Hi Folks,
I’ve been trying to tune up a #51 and it is driving me crazy, or maybe just a short walk in my case.
It’s chattering to the point of gibberish! I flattened the sole, honed the blade so it cuts the hairs on my arm; I’d guess I could shave with it! When I apply it to my new cabriole leg made of pine, Chatter city. I’ve tried skewing the blade, NADA.
I’m lost, can anyone help. I know I haven’t provided much to go on so maybe a beginners lesson might be in order.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/1/2007 8:25 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Replies
I assume you are going with the grain, correct?
Hey Ryan,
Nice to hear from you again. Yes, I even got the grain in the right direction per Lonnie Birds article. Maybe I've got the blade to deep, I'm going to try a lighter cut.
Got any pointers about spokeshaves? Shaves are a new world for me.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/1/2007 8:56 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Hey you too. Well sorry but that's the only pointer I have about 'em. Good luck though.
Bob,
Take the blade out and check where it beds, it needs a smooth surface or the blade will chatter.
There are a couple articles out there on using epoxy to form a new bed, David Charlesworth's third book, the one on hand tools, has an article on rebedding.
One of the best shaves is the LN shave, but I started with the lee valley black handled shave - about $50 if I remember correctly. That one works well.
Do a search, there should be an article online somewhere that shows how to do it.
Mike
You could also use a drawknife, or just go straight to rasps.
Bob
1. Sharp blade. Sharp blade. Sharp blade.
2. Close up the mouth with a shim. Use a piece of veneer behind the blade. Lock down all nice and tight.
3. Minimal blade projection. Chatter is most frequently linked to too much blade.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Bob, if you have a sharp blade and are taking a light cut, your problem is most likely too wide a throat opening. Try shimming the blade to confirm. If true, change out the blade with a thicker one. There was an article in FWW several issues ago.
Steve
Steve/Derek,
I'll try your suggestions tonight when I get back in the woodshop. Didn't think to close up the mouth so hopefully that's the problem.
I'm also going to check the blade again. I'll let AL know how I make out.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Here's a link to an excellent article, Soup up Your Spokeshave, by Brian Boggs from FWW #158:http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2803Lefky
Lefky,
Thanks. Would you believe I found that just this morning! Printing it out for my documentation file in the woodshop.
Great article.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob, I had to look through the FWW back issues to find it. The article was in issue #158 from October 2002.
Brian Boggs recommends replacing the blade, flatten the bed, and making a new cap iron.
Steve
Steve,
Thanks, I found it here and printed it for enclosure in the doc. library in the shop. I ordered the LV low angle shave last night so I can get back to work.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
I had the same experience with the Stanley #51. After a fine tuning, and sharpening and setting the blade properly I still had problems. Then I read about the correct way to hold and use the tool, and the author said to be sure the tool was riding on the leading edge of the sole. That helped, but there is still an evil spirit lurking in the tool.
The best cure for me was to switch to a #64. It must be the flatter orientation of the handles because suddenly I was spokeshaving everything! I even spokeshaved the cat -well, the neighbors cat.
Good luck,
-Chuck
Chuck,
I am thinking of getting a Lee Valley Low Angle Shave,
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=44834&cat=1,50230&ap=1
I figure by the time I get done fettling the #51 and replacing the blade @ chipbreaker the LV will end up cheaper in the long run. The LN shaves are just a bit out of my price range.
Do you or anyone else have any thoughts on that approach?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Every one seems high on the spoke shaves at Lie-Nielsen designed by Brian Boggs. I believe Chris Schwartz or someone else wrote glowing comments on them.
Bob,
I've never used one, but that almost sounds like the perfect general purpose spokeshave. With the rotatable toe piece you are getting two shaves in one. It is a novel approach overall, I wish I could try one out.
You know with these people as well as LN you pretty much buy risk free. Give it a try but don't give up on the #51.
-Chuck
Chuck
The Veritas low angle is one of my favourite shaves. It is particularly good on end grain. It is, however, not my first choice for reversing grain. That honour belongs to the HNT Gordon spokeshaves, which I recently reviewed.
The other favourite I have is the Stanley #53, which is frequently available for just a few dollars on eBay, etc. This has an adjustable mouth, which gives it a wide range.
I shall also admit that my least favourite is the #51R, that is, the round bottomed version of the #51. I can get it to work, but never well and never consistently. Does this one qualify as the "Shave From Hell"?
Regards from Perth
Derek
Hi Derek,
Yes it does qualify. The record clone is a little bit better I think - thicker blade.
Have you tried the wooden hadled set from LV?
Dave
Bob, buy a new spokeshave.You don't have to restore or make every tool you use. If I understand correctly, you've made a cabriole leg (presumably a set) and you need a good spokeshave in order to finish the job. Look, the project is more valuable than the bleedin' tool. You've put your skill and time into an article of furniture not refurbing a mass-produced junker that got by 'quality control.'The project is more important (keep repeating this mantra). Buy what you need to do the woodworking (and you'll find you don't need a whole lot.)
Boss,
Yes, yes, yes. I placed an order for the LV shave last night. Also sharpened/honed and burnished a scraper. WOW!
I'll be scraping till the LV shave gets here, along with my rasps and files.
It has been recommended that I replace the blade and chipbreaker, etc. Phooey, I need to get to work. Besides the difference in cost is minimal between the LV shave and replacement parts, doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe I'll fiddle with them shaves when I have nothing better to do, which will most likely be never!
Onward and forward as you say; the piece is more important.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
You're on the right track.
Replacing the blade and chipbreaker would be ridiculous considering there are several quality shaves out there available new that would only need a quick honing to be ready to work. Can we get back to the concept of woodworking? You have and that's good.
All this romantic BS about buying an old but poorly machined tool and then replacing all the guts is just really silly to me. All this mouth shimming and sole tuning, buying aftermarket parts and switching out stuff, phooey, as you can see it can easily become an end in itself especially for hobbyists whose time is ALREADY limited.
I think it is idiocy for a hobbyist to throw away entire weekends (if not more) tuning tools that were junk the day they rolled off the assembly line. Did Stanley make good tools? Sure, but when they made a clunker it clunked. When you realize you've gotten hold of a lousy one it's best just to bin it and move on.
Boss,
Please see Making a cabriole leg in General Discussions if you have time. Have any suggestions? This is a prototype as it's the first one I ever made. I plan on making 3 more from the same template and making a case to go with it. This will be a full scale model. Who knows, it might get used as well!
After that, I'll make the real thing out of cherry.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
BobI've been lurking in this thread, and I feel your pain! I remember reading Brian Bogg's article on tuning up a spokeshave in FWW, and thinking, "Why bother?" Boggs didn't tune the shave, he rebuilt it. Thank God for LN and LV who both make great tools. Enjoy your new shave and doing woodworking, not tool rebuilding! Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
Hi Tom,
In my case I had been working primarily with power tools up until about 3 years ago. At that time I became very interested in learning more about hand tools and since embarking down this path my interests have escalated.
The problem is that I had very few hand tools until about a year ago when it seemed like everyone in my neck of the woods were offering me planes, spokes, chisels, etc for free, they just needed a little work! Yeah right, just a litte work, how about a complete restoration in most cases.
Well I've finally gotten into a position where I don't need to spend so much time restoring hand tools and can get back to the real thing, i.e. working wood. This winter when we get days that it's too cold to work in the shop, I'll concentrate on toold repair/restoration.
Right now it's building time for me and that is what I'm trying to concentrate on. Whew, it's been hectic getting here with a full time job and a honey-do list a mile long!
But it's all good,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
BobLearning to use hand tools has opened up a new world to me. It started with a set of chisels, progressed to old Stanley planes, and is now focused on tools that I can actually use to build fine furniture. I'm much more pragmatic about my tools now--if it will help me with a task, and it's reasonable, I'll buy it. If not, I won't. Example: for the money, I believe the best smoothing plane out there is the LV bevel up smoother. Great design, and it works very well--say goodbye to sanding. Buy another blade with a steeper bevel to increase the cutting angle and prevent tearout in figured woods, and you've bought another plane. Can't do that with ####conventional plane. I like your strategy--use the down time in winter to play with the tools; use the up time to make furniture. Enjoy your summer. I remember when you were suffering through the terrible winter weather, and I was enjoying a nice spring. Now, we've got lots of rain, 90 degrees and 90% humidity! :) Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
Tom,
You poor folks down in Texas have been getting slammed with rain from what I've seen on the Boob Tube. I suppose I could be a real doink (word I just made up, combo of dork & dink) and give you a ration about how nice it is up here in Northern NH. Just glad I live on high ground.
For summer it's been cool (70's) and more than we need for rain, but better than last winter! That's OK, I get to work in the shop more, gotta take advantage of it.
The economics of my situation dictate that I fettle more old stuff than buy new but there comes a time when it just isn't worth it as in the case of the shave.
Hope you folks didn't get flooded out down there.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled