Spokeshaves

A spokeshave is a hand tool used to shape and smooth curved wooden surfaces such as chair legs, bowed back rails, tool handles, and spindles. It functions like a small plane with handles on either side of the blade for two-handed control along a curve.

A flat-sole spokeshave is used on convex curves and straight surfaces. A curved-sole spokeshave has a concave sole designed to ride inside hollow, concave curves without bridging across the surface.

Yes. Spokeshaves are one of the primary shaping tools in Windsor and traditional chairmaking, used to taper and shape legs, arm bows, back spindles, and crest rails to the sculpted organic profiles characteristic of hand-made chairs.

Spokeshave blades are small and require the same sharpening care as plane irons: flatten the back on a sharpening stone, then hone the bevel to the correct angle (typically 25–30 degrees) using a honing guide or freehand technique. Because spokeshave blades are short, a honing guide designed for narrow blades works best to maintain consistent angle control. Finish with a leather strop to polish the edge and remove any wire edge.

Straight-grained, medium-density hardwoods like cherry, maple, and poplar respond well to spokeshave work because they have predictable grain that doesn't tear out easily. Avoid highly figured or interlocked grain as a first project, as these require more experience to read and work with. Softwoods like pine are easy to cut but compress and dent rather than shear cleanly, making them less ideal for developing technique.

Most metal spokeshaves have two adjusting nuts or screws — one on each side of the blade — that control how far the blade projects below the sole. Turn both adjusters evenly to set a uniform depth across the width of the blade, then tighten the blade-clamping screw to lock the setting. Start with a very light projection and increase gradually until you get clean, thin shavings rather than torn or thick ones.

Yes — spokeshaves are ideally suited to tapering and refining the curves of chair legs, rungs, and stretchers that have been rough-shaped on a lathe or with a drawknife. The flat-sole spokeshave works well on the straight sections of legs, while a curved-sole model handles the concave curves found on Windsor-style chair parts. The tool's small size and short sole allow precise control over complex compound curves.

A spokeshave can be pushed or pulled through the cut, and which direction produces the cleanest shaving depends on the grain direction of the workpiece. Always try to cut downhill with the grain — the blade should be slicing into the rising grain rather than lifting it. If one direction causes tear-out, flip the workpiece or reverse the cut direction. Angling the tool slightly across the direction of travel (skewing) also often produces a smoother cut.

Spokeshaves have a moderate learning curve — they are more intuitive than cutting joinery by hand but require some practice to set correctly and read grain direction. Beginners often find that starting with a simple shaping project like a wooden spatula or a tapered leg gives them enough practice time to develop feel for the tool. The Infinity Tools learning center has hand-tool technique resources to help new woodworkers build foundational skills.

Yes — all products sold by Infinity Tools are covered by the Infinity Tools quality guarantee, ensuring that tools meet the standard expected by serious woodworkers. Full guarantee terms are available on the quality guarantee page.