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Wooden spokeshaves are hand tools used for whittling or shaping wood. They consist of a wooden body (stock) fitted with a blade (cutter) that is mounted (set) at a very low cutting angle. This cutting angle is what distinguishes the wooden shaves (perhaps more aptly named "low-angle" shaves) from the cast-metal spokeshaves that appeared in the mid-19th century... I am a fifth generation woodworker. Although I grew up and spent my early years in my father's shop, I did not go "pro" until the mid 1990's. My interest in wooden spokeshaves began after attending a Windsor chair class taught by Mike Dunbar. Here I became familiar with both the original wooden spokeshaves and various modern versions. Finding and restoring original wooden shaves allowed me to learn about what makes these tool work the way they do. Later when I was a teaching assistant to Mike Dunbar, I would repair old shaves or modify modern wooden shaves for the students. It was here that a pattern developed: when I would..

Primary location: North Conway United States