This is something I wish I'd have bought a long time ago:
https://chapmanmfg.com/products/1000-mity-master-set
I've been using the hell out of it since I bought it.
3/15/2016
@Lex Luthier @Maple Syrup Actual @Malamute
I've been working my way toward making some GP100 stocks in walnut. I have made some modifications to the Hogue No Finger Groove sponge and it's pretty darn perfect, but rubber with layers of tape on it is neither deployable nor aesthetic (except maybe to a hockey goon). It occurred to me a few minutes ago that a spokeshave may be a tool I want to use for contouring. It inherently removes just a little material at a time and won't go too deep. It doesn't leave crossgrain scratches. It has zen. I assume I will be looking for something old on fleabay.
The vintage Stanleys seem to be common. The No. 151 appears to have a two-screw setup for adjusting something, which might be useful once I figure out what it does.
I will be doing compound curves in all directions, both concave and convex. Do I need a couple different styles?
I don't know what I don't know.
I will be reading this: https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/spokeshaves
Any specific recommendations?
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 05-04-2021 at 07:21 PM.
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I think they do some tech and military stuff fairly OK. And Volvos may be mostly assembled there.
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1)I've only made a couple of handgun grips, claim no special knowledge, yadda.
2)I didn't use a spokeshave, I used rasps, 1x42 belt sander, and oscillating drum sander. FWIW, rasp quality varies a lot.
3)I don't have any of their spokeshaves, but I have some Lie-Nielsen planes. They are the Anshutz of planes, in price and performance. I have done the tuning thing to old Stanley planes and so on, and ... not even close to Lie-Nielsen. I honestly don't know how they can be so much better. I can put L-N blades in Stanleys, true them up really flat on the surface grinder, etc, but they don't work nearly as well.
(I see they carry rasps as well - Auriou. Gaaaack, they got more expensive since I bought mine. A lot more expensive. Sweet rasps, though, head and shoulders over whatever I had before (Nicholson??)).
Also, should I be looking at a spindle sander? I once worked for a few months in a shop that had a serious one, and it was awesome. Seems like a halfway decent one might be had for the price of a couple nice spokeshaves, and could possibly be used for a lot more stuff down the road. On the other hand, it would also take up another chunk of space in the garage and cost money when I move next time, rather than living in some drawers that have space for a couple spokeshaves.
I do have a combination 14-inch disc and 6x42-ish belt sander. Haven't had a belt on it in years, but the disc is a go-to for a LOT of work. Wouldn't be without it. For shaping revolver grips, the downsides are
- It only does flat.
- It's hard to see what you're doing on a lot of shapes.
- It removes a lot of material very quickly, so I could easily ruin my material and have to start over very quickly.
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Re: Spindle Sanders. Awesome tools. A bench top oscillating model can be a good friend indeed. They usually are light enough to not worry about moving them; you bolt it down if you think you'll need to put lateral force on it. (Tip: you won't) They can do convex/concave well, if you are careful with feed direction. You will need to smooth the workpiece, even if you use finer grits.
Do have a dust collection system. Walnut dust is slightly toxic, and you can develop a sensitivity that worsens with exposure.
Spokeshaves? I use two flat ones, a cheesy Kuhn and an older Stanley that really needs further tuning and more practice on my part. I just haven't used them all that much.
The Woodcraft article linked above has a lot of really good tuning advice.
Most of my round carving is done with rasps, chisels, and a Mora laminated carving knife, though I do break out the Kuhn for neck shafts occasionally.
@Little Lebowski
Hammerite is awesome stuff for things like vises- my dad was a distributor for it and Rust-O-Leum, and the Hammerite was by far the superior finish of the two. Harder, more durable and flowed better, as well.
I use an old smaller Wilton vise, a generic asian Pattern maker's vise(Looks like the Woodcraft one) with leather lined mahogany jaws, a Jorgenson quick release workbench vise, and an army of Klemmsia cam clamps, plus a really crappy tiny 1950s Japanese clamp-on bench vise lined with leather that I make nuts, saddles, etc with, it's really suited for work with small, delicate parts.
A note about Lie-Nielson Tools:
Tom Lie-Nielson makes some of the best hand planes ever produced, and you should get them whenever possible. Go for the silicon bronze soles as they are more dimensionally stable throughout the seasons than the iron ones. (which are still about as good a plane as has ever been made.) I have found the best prices are usually when buying direct from them.
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
I have a nice set of Marples straight chisels, back when they were made in Sheffield. (Irwin Tool Co. is not my favorite company.) Also a nice little set of detail carving chisels.
Any recommendation on rasps? Like the Aurious? What do you use?
Got a link for the Mora?
Do you know anything about stabilizing wood and Cactus Juice?
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