Curiosity: Can you ID this traditional tool please?

[spamel]

On the G for Gathering bushcraft video with Andrew Price, a guy is using some sort of planing tool on a stave or staff. Any ideas what it is and its' intended use?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk-6MY995j8

It's the chap stood behind a stall at 5:43.

It could be handy, if it is used as I think it is, to plane a stave down quickly and to a uniform diameter without messing about with clamps or vices to hold the work piece.

 

[jojo]

Looks like a spokeshave to me, possibly a handmade one. I'll post a pic of one of mine tomorrow.

 

[Jared]

Yeah, looks like a spoke.

Bunch of them on ..

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/...n=CTGY&Store_Code=toolshop&Category_Code=TPSP

A rounding plane does what you suggest. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/...&Product_Code=MS-IROUND.XX&Category_Code=TPSP

 

[weaver]

Traditional Woodworker have some great spokeshaves.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/product_info.php/cPath/2_298/products_id/3744

 

[Tadpole]

to me it looks like a modified cabinetmakers scraper,
http://www.fine-tools.com/z300105a.jpg


the wooden ones look like a spokeshave but they have a very flat base.

 

[pothunter]

Hi Spamel

not sure but may be from Bowyers Edge http://www.bowyersedge.com/stock.html

Pothunter.

 

[mr dazzler]

I rather think it is a tool very similar in principle to a chair devil, which chairmakes use to get smooth spindles. The man used it one handed and pushed away, not pulling toward himself with both hand's as you would with a spoke shave. The chair devil has a scraping blade with a semi circular notch, which is held in a handle, similar to the simple and hmble scratch stick that is used to make custom mouldings on the edge's of boards.
http://www.windsorchairresources.com/tools/chrdev.jpg

PS spamel, I know what you mean about messing on with devices etc. For a long time I did spindles and legs just leaning them on the floor and using a small plane. BUT eventually I found out hat the traditional time tested ways arent just cute or posaic or whatever, they are actually the fastst as well I sometimes use a shaving horse which rips the wood firmly but also stops it flexing and bending a well. To remove bark I hold logs in a huge post vice.

 

[jojo]

Couple of pics of a old fashioned spokeshave

Cost 25P in car boot sale. You can find some really good ones sometimes.

The bowyers edge is a sort of modified scraper, and it should be easier, or safer, to use on a bow as you want to take very fine shaving off in a very controlled manner. There is more risk with a spokeshave to take too much in one go, particularly if you have an old one because the friction fit of the tags on the blade is not as good as it used to be when new, unless you buy a new one with screw adjustment and a brass base, those are the bee's knees of the spokeshave.

For everything else it does a very good job.

 

[Eric_Methven]

I think it's a cabinet scraper set into a piece of wood. Fine for finishing staves or bows. He's not putting any pressure behind it so it can't be taking shavings off, also I didn't see anywhere for swarf to exit like on a plane or spokeshave. The back of a piece of hacksaw blade set into a bit of wood (for stability and ease of handling one handed) looks the business. Think I'll knock one up and see how it performs.

Eric

 

[FGYT]

I beleive the Guy is Martin Huxter green wood worker and Bowyer etc he was at the wilderness gathering

 

[spamel]

@ Mr Dazzler, I was thinking about a shave horse in fact, that to me seems to be an ideal tool for this sort of thing. I've got a few plans bouncing about in my head which I need to get down on paper. although I am no carpenter that's for sure! If I take my time, it should come out OK.

 

[mr dazzler]

A shave horse is well worth the time and effort for the ease of work and time it will save in the future. Its too simple
This is my one

Took me a couple of hours to do using whatever was spare to hand. I used 3 legs for stability on any surface. I used 4x2 and other bits of odd wood , cleft ash for the foot bar and cross pin's. I rather wish I'd made the rear leg's splay out to about 28 or 30 inche's instead of 24 as I did them, another 2 or 3 inches either side, its a bit like a racing canoe . But it works fine. As you cut with the drawknife, your body weight acts as clamping force to grip the wood in the jaws. Good thing is its easily modified, repaired etc with various angle blocks, lenghts of foot lever etc, customised to your specific need's.

 

[Eric_Methven]

You and I need to get together at a meet sometime Spamel. I'm going to see if I have time this weekend at the Loch Tay meet and make a shave horse for the Crannog. They have pole lathes, but I didn't see a shave horse when I was there before. It should take no more than a couple of hours working with basic tools and greenwood, quicker if I have volunteer help. I knocked one up last year at the meet at Chedworth Roman Villa and a few guys helped with it. It only took about a half hour.

Eric

 

[spamel]

One of these days........ I have an idea that the shave horse is a simple but effective tool for wood working, something that is thrown together when you arrive on site and either left for next time or dismantled and a new one built at the next place. I believe it has something to do with true bodging! I guess then, that you would need an axe for rough hewing and felling of any dead standing wood required, and auger for the holes for the legs and dowels and maybe a draw knife, just 'cos they are a fantastic tool! Any others, and perhaps a stage by stage photo shoot? Being cheeky now, ain't I!

 

[oops56]

Now yes a horse is ok but when i made my first bow did not have one so the good old knees did it for me

 

[jojo]

Here are complete plans and instructions on how to make a shaving horse:

http://www.greenwoodworking.com/shorse.htm

 

[spamel]

Thankyou Jojo, I will take a look after Ipick my girls up from school.

 

[spamel]

Hi Spamel

not sure but may be from Bowyers Edge http://www.bowyersedge.com/stock.html

Pothunter.

I reckon you are right with that one. An interesting looking tool, have you used one and if so what was it like for removal of wood? Could I use it for shaping staffs as well as making bows?

 

[jojo]

The Bowyers's edge tool is basically a cabinet scraper. That's a good tool for finishing wood surfaces on hard, twisty,knotty woods. It is also good for bows because you can't dig deep into the wood and can only remove very fine shaving when the scraper hook is nice and sharp or dust when it's not, ideal on the bow as it's exactly what you want to do.

If you make a staff, or anything round such as a paddle shaft for example, starting from a square bit of wood, that's wouldn't be ideal for larger stock removal, it would take for ever!, but for cleaning and finishing the surface it works really nicely.

 

[mr dazzler]

Yes that is right. chairmakers start there spindles and leg's split from the log with wedges or froe, then shape with an axe, then drawknife, then spokeshave, progressively finer and more detailed cuts (greatest efficiency). I stop there, but other ones use scraper's or devil's (and sandpaper ) to get a smooth rounded surface. I prefer the facets thet are left by the cutting too,l's they create intesting reflections, and I like the hand hewn afro-rustic feel any way. I sometimes use my opinel as a scraper to tidy up if theres a little swirly area, or to clean off grubby fingermarks