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Large Wooden Spokeshave Kit

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Large Wooden Spokeshave Kit Large Wooden Spokeshave Kit 05P33.30 U.S. Patent No. 7,216,435 Introduction Traditional wooden spokeshaves are still widely used today, even though adjusting the depth of cut on them can be tricky. The components of this kit let you make a spokeshave that incorporates a traditional design with hardware components that will produce a simple, effective depth of cut adjustment that requires neither extra tools nor blade removal. The following instructions describe in detail how to make one particular spokeshave. Aside from the specifi cations on fi tting the blade and sole, the size and shape of the handles may be changed to suit your preference. Basic woodworking skills are required. You may fi nd it useful to read the Tips and Techniques section before you begin making your spokeshave. Components supplied with this kit (see Figure 1): Lock Nut Adjustment Thumb Wheel Brass Strip Screw Post #8 × 5/8" Screw Blade Figure 1: Exploded assembly. Item Qty. A2 Tool Steel Blade 1 Screw Post 2 Adjustment Thumb Wheel 2 Lock Nut 2 Brass Strip, 1/16" × 1/2" × 6" 1 Screw, #8 × 5/8" 2 Template 1 3/8-16 UNC Tap 1 2 Unpacking and Preassembly of the Blade Remove all packaging materials from the blade. Take care not to bend the brass strip. Place the blade bevel up on a fl at surface and thread the screw posts into the blade using a small adjustable wrench to fi rmly tighten the posts. You may fi nd it useful to grip the blade in a vise while installing the screw posts. Caution: Be aware that the blade is sharp; careless handling can result in serious injury. Required Tools Layout • Pencil • Square – a 4" adjustable double square is ideal • Ruler • Marking/striking knife • Sliding bevel • Protractor • Center punch or scratch awl Drilling/Tapping • 7/64" and 1/8" twist drill bits • 3/8" forstner bit • 5/16" brad-point drill bit • Drill press • Tap handle (hand vise, vise grips or adjustable wrench may be substituted) • 82° countersink Cutting/Shaping • Block plane – or other plane as preferred • Backsaw or dozuki • Mill file, single cut • 1/4" and 3/4" (or 1") paring chisels • Gouge, #8 or #9 sweep, 1/4" to 3/8" wide suggested (see step 9) • 120x sandpaper • Coping saw • Double cut files, rasps and sandpaper as desired for freehand shaping and smoothing Miscellaneous • Mallet • Adjustable wrench • Wax (beeswax, paste or paraffin) • Slot screwdriver • Small hammer 3 Other tools that, while not necessary, could be used if available: • Router, laminate trimmer style with 3/16" straight bit (see step 9) • Table saw • Bandsaw or jigsaw • 3/4" or 1" drum sander • Marking gauge • Router plane Required Material The stock (body) of the spokeshave can be made from any dense, close-grained hardwood. Boxwood, beech, dogwood and hard maple make excellent spokeshaves. Other hardwoods such as cherry and walnut may also be used. See step 1 (below) for the required size. Making the Spokeshave Preparing the Blank 1. Select a hardwood blank and cut it to size: 11" × 11/2" × 7/8". 2. Use a pencil to mark the center of the length of your blank and draw a line all the way around the blank, as shown in Figure 2, using a square. Top 1 1 /2" 7/8" 11" Front Figure 2: Label each face of the blank. 3. Use the included templates to transfer the top and side contours of the spokeshave onto the top and the side of your hardwood blank. If you will be making several spokeshaves, you may wish to glue the template onto a piece of thin plywood, non-corrugated cardboard or similar material and cut it out to make a more permanent template. Align the edge of the template marked "center" with the center of your blank and trace half of the outline onto your blank. Flip the template over to trace the other half. Mark the blank to indicate the top, bottom, front and back side of the spokeshave, as shown in Figure 2, so that they can be identified later. 4 Drilling the Holes for the Blade 4. Draw a line along the bottom of the blank 1" from the front edge. (A marking gauge is useful for this task.) Measuring out from the center line, first make a mark 113/16" to one side of the center line. Use a center punch or scratch awl to dimple the location. Use the blade (with screw posts installed) to mark the other hole location by placing the point of one screw post on the first hole location and positioning the other screw post on the line drawn parallel to the front edge. Tap the blade with a small hammer or block of wood to mark the second hole location. You will now have a mark on each side of the center line, as shown in Figure 3. The holes must be marked and drilled as accurately as possible; otherwise, you will not be able to install the blade. Bottom Mark here first. 1" 113/16" Mark here second with Front Edge blade assembly. Figure 3: Mark the holes. A drill press is necessary for drilling the holes, as they must be exactly perpendicular to the blank and parallel to each other. Clamp a piece of scrap between your workpiece and the drill-press table. You need a flat-bottom hole, so ideally a forstner bit should be used, but a brad-point bit will also work. Start by drilling a 3/8" diameter hole just slightly deeper (1/32") than the thickness of the blade, where marked on the bottom of the blank. The 3/8" diameter of the bit matches the radius on the ends of the spokeshave blade, and these holes will form the ends of the recess into which the blade will later be fitted. Using the same set-up (without moving or unclamping the blank), use a 5/16" brad-point bit to drill a hole through the blank from the bottom of the 3/8" hole. Repeat for the other hole. Chamfer the holes at the top of the blank with an 82° countersink to ensure clean exit of the tap. Thread the 5/16" holes from the bottom of the blank to accept the adjustment thumb wheels, using the 3/8-16 UNC tap supplied with the kit. As with drilling the holes, this must be done as accurately as possible. Keep the tap perfectly plumb while threading the holes. Frequently remove the tap handle and place a square against the tap in two locations, to make sure the tap remains plumb, as shown in Figure 4. You may find that a 1" to 11/2" thick guide block (with a 3/8" through hole) clamped in line with the pilot hole in the blank will help keep the tap properly lined up. Partially back the tap out after every other revolution to clear any accumulated wood shavings that will impede the threading progress. 5 Bottom Tap Front Figure 4: Tap the holes. Thread the adjustment thumb wheels into the top of the blank, taking care not to cross thread them. If they seem to require excessive force to rotate, remove them and run the tap through again, but do not be too aggressive. There should be no free play between the wooden threads and the brass threads. Insert the screw posts and blade (cutting edge toward the front) into the bottom of the blank. Use the locknuts to hold the blade firmly in place. DO NOT FORCE THE PIECES TOGETHER! If the blade doesn’t fit properly, look for a small burr or other minor source of interference on the blade and file or abrade it accordingly. If the blade will still not fit properly, then the holes have not been drilled accurately enough in the blank. There is no way to correct this problem – start again with another blank. Scoring the Recess for the Blade 5. Use a sharp marking knife to score the outline of the blade onto the bottom of the blank, as shown in Figure 5. The 3/8" holes that you drilled earlier should perfectly line up with the radiused portion of the spokeshave blade, eliminating the need to mark around the radiused portion of the blade with your knife; you need only mark the straight edges, but not the cutting edge of the blade. Bottom Back Figure 5: Trace the blade. Note: While you may be tempted to use a pencil for this operation, the knife will make a fi ner mark and will help with getting the best possible fi t of the blade. 6 Cutting the Ware 6. Remove the blade and the adjustment thumb wheels. Using a square, extend the straight lines that were scored along the sides of the blade to the back edge of the blank with a marking knife, then down the back side of the blank, as shown in Figure 6. These lines represent the outside edges of the ware (the area through which the shavings pass when the tool is in use) that will be cut into the stock. Mark the back and front edges of the ware, score a horizontal line 1/8" down from the top on the back side of the spokeshave, and another horizontal line on the bottom 1/2" from the front edge, as shown in Figure 6. Ware 1/8" Back Bottom 1/2" Figure 6: Mark the back and front edges of the ware. 7. The spokeshave is rocked forward 3° to 4° in use in order to engage the cutting edge and to accommodate fiber springback.
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