An Index of Various Spokeshaves or The Stanley/Bailey Spokeshave Index
Starting December 2008 - I'm on holidays at the beach, it's been storming and raining
and I have run out of books to read. Inspired by some threads on the old tools list,
and the many times I have wanted to refer to a list of old spokeshaves, I have decided
to put together a list of various old models out and about. I'll start off with the
old Stanley and Bailey shaves and then maybe expand from there. I've needed a list like
this and hope it might be useful to somebody else.
Through 2009 it's come along slowly but it's the end of the year and I want it finished
(while pretending it's possible to ever actually finish something like this).
Still to do:
* Finish filling in the descriptions
* Finish the glossary
* Research the mythical #52 and #152 raised handled round bottom shaves
* Research the details of the #58 shave that appeared in the 1870 catalog
* Research the details of the 1870 #61 shave
* Research the possibility of a #74 shave
* Research the possibility of a #77 shave
* Research the possibility of a #78 shave
* Research the possibility of a #79 shave
* Research and record UK/US differences
* Add original Bailey models
* Add some photos
The raised handles are curved in a gentle arc upward then down toward the ends and are
sometimes to as 'Gull Wing' or 'Semi Gull Wing' but gull wing style handles are typically
raised at a much more extreme angle than the Stanley raised handles.
Earlier shaves have plain handles and later shaves have some checkering.
There is a hang-hole cast in the end of the each handle.
The shave is black japanned iron and measures around 10 inches from end to end.
These shaves have a cutter with a cap iron, both held to the body with a screw.
The cap iron is tensioned with either a thumb screw or a knurled headed screw that is slotted on some models.
The cap iron arrangement gives even pressure along the edge of the blade and permits adjustment without the use of a screwdriver.
The blade (cutter) is 2 1/8 inches wide with a rounded or arched top and has a punched slot for the cap iron retention screw to pass through.
Straight (flat) handled version of the Stanley 51.
The straight handles have a flatter profile than the raised handles and have a depression running along the centre of the handle from the base to the hang hole. The later shaves have checkering on the handles but the earlier versions did not. There is a hang-hole cast in the end of the each handle. The shave is black japanned iron and measures 10 inches from end to end.
These shaves have a cutter with a cap iron, both held to the body with a screw. The cap iron is tensioned with either a thumb screw or a knurled headed screw that is slotted on some models. The cap iron arrangement gives even pressure along the edge of the blade and permits adjustment without the use of a screwdriver.
The blade (cutter) is 2 1/8 inches wide with a rounded or arched top and has a punched hole for the cap iron retention screw to pass through.
This round bottom version of the Stanley 51 is mentioned on some sites and called a Stanley 52. It is suspected that either those are Raised handled round bottom #51R shaves that have not been correctly identified, or perhaps there is some regional difference, maybe UK/US.
Adjustable version of the Stanley 51. The Cutters in these Spoke Shaves are adjustable endwise and sidewise by means of the adjusting screws. The body of the shave is Japanned and the handles have hang holes.
This is a Malleable Iron
version of the
Stanley 151 adjustable shave.
This shave and the round bottom Stanley 151RM
are believed to be the only malleable iron shaves made by Stanley.
This is a Malleable Iron
version of the
Stanley 151R round bottom adjustable shave.
This shave and the flat bottomed Stanley 151M
are believed to be the only malleable iron shaves made by Stanley.
This round bottom version of the Stanley 151 is mentioned on some sites and called a Stanley 152. It is suspected that either those are Adjustable raised handled round bottom #151R shaves that have now been correctly identified, or perhaps there is some regional difference, maybe UK/US.
The raised handles are curved in a gentle arc upward then down toward the ends and are sometimes to as 'Gull Wing' or 'Semi Gull Wing' but the gull wing style handles are raised at a much more extreme angle than the Stanley raised handles. The later shaves have checkering on the handles but the earlier versions did not. There is a hang-hole cast in the end of the each handle. The shave is black japanned iron and measures 10 inches from end to end.
This shave has no cap iron and the blade is held with a slotted machine screw into the body. A thumbscrew is used to adjust the yoke angle which changes the mouth opening for courser or finer work. Early models have a round brass 'thumbscrew' and later models have an iron knurled knob. The blade has a long narrow slot for the holding screw to pass through and the thumbscrew adjustment presses on the shave body rather than on the blade.
Straight (flat) handled version of the Stanley 53 adjustable mouth shave.
The straight handles have a flatter profile than the raised handles and have a depression running along the centre of the handle from the base to the hang hole. The later shaves have checkering on the handles but the earlier versions did not. There is a hang-hole cast in the end of the each handle. The shave is black japanned iron and measures 10 inches from end to end.
This shave has no cap iron and the blade is held with a slotted machine screw into the body. A thumbscrew is used to adjust the yoke angle which changes the mouth opening for courser or finer work. Early models have a round brass 'thumbscrew' and later models have an iron knurled knob. The blade has a long narrow slot for the holding screw to pass through and the thumbscrew adjustment presses on the shave body rather than on the blade.
This shave has a sole that is concave across the body (Stanley call this a hollow face) with a
blade shaped to match and is used for round work like oar handles.
Small straight handled convex shave with 1 1/2 inch blade.
The body casting is marked X63 underneath the blade. The blade has a slot cut through the top edge to allow removal through the mouth of the shave without completely removing the cap iron.
Stanley advertised this shave as being designed especially for use in Manual Training Schools or for any use requiring the use of an extra light spokeshave.
The 63X or X-63 is similar to the Stanley 63 but has a narrower blade, a polished arched top cap iron held with a slotted machine screw and the handles are thinner and more rounded. Actually the 63X is really not much like the 63.
Rosewood handled universal spoke shave for curved or straight work
Stanley catalogue of 1898 says "Both handles are detachable, and either of them can be screwed into a socket on top of the stock,
thus enabling the owner to work into corners, or panels, as no other spokeshave can do. This spokeshave
has two detachable bottoms, adapting it equally well to circular work or straight; and, by means of a
movable width gauge, the tool can be used in rabbeting."
Stanley catalogue of 1914 says "A recent improvement is that one handle has a right and the other a left hand thread,
and the proper sockets to recieve them are threaded accordingly. This prevents any possibility of the handles working
loose when the tool in in use."
Shaves of early vintage show a single socket on the stock and both handles are threaded the same,
whereas later shaves show two sockets on the top of the stock, one threaded each way, and handles are marked L or R.
!!!!!!!!Revise
Patent number: 555228
Issue date: Feb 25 1896
Application Filed: May 31 1895
SPOKESHAVE AND RABBET-PLANE
JUSTUS A. TRAUT
Another tool that is not a spokeshave but is sometimes incorrectly called a shave.
Beader with a small nickel plated body and a single turned wooden handle.
This beader is operated one-handed by pulling toward the body using the handle mounted on the front of the body.
The blades are similar to those used in the Stanley 66 Beader.
Refers to the rounded sole (bottom) of a shave that is convex front to back for working inside a curve.
Stanley sometimes refers to this style sole as 'Rounded' but usually as 'Convex'.
The iron used to make the bodies for the so-called unbreakable shaves.
Some catalogs refer to this as being 'stronger' and others refer to the shave as being 'unbreakable'.
The shaves made from malleable iron were the first shaves to include thumb rests on the joint from the body to the handle
The Malleable Iron Stanley #151M shave was the first Stanley shave to include integrated thumbrests cast into the body of the shave where the handled connect. The Thumb Rests were later included on other models of shave.
