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Wooden Spokeshave: Beech Body, Tanged Steel Blade
Dave Catchpole (cropped by Youblob) · CC BY 2.0
Woody

Created by

Woody

14. October 2026NO
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Wooden Spokeshave: Beech Body, Tanged Steel Blade

A spokeshave is a short blade set in a body with a handle on each side, pulled or pushed to shave curved work like spokes and chair legs. The first ones had beech bodies and steel blades, the blade held by two tangs. Shape a beech body, forge a tanged blade, and fit the tangs through it so tapping them sets the cut. The picture: old wooden spokeshaves, the blade tangs standing up through their beech bodies.
Intermediate
A day

Instructions

1

Shape the body

Saw a beech blank about 28 cm long (our size), shape two handles curving from a thicker middle, and cut a flat sole and a narrow mouth in the middle of its underside.

Materials for this step:

Beech LumberBeech Lumber1 piece

Tools needed:

Coping SawCoping Saw
DrawknifeDrawknife
Wood RaspWood Rasp
Chisel SetChisel Set
2

Forge the blade

Forge a flat blade of tool steel about 55 mm wide with a tang at each end, and bend the tangs up at right angles. File a single bevel on the edge.

Materials for this step:

Flat Tool Steel BarFlat Tool Steel Bar1 piece
CharcoalCharcoal1 as required

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Metal FileMetal File
Bench ViseBench Vise
3

Harden and temper

Harden the edge in water and temper it to a straw colour, as for a chisel.

Materials for this step:

WaterWater10 liters

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
Quench BucketQuench Bucket
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
4

Fit the tangs

Drill two holes through the body for the tangs, slightly tight, so the blade lies on its bed with the edge at the mouth. Tap a tang up or down to set each side of the cut.

Tools needed:

Hand DrillHand Drill
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
5

Sharpen and oil

Hone the blade, oil the body, and set a fine, even cut.

Materials for this step:

Linseed OilLinseed Oil0.02 liter

Tools needed:

Whetstone 1000 GritWhetstone 1000 Grit
6

Mouth and cut

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Materials

5

Tools Required

13

This blueprint makes

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Spokeshave

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