Tool type

Vintage spokeshaves

A spokeshave is a short plane with a handle on each side, named for the wheelwrights who used it on spokes. It shapes curves like chair legs, paddles and tool handles. The first ones were beech with steel blades, and cast-iron bodies took over in the late 1800s. Stanley's No. 51 is the plain raised-handle model, the No. 151 adds two screws for adjusting the cutter, and the No. 53 has an adjustable mouth. Flat-bottomed shaves suit flat and gently curved work, and rounded-bottom versions like the No. 51R reach into tighter inside curves.

2 models we cover.