringman is right about blade positioning.  Take a look at the tool.  The blade will angle toward the direction the tool will be pulled.   The bevel on the blade should be on the top of the blade.  The flat 'back' of the blade should be supported by the cast body.  If the back of the blade is not evenly  supported by the body, you may need to do some careful filing or filling to remove irregularities. 
I gently round the corners of the blade to prevent digging in.  I may have to try Grunt's suggestion  on blade radiusing, as I stilll fight with my spoke shaves occasionally.   They seem to really appreciate a sharp blade and careful depth adjustment.   Ron.
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"A man should make his own arrows."   Omaha proverb   

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."    Will Rogers

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2011, 10:39:51 pm »
Quote from: M-P on December 26, 2011, 10:32:13 pm
   The bevel on the blade should be on the top of the blade.  The flat 'back' of the blade should be supported by the cast body.
 Ron.

I have to disagree with Ron on that one.  When it is bevel up the angle of the cutting edge is just off perpendicular and the tool works more like a scraper than a cutting tool.  Bevel down cuts more smoothly as the bevel allow's "relief" behind the cutting edge so that the wood is shaved off.  A wood turner showed me that once when I was burning up his tools and ruining a nice chunk of maple!
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UserNameTaken

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2011, 11:08:50 pm »
Quote from: M-P on December 26, 2011, 10:32:13 pm
I went back to photo and can't really see if stringman is right about blade positioning.  Take a look at the tool.  The blade will angle toward the direction the tool will be pulled.   The bevel on the blade should be on the top of the blade.  The flat 'back' of the blade should be supported by the cast body.  If the back of the blade is not evenly  supported by the body, you may need to do some careful filing or filling to remove irregularities. 
I gently round the corners of the blade to prevent digging in.  I may have to try Grunt's suggestion  on blade radiusing, as I stilll fight with my spoke shaves occasionally.   They seem to really appreciate a sharp blade and careful depth adjustment.   Ron.

ok, so it sounds like the blade is supposed to rest flat, and not crooked. Thanks.
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Offline M-P

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2012, 11:37:53 pm »
Howdy,   Ok, first thing I did when I got home was to check my spoke shave.   I did have the blade  'bevel up'.   I made a few passes on a scrap and it did OK.   I turned the blade over and rest the depth, then made a few more passes.   It definitely worked better with the bevel down ( as JW describes).   Either way it sits flat and well supported by the by.    Ron
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"A man should make his own arrows."   Omaha proverb   

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."    Will Rogers

Offline Canoe

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2012, 01:46:56 pm »
Howdy UserNameTaken,

(And, Happy New Year.)

I think you are right in that your spokeshave may have a gob of cast iron sitting on the flat surface where the blade is supposed to be riding on.  That's entirely possible.  (And, that would explain why somebody gave it away - to you.)  However, it could be that you have a large burr on the blade itself. 

You need to take apart you spokeshave and get a close look at that surface, under the blade, where the blade sits.  You may have to get in there with a thin file and deburr the surface(s).


Here is a link to an article / guide for a spokeshave tune up.  (You can also Google "Spokeshave tune up" to find other useful stuff.)

http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDocs/Wood_How_To/INDEX_How_To_pages/Smalser_on_SpokeshaveTuneUp.htm


I am a big fan of the spokeshave.  After I did a tune up and then build a one dollar honing jig, I have been able to easily take off beautiful, paper-thin ribbons of wood from the back of my bows that are up to an inch wide.

Good luck, stick with it,
Canoe

 
« Last Edit: January 02, 2012, 02:59:13 pm by Canoe »
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #13 on: January 02, 2012, 11:58:37 pm »
Nice link, Canoe!  I could have written something like that about how I tune them up but it would have ended up 5 or 6 pages long not including "the thirty-seven 8-by-10 full color glossy photographs with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on the back explaining each one."*




*Show of hands now!  How many get that reference? 
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Offline Bevan R.

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Re: spokeshaves
« Reply #14 on: January 03, 2012, 12:16:10 am »
I got it  8)
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