Need to make some Cabriole legs - recommended spokeshave?

[Adam Cruea]

Howdy, neighbor!

Not many of us in the DELMARVA area. I'm about 30 minutes south of "Balimer" by the NSA in a town called Odenton. Or, as the locals pronounce it. . .Odingten.

[Mike Holbrook]

Welcome to the Creek Mike.

The traditional tools for the work you mention would be a drawknife and spokeshave, maybe finishing with a simple card scraper.

Drawknives are one of the few items that I think you can still find good deals on at that large auction site. Look for Weatherby, Worth, Barton.....I can't even read the name on my current favorite. The most popular have 6-8" blades.

Woodjoy Tools specializes in spokeshaves and has quite a few options. Glenn offers a very nice spokeshave kit. Glenn's kit arrives with near complete parts, all you have to do is shape the handle to fit you. Glenn's kit contains: a superior A2, RC 60, hollow ground blade, very good adjustment/system nuts, a brass wear plate that is longer than the cutting blade and a nice pre tapped and recessed wood handle all for under $60.

Rasps as Derek mentions are another option. The Japanese Iwasaki wood file/rasps/floats are excellent, available in just about any shape you may need and they are a much better buy than the hand made rasps. These rasps have cutting edges that work more like plane or scraper blades, making something closer to shavings than dust. The very hard steel lasts very well too. Highland Woodworking, Lee Valley and others carry them.

[Mike Dowell]

Welcome to the Creek Mike.

The traditional tools for the work you mention would be a drawknife and spokeshave, maybe finishing with a simple card scraper.

Drawknives are one of the few items that I think you can still find good deals on at that large auction site. Look for Weatherby, Worth, Barton.....I can't even read the name on my current favorite. The most popular have 6-8" blades.

Woodjoy Tools specializes in spokeshaves and has quite a few options. Glenn offers a very nice spokeshave kit. Glenn's kit arrives with near complete parts, all you have to do is shape the handle to fit you. Glenn's kit contains: a superior A2, RC 60, hollow ground blade, very good adjustment/system nuts, a brass wear plate that is longer than the cutting blade and a nice pre tapped and recessed wood handle all for under $60.

Rasps as Derek mentions are another option. The Japanese Iwasaki wood file/rasps/floats are excellent, available in just about any shape you may need and they are a much better buy than the hand made rasps. These rasps have cutting edges that work more like plane or scraper blades, making something closer to shavings than dust. The very hard steel lasts very well too. Highland Woodworking, Lee Valley and others carry them.

I had never even heard of a draw knife before! So here's something funny... I called my father-in-law and told him I was going to be making some cabriole legs and that I had posted on here about spokeshaves. He says "spokeshavers? I've got a box of em'". So, the next time I saw him, he gave me a spokeshave and drawknife. The spokeshave is a Stanley 151 - made in england. SCORE! Any advice on setting it up?

[Chris Fournier]

I use drawknives, spokeshaves and rasps quite a bit. I really like my Lie Nielsen spoke shaves, wouldn't give them up for nothing.