Of all the edge tools one can make at home, the spokeshave is arguably the easiest one to make. It is basically a handle for the blade, and blades are widely available. I will be using the small Hock blade. Unlike with a plane, there is very little that needs to be precise, and a lot of the work is freehand work. It is a great feeling to sit on a shaving horse, or stand at the bench, and use the tool you made yourself.

Why Use a Round Wooden Spokeshave?

There are many great spokeshaves available in the marketplace, some metal and some wooden bodied. No matter which material the shave is made of, there are three things that separate the round wooden shave from the rest of the spokeshave styles:

First, it gives you the ability to take a thin or thick shaving without having to adjust the blade. Because of the curvature of the sole, all you have to do is adjust the angle at which you are presenting the blade to the work surface—the steeper the angle, the thinner the shaving. For example, what I like to do when using a tool