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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Spokeshave addiction

There is something magical about using a traditional wooden spokeshave. The ability to take thin and thick shavings by adjusting the angle at which the blade is introduced to the wood is a big part of this magic. But it is even more fun to build spokeshaves. I have built a few shaves, specifically round shaves that are nimble and designed specifically to clean up areas of tighter radius that other shaves are not able to get into. There are a few areas in the windsor chair that are difficult to clean up using other shaves. My shaves are based on an old English design.





Here is how I build them. 

1. lumber choice. 






Most of the shaves I made were from Ebony sapwood. It is almost as hard as heartwood, but is easy to work. It is the top shave in the picture above. The other two are jatoba (Brazilian cherry) and walnut with boxwood wear strip. Jatoba is much harder to work, but it is extremely polished right off the edge tool. Walnut was probably the most difficult of the three to work with - it is soft and i had to constantly fight tearout when filing.  

2. Milling and marking. 

After I rough out the blank I square it by hand. The next picture shows this satisfying moment of sneaking up to the line from a cutting gauge which creates a little sliver. 

 



After the blank is square and true I mark the center line and outline of the shave using half patterns. to make sure that mortises for blade posts are drilled exactly I use calipers set to 0.270 and mark using the calipers.


3. Drilling. 

I use a drill press to drill post mortises and, sometimes, the shape, although I prefer to do it with a drawknife now. 






 4. setting the blade. 



I use the blade to mark the area to excavate. A quarter inch Ashley Isles chisel is perfect the width of the blade. I use a small japanese saw to cut the cheeks and take out the bulk of the waste with a chisel, following with a float. now I can test the fit of the blade. If the blade fits well I can take shavings without holding the blade in place with nuts and I should be able to hold the shave by reversing the blade.





At this stage I usually add my maker's stamp. I like to do it before the final shaping with files and sanding. This way the stamp is not too pronounced and is less of an eye sore. 

5. Final shaping. 
I try to do as much work as possible using edge tools, but eventually I have to use files and sand paper. Figuring out how to use files has not been easy at first. I felt like I needed help, and luckily, Konrad Sauer, of Sauer and Steiner planes, has taken my call and talked me through his process. The main two takeaways were to switch hands and directions of filing and have good light. The other lesson I learned on my own is to wear a good dust mask, particularly if you have asthma. 



After that I scrape the shave and go through the grits from 120 to 500. 

6. Finishing. 

I use shellac based product called Royal lac and apply it as French polish. Royal lac becomes impervious to alcohol and hot water after about a month. I also add a layer of Alfie Shine and buff it wit a horse hair brush. Then I hone the blade and take a few test shavings. If the shave is set well I sohuld be able to take shavings between 2 and 6 thou by lightly adjusting the angle at which the blade is introduced to the wood 




I have been very fortunate to have people ask me to build shaves for them. It is a great feeling to use the tools you make, but it is even better to watch other people use your tools. 

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

A Story of Me and Yew

This is a quick summary of the work that's been done on a bonsai tree i just sold a friend of mine.

I just realized that I don't have a current picture, but the new owner was kind enough to send me the current pictures.



Back in 2008 I was a member of the Indianapolis Bonsai Club and we decided that we will all get the same type of tree to work on - let's all get a yew. I lived in Bloomington, Indiana at the time. So I went to a nursery and asked them to show me what they had. Turns out they did not have any in stock, but the guy I was talking to told me that he just dug one out a few weeks ago and I could have it.



For the next few years I tried to keep it alive, reduce the size and choose a few branches I wanted to keep. I took it to a few workshops, but did not really get far in the fay of styling or choosing the front. Here is what it looked like in 2014.



By 2016 I decided on the front and Juan Andrade did his magic and the tree got into it's final shape. Juan bent the top down, for which he had to saw a curf into the trunck and bend it pretty drastically. He left an "insurance" branch on the left in case the top were to die. The rest was just moving the tree into a better pot in 2017, letting it grow and cutting it back.





The last two pictures are from 2019.
I am very happy that a good friend was interested in buying this tree and I look forward to watching it develop further.