Soup Up Your Spokeshave
Three-step process takes the tool from good to better to best
Synopsis: A spokeshave is a very nimble plane, with a short sole that can follow convex and concave surfaces. Any time you have a part that you can’t plane evenly because of its shape, a spokeshave will help. Brian Boggs has a dozen and in this article, he shares how to select, maintain, and upgrade them. Once you get a handle on his tips, practicing to use yours will be a lot more fun.
The tool’s name suggests that the spokeshave is for shaving wheel spokes, but chair makers and cabinetmakers have been using the spokeshave for generations in myriad wood-shaping situations. Basically, a spokeshave is a very nimble plane, with a short sole that can follow convex and concave surfaces. A good shave can follow an S-curve and leave a surface that needs little further attention.
Any time you have a part that you can’t plane evenly…
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