The Best Spokeshaves
The spokeshave is a two-handled plane designed for shaping curved surfaces. Where a drawknife removes material quickly in a rough shaping pass, the spokeshave follows behind and refines the surface to a smooth, consistent curve. Chair makers use it for chair legs and back posts; coopers used it for barrel staves; wagon makers used it for wheel spokes. It is the tool that makes hand-shaped wood look intentional rather than rough.
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How to Choose
Flat-soled spokeshaves are for convex curves: chair legs, axe handles, anything that is wider at the ends and narrower in the middle. Curved-soled spokeshaves are for concave curves: chair seats, saddle shapes, and inside curves. The blade is set like a plane blade -- a small amount of projection produces a fine shaving. Wooden spokeshaves are the traditional form; cast iron versions from Stanley and Preston are more adjustable and still widely available as vintage tools.
Veritas Flat Spokeshave
If you only buy one, make it this one. Read the full guide below for alternatives at every price point.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardThe Picks
Veritas Flat Spokeshave
Veritas makes the flat spokeshave that has become the standard for contemporary chair makers and woodworkers. The cast ductile iron body has a flat sole, the blade is A2 tool steel sharpened to a 30-degree bevel, and the depth-of-cut adjustment is precise and repeatable. It produces a surface that requires no sanding on most hardwoods. Available in flat and curved sole versions.
The Veritas blade adjustment is the feature that makes this spokeshave better than vintage alternatives -- you can set the cut precisely instead of tapping the blade in by feel.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardStanley No. 151 Spokeshave
The Stanley No. 151 is the most widely produced spokeshave in American history and the one that most woodworkers learned on. Cast iron body, adjustable blade, flat sole. New production versions are available; vintage examples from the early 20th century have better-quality castings and are preferred by restorers. The design has not changed significantly in a hundred years because it works.
The Stanley 151 has been the standard spokeshave for a hundred years. A well-tuned vintage example cuts as well as any new spokeshave at three times the price.
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