Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Apr 18, 2008 05:43am | #1

   The two different tools are, of course, very different from each other.  I could not image working wood without the flexible piece of hardened steel that is a card scraper.  I use it for everything from removing glue squeeze-out to removing marks from other tools.  When sharpened a certain way, it can remove material quite rapidly (relatively speaking) and when sharpened another way, it can be used between coats of finishes to level it or remove any runs.  If you invest $5 for a scraper, you'll need a sharpening stone (which you probably already have) and a burnisher, which is basically a really hard and preferably polished piece of metal.  A mill file is usefull as well for jointing the edge before refining it with the stone.

   A spokeshave sees little use in cabinetmaking.  It's primarily used for shaping curved parts.  It's importance in a furniture making shop depends on how curvy the work is that you produce.  If you use it, you use it a lot.  If you don't, you don't.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   Lataxe | Apr 18, 2008 10:35am | #2

   Chris,

   You opine: "A spokeshave sees little use in cabinetmaking.  It's primarily used for shaping curved parts". 

   I use spokeshaves these days to put on all roundovers and/or chamfers on straight (and curved) edges, in preference to the router bits I used to employ for these tasks.  They will take off just a whisper, to obviate cutting the furniture-recipient on very sharp corners; or produce a fat roundover / wide chamfer as big as you like.

   Many people like to use a block plane for that task but I find spokeshaves give more control as they don't require the edge to be dead straight to get an even effect in the chamfer-width or roundover-radius.  Spkokeshaves will deal with edges that are convex or concave, as well as the straight ones. They can also leave edges with a slight variation that still looks neat but says "handmade". They are versatile in use as:

   * they can be pushed or pulled;

   * the cutting angle is easy to judge because the handles are long and signal the angle better than does the "tip" of a blockplane;

   * the blade-depth can be easily skewed in the body so one side cuts deeper than the other, giving great control by simply shifting the tool to one side or the other;

   * and the Veritas ones can have their handles unscrewed to enable the body to be got into some tight spots.

   The spokeshaves get the second-most use after the smoothing planes, in my shed, although I make little in the way of fully-curved stuff.

   Lataxe

1. 
   Napie | Apr 18, 2008 06:06pm | #3

   I agree!  I have twelve of them, (all flea market finds) and they are used all the time in place of the "roundover-bit".

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Apr 19, 2008 04:53am | #4

   Lataxe,

   I, too, prefer to use handtools to roundover edges and create chamfers.  It gives it more of a personal touch and the small facets scream "handmade".  I prefer using a block plane.  I say tomato...

   The first and third point you make on spokeshaves could also apply to a block plane.  I agree that having the long handles sticking out sideways makes it easier to gauge the angle, I don't have too much of a problem getting as accurate as needed, which often isn't all that accurate.  I can get a 45 pretty close though.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer