The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: chrismahon on June 11, 2012, 09:02:53 pm
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In preparation for our move to France and anticipating more available time (as we won't have internet for quite a while) I've started looking at more traditional styles of woodcrafting. Seen a great way to make a bench and a simple lathe and wood clamping device. I have collected a variety of primitive tools but one thing evades me -a two handed spokeshave type thingy. It's like a large cut-throat razor blade (about a foot long) with two pulling handles at right angles to it.
Few questions. What is it actually called and where can I get one without paying a fortune? Tried a couple of antique shops and they wanted £5 for a large rusty round file! are these things still made as I spoke to a chap at a fair who said all new steel traditional woodworking tools were rubbish. Can you get this sort of thing from junk shops in France?
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it is called a spoke shave for shaving the spokes of a wheel :farmer:
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do you mean a draw knife:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawknife (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawknife)
I have a small one, very useful.
This is a spokeshave:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokeshave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spokeshave)
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its a drawknife, as above. a very worthwhile investment, that, a froe and a shavehorse, then a polelathe and your sorted.
mine was £50 but well woth it for the steel quality.
http://www.woodsmithstore.co.uk/shop/Products/Tools/Drawknives/ (http://www.woodsmithstore.co.uk/shop/Products/Tools/Drawknives/)
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Echo Deepinthewoods, woodsmithstore sell great stuff- and if you can get your hands on a copy of any of the MIke Abbot books (esp 'living wood') it has patterns for shave horse etc. You might pick up an old draw knife in a junk shop/car boot which might be worth a gamble, but forget buying a cheap modern one (been there with some tools). I would also recommend a few scotch eye augres if you dont allready have - then you are into hurdles and post and rail fences...furntature....
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I can see there is going to be a ton of stuff to learn here. It is a drawknife and I will easily make a shave horse from the photos and explaination I got at a show. Will look at these 'scotch eye augers'. Also saw a pole lathe, didn't have the camera, but should be able to work it out. Looks like fun, until I slice my fingers off !!!!
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If you cant lay your hands on one of the books - the bodgers association do have some patterns...
http://www.bodgers.org.uk/plans-menu/56-making-a-treadle-or-pole-lathe (http://www.bodgers.org.uk/plans-menu/56-making-a-treadle-or-pole-lathe) Happy green woodworking!!!
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shave horses are easy to make the first time, but when you realise it doesnt work as you originally thought and then try to alter the design to fit your legs and action then you realise they aint so simple. if i was to offer one word of advice it would be to take lots of time on getting the vice right.
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blumme, I could spend a small (or large even) fortune at that woodsmithstore, some nice stuff.
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much more digestable - more visual plans for shavehorse and pole lathe... http://www.bodgers.org.uk/pdf/plsh.pdf (http://www.bodgers.org.uk/pdf/plsh.pdf)
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Invest in a good axe too it will save a lot of work.
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a left handed side axe is my next 'save up for cos its a luxury' purchase :)
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Thanks for the links FiB. Found a lovely old shaping axe in a junk store for 50p. They were selling it as a firewood chopper and it looks as though it had some abuse. Can't see a makers name but it has 'No.4' stamped into it. Giveaway was the short well shaped handle and the very narrow head with wide straight edged blade.
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There is a chap on the Huddersfield Second Hand market (Tuesdays) who sells second hand wood work tools, nothing electrical. I have purchased a number of items from him, the latest tool is a hole borer with the adjustable cutting head. If you want a spoke shave, I'm sure he has them, will get you one. Send a PM.
Ref axes, can I recommend a Granfors Bruks, available from www.greenwoodworks.co.uk (http://www.greenwoodworks.co.uk) I have recently purchased a 425 Outdoor Axe from them, not the cheapest of axes, but certainly one of the best. It is about a foot long, a small head, ideal for field work and I could still shave with it after preparing a bucket load of splints.
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I have a spoke shave that I never use. I'll check that I still have it and PM if I can find it and post it to you one day when you arrive in France. I bought my brother a draw knife for £ 3 some years ago but have also seen them on sale here.
The French Car Boot sales go on all day and take over a village. People often sell old tools from their Dad's barn and there is usually one or two people that sell tools and old barn stuff. There is a web site that shows all Vide Greniers in your area - some Fetes also have stalls, stonesmiths, carpenters, blacksmiths etc showing their skills.
I have a few old wooden H saws and a long 2 man saw that I found in the barn but such seem 2 a penny here and are often on sale.
You may be surprised what you can find here - some of the tools seem very unusual and intrigue me.
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Hi MAK. I've just bought two drawknives off ebay, 7 " straight and 8" curved and now need a large (12") straight one. There are a lot of French tools being sold -guess people are buying them in France, cleaning them up and selling them here. The prices are lower at the moment as supply exceeds demand. The curved French drawknife was £9.50.
Thanks for the offer MAK. We should arrive in 10 weeks. Building coops like mad, runs next, trailer ordered, which may hold us up with late delivery. My wife has retired early so is handling all the paperwork. Satellite dish hasn't arrived yet though- a little luxury for dark cold Winter nights!
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I stood looking at lots of old tools yeaterday at a car boot. I found a wooden right angle clamp for picture framing. It had a brass corner and right angle cutting lines and wooden clamps. I asked in French how much and the lady said 10 Euros - I snapped it up, As I paid for it a chap appeared and asked her in English how much she sold it for - he was not happy and told her he wanted 50 euros for it. I think you are right that there are some English people dealing in old tools. His were all cleaned up whilst the French were selling theirs all rusty or dirty out of big boxes.
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I'd better get there and start buying then MAK. Difference is I want to use them and they want to collect them. They appear in the 'antique collectables' section of ebay. Saw an adjustable handled drawknife listed as 'very rare' which had a first bid of £100 ! Of course the British manufacturers attract the highest prices.
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I saw a wooden spoke shave yesterday. The blade had right angle pins that popped up vertically thru the wooden handle and clipped tight in place. To sharpen the U shaped blade you would have to pop it out the wooden handle. The shape and size of the wood was perfect for me but I resisted the urge to buy.
The shapes and types of wood chisels are very different here - as are wood turning tools. facinating stuff.
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buy me a selection of chisels mak. ill buy them off you and cover postage. dont mind what types, ill work them out.
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Hello,
Well I just had two coutre - I don't know if the plural would be coutres or coutry - sent up from France, at first glance in real life they were in poor condition, but ok it's a difficult thing to find. It was a lot of work to get them in order only to find that the one had lost its temper and the steel edge would fold and crumble in use, number two is now in good condition and it is so fine to put this archaic tool back into service making shingles for the woodshed out back there.
Greetings,
Don Wagstaff