Spokeshave and thumb question

[Shawn Pixley]

I spent time last weekend working on a project where I was fiaring curveswith a spokeshave. I tend to push my spokeshave with my thumbs behind the handles. The project turned out well, but afterwards I noted that my right thumb was "tingley" and mildly sore. Now it is a week later and while it has improved it has not gone away. So my questions:

1. Do you push or pull with your spokeshave?
2. If pushing, do you place your thumb behind the spokeshave handle?
3. Has anyone experienced this problem?
4. If so, what did you do about this?

I welcome the collective wisdom of your experiences.

[george wilson]

You are getting old like me!

[Jim Koepke]

I spent time last weekend working on a project where I was fiaring curveswith a spokeshave. I tend to push my spokeshave with my thumbs behind the handles. The project turned out well, but afterwards I noted that my right thumb was "tingley" and mildly sore. Now it is a week later and while it has improved it has not gone away. So my questions:

1. Do you push or pull with your spokeshave?
2. If pushing, do you place your thumb behind the spokeshave handle?
3. Has anyone experienced this problem?
4. If so, what did you do about this?

I welcome the collective wisdom of your experiences.

My technique is to pull on my spokeshaves, but often pushing also comes into play.

After many years of labor and being rough on my body, my joints have not only begun to succumb to arthritis, but there is also repetitive stress and carpel tunnel adding to the mix. Also, relaxing while working and taking quick breaks to flex your hands can help.

It helps to change one's grip around regularly. It is only natural to use a grip that offers the most control. Sometimes when control isn't the issue my grip is changed to an underhand or the thumbs are over the handle just like all the other fingers. Also to avoid is "the grip of death" on the handles.

A few other thoughts on this:

The heavier the cut, the harder on the hands. Having a very sharp blade also helps.

Another thing to consider is to talk with your doctor about a blood test. My blood sugar levels puts me in a pre-diabetes category. This also can cause the tingling feeling after a lot of work.

jtk

[Brian Kent]

I recommend these from Lee Valley or Japan Woodworker:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...t=1,50230&ap=1

They are so inexpensive (2 for $30) but hold an edge and require a very light touch. I have more control with these than my other spokeshaves (old Stanley and hand made from Lee Valley kit). I usually use a pull cut.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

More and more, I've started using spokeshaves only for smoothing tasks - really just like a smoothing plane for curves. I end up getting ninety percent there with saws and then chisels, maybe a rasp (I need to get a drawknife) to do what a jack would do on flat surfaces. I have a 40mm Narex chisel that I use for most of my stock removal lately, often times, it's faster to whack it away with a chisel than saw it out. Bevel down, I can smooth out a concave curve a lot sharper than my spokeshave can, and get that nice waxy looking finish on endgrain.

I don't know how the work you've been doing is going, but maybe moving some of the work off to another tool, and thus, another grip, might help.

Think consciously about how your holding the tool - you mention the pain being in your thumbs - are you bracing them quite stiffly against the tool? Perhaps a more relaxed grip would help.

I used to generally use a pull stroke with my spokeshaves, which I find more comfortable and needs less force, but some pieces, I get less chatter pushing - a lot of times it depends on how the piece gets held in the work.

[Michael Ray Smith]

Can't quite resist the opportunity to recommend one of my favorite tools -- a Millers Falls cigar shave. It works best by pulling.

[Roy Lindberry]

I spent time last weekend working on a project where I was fiaring curveswith a spokeshave. I tend to push my spokeshave with my thumbs behind the handles. The project turned out well, but afterwards I noted that my right thumb was "tingley" and mildly sore. Now it is a week later and while it has improved it has not gone away. So my questions:

1. Do you push or pull with your spokeshave?

Generally, I pull. If the situation requires, I will push.

2. If pushing, do you place your thumb behind the spokeshave handle?

If I push, my thumbs are usually behind the blade.

3. Has anyone experienced this problem?

Not with spokeshaves. But at work a month or so ago, I spent a solid eight hours lapping micrometer spindles and anvils on the lapping machine which requires a firm pressing on the mic with the fingertips. I had the sore and tingly, perhaps better described as slightly numb feeling for close to two weeks.

4. If so, what did you do about this?

I just waited it out. It was annoying, but it didn't seem there was much I could do.

I welcome the collective wisdom of your experiences.

[Shawn Pixley]

Thanks to all. What I found odd was that it was only the right thumb. For this project, I am done with the spokeshave. I hope it goes away soon.

[Ryan Baker]

I use spokeshaves both pushing and pulling depending on the job and grain, probably pretty evenly split.

If pushing, yes, my thumbs would be on the back of the handle/body area -- more toward the body, not way out on the handles.

Not yet, with spokeshaves anyway.

--

What type of spokeshave are you using? Metal or wood? I find most of the metal spokeshaves to have pretty uncomfortable handles, and they are much worse in pushing orientation than pulling. My shaves are either all wood or metal with wood handles. I like them much better that way. If you have wood handles, you may consider some reshaping that may help some. You can also try to change your grip a bit so that you are pushing mostly with your palms and just using a light grip with your fingers and thumbs to guide the angle/direction. (i.e. push with your palms not your thumbs) Another approach would be to wear some good gloves if you are going to be doing a lot of it.

[Bill Houghton]

You sure ought to be talking with your doctor, although s/he may not know a lot about woodworking. That's a long time for after-effects.

I grip flat-bottomed metal-bodied (bevel-down) spokeshaves between my thumb and first finger on the body, as one would grip a piece of paper between the fingers, letting my other fingers hang over the handles, and push, mainly. This gives finer control; I'm not sure it would have been better for the physical problems you're describing.

Round-bottom shaves, and my cigar shave, I pull. Still working on the grip on those that will give fine control.