Paul Sellers
Published on 8 May 2019

The spokeshave is a far more important tool than we might understand so we’d like to make it more understandable for you. Paul considers the spokeshave to be one of the most undervalued and underestimated tools and one he cannot imagine his own woodworking life without. We’ve had many questions over the years about spokeshaves and thought it would be a good idea to follow on from the coping saw Q&A with a whole Q&A dedicated to this amazingly versatile hand tool.

Questions:

0:37 Which is the most versatile spokeshave? Which one will accomplish more tasks than the others, and which ones are your favourites?
1:36 When would I use a curved bottom spokeshave as opposed to a flat bottom?
5:13 What would be a good beginners spokeshave?
6:15 If you were going to own two spokeshaves, what would they be?
7:14 I have a Millers Falls No. 1 cigar spokeshave and find it almost impossible to get a shaving from. Do you have input on adjusting and also sharpening the blade?
7:44 Is your blade sharpened straight across, or does it have a slight crown side to side, like some smoothing planes?
8:33 I have my spokeshave bevels at 30 degrees, would 25 degrees be better?
10:10 [How do you] sharpen wooden spokeshaves? The blades seem so different from the cast handle spokeshaves which have blades like small planes.
11:42 When do you push vs. pull the tool?
13:20 How do you prevent chatter that is a result of the small surface area on the base of the spokeshave?
15:22 Are there any issues with having the spokeshave set for a lighter shave on end and a heavier shave on the other end?
16:36 How do I get an extremely fine cut when shaping curves
17:46 Is there a modification or adjustment to keep chips getting jammed under the blade.
20:11 How do I keep the spokeshave sole parallel to the flat surface or at the correct angle to the curved surface to get consistent shavings? It looks like I have to apply some force to tilt it a bit forward but my hands don’t feel when it is in the correct position.
22:11 I noticed you perform straight planing with the spokeshave over wood wider than the blade itself, and get super thin shavings. Can you explain how you set the spokeshave for this?
23:56 I recently bought a wooden spokeshave and often find the blade works itself loose after a few passes, i close the mouth of the plane as much as possible but still find after a few passes it opens up and needs adjusting again.
25:40 Why are there two blade adjustment screws?
26:24 Are new cheap generic spokeshaves restorable? If not, what makes them unusable? I regret getting one of these, but it was also crazy cheap, so this information would help me understand what to look for in good ones.
27:35 I have a couple of wooden spokeshaves that I have trouble getting to work. The soles of these spokeshaves are quite worn out, so the mouth is very wide. I can’t seem to get thin shavings. I haven’t found any that don’t have this so can’t figure out if this is down to my technique or the tool. My question is: how can you tell when the sole of a wooden spokeshave needs fixing and how do you set the blade properly to get thin shavings?
30:31 Is the blade inserted bevel up or down?
32:03 The Stanley spokeshave I purchased online is a bit “rough” to say the least. Does one need to “prepare” it like with a handplane (flattening the sole and such)?

Click the link below to read more about the uses of spokeshaves: https://paulsellers.com/2019/03/a-spo…

For exercises that will work on your control of the flat-bottomed spokeshave and establish good patterns for continuously reading the grain visit: https://commonwoodworking.com/spokesh…

Want to make your very own wooden spokeshave? See: https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/…

Paul Sellers
Published on 12 Mar 2019

To push or to pull? That is the question. In this video Paul addresses some of your top questions surrounding the Coping Saw in hope to help others in their quest to get good results.

Pushing or pulling:
0:18 Does the type of wood and the work at hand affect the choice to push or pull?
2:23 Does the thickness of the wood affect the choice to push or pull?
2:56 When you’re cutting a tight curve or shallow curve, does that affect the choice of a push or the pull stroke?
4:22 Should you cut with the grain or across the grain?
4:37 Does the hardness of the wood, that is, hardwood vs. Softwood affect whether to push or pull?
5:48 It’s my understanding and experience that the coping saw blade should be installed to cut on the pull stroke. Is that correct?

Tension:
6:42 Should you slacken off the tension after use, will it prolong blade life?
6:49 Is there a good method by which proper tension can be achieved on a coping saw?
6:53 How tight is tight enough?

Dovetails:
8:43 Why not use a coping saw to clear the majority of the waste in dovetails joints?
8:47 How does one make such sharp turns when cutting out waste while making dovetails? See 3:10
8:55 When I try to cut out the waste dovetailing, the blade resists turning horizontal at the bottom of the cut. What should I do?

Difference Between a Fret Saw and a Coping Saw:
10:37 What’s the difference between a coping saw and a fret saw?

Buying a Coping Saw:
12:39 Do I need to buy one of the new, expensive, truss design coping saws?
12:46 Recommendations for purchasing a decent coping saw? Are there any contemporary brands worth considering? What to look for when buying a saw?

Buying Blades:
13:49 Most of the coping saw blades I can find are 14tpi but I think I saw you mentioning that you use one with more than that. What do you normally recommend?

Technique:
15:42 Are there any “exercises” we can do to practice and become better at using a coping saw?
16:07 Do you have any helpful tips for keeping the saw 90 degrees perpendicular to the face of the board?

Bonus:
18:51 I would like to make some wood puzzles for my daughter using a coping saw. What maximum thickness of the material can a coping saw “cope”? I ask, because, I need rather thick puzzle bricks. What material could you recommend in my case?

Want to learn more about woodworking? See https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com or https://commonwoodworking.com for step-by-step videos, guides and tutorials. You can also follow Paul’s latest ventures on his woodworking blog at https://paulsellers.com/

Paul Sellers
Published on 20 Jun 2016

Making your own mitre box is a quick to make and more accurate alternative to buying one. It requires accurately square stock and careful layout and cutting. It can help you get clean, crisp mitre joints, particularly when used in combination with a shooting board:

https://youtu.be/-Ypbvcxb-8M

For more information on these topics, see https://paulsellers.com or https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com