Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Neal in San Jose

>I have the Boggs shave and a Lee Valley. The Boggs is a wonderful tool and does everything I've asked it to very well. However, my go-to shave is the Lee Valley. Being able to adjust the throat with the little plastic shim is so handy, and the LV just seems to fit my (small) hands. You can't go wrong with either. HTH Neal

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

dave caudill

>You know Tom I have one of the Bogg's shaves and it is a really nice shave however I use it far less than most of the other shave I own. Not sure why but it just happens that way. I often pick up my Stanley 151 and use it. For the money is is a really all around good shave and in fact Brian Bogg's did an article in FWW on how to tune them to really work well a few years back. I could probably find it if you wanted to see it.

A couple years ago I wne to the Windsor Institute for a class and took two shaves a Stanley #84 Razor Edge spokeshave and A Dave's shave. I bought the Dave's for the class and had the stanley for a couple years but hadn't used it that much. Well I started off using the Dave's shave and liked it but then I tried the Razor Edge and it just kicked butt. It is a dream to use. They feel better in the hands than most other shaves and they work like a dream. I love that shave and seldom use the others for low angle work like doing chair rungs and bows, etc. For other work I go to the #151. I put a Hock blade in it and it is hard to beat. Not trying to talk you out of anything as I think they are all great shaves and tuning is a big piece of the puzzle. If interested in a razor edge I know Sandy Moss has one for sale on his website at www.sydnassloot.com.

Good luck with your decision.

Dave

Wandering OT - Stanley 84 spokeshave

Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA

>Dave,

If you've got picture capability, how about throwing a shot of the Stanley 84 up for the rust hunters in this community? If you like it that much, it'd be nice to keep an eye out for one.

Bill, realizing that rust season's just about over - the first rain of the winter is coming today

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Dan Donaldson

>I have both the Boggs and the Lee valley shaves. I prefer the Lee Valley one, not so much for the adjustment, but for the way it fits my hand.

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

dave caudill

>I'd be glad to post a shot or two. What is the size limit for photos that can be attached to a post? Anyone?

I'll try to get that on later today or by tomorrow. Who knows maybe I'll have seom others too. Once I get going I have a hard time stopping.

Dave

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA

>40 KB, in JPG. If you go to the link below, you'll see a FAQ section top left, that includes how to post pictures.

It's been a while since I read it, to wander off topic, and once again I was struck with admiration for "Rule #32," which includes this statement: "...questions should not be answered immediately, thereby killing the thread. Creative answers are encouraged, and you score brownie points by either coming up with an answer that obscures the real answer, or that just sounds good even though it does not actually answer the question."

I think this forum has embraced Rule #32 with great vigor.

I love mine, but...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>Their designed to take a very fine shaving. They can't hog off a lot of wood at a time if that matters to you.

Not an 84 but...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>The 85 is similar Bill.

Another view... 

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>

Last one... 

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Paul in NJ

>Tom,

I think the LN Boggs spokeshave is the finest new shave you can buy. I love it for shaping things like cabriolet legs. I think they are the 'infill planes' of the spokeshave world. I appreciate the fine mouth and bedding which leads to chatter free use. I could never get by the pebble finish of the LV spokeshaves. The Boggs feels better balanced and more comfortable in my hands. You should try to view Brian's DVD on spokeshaves and drawknives. It is somewhat of an infomercial for LN stuff but there is a lot of good info in there and it is a real pleasure to see a virtuoso at work. The other spokeshaves I would recommend are the vintage wooden ones. The kind that have tapered tangs on the blade and that you tap on the bench to adjust. These are a truly low angle spokeshave and wonderful for end grain work and windsor spindles.

Paul Dzioba

Which One?

Ron in Kokomo

>There are two generations of Boggs shaves

The Lee Valey and the LN

The newer LN is an incredible tool. I have the LVs and they are pretty good but not like the newer ones

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Wiley Horne

>Tom,

I can only speak to the LN Boggs shave, not having tried the Lee Valley shave, which comes with adjuster. I do have vintage Preston shaves.

I have used the LN Boggs shave for tapering legs, adjusting the thickness on cockbeading and stringing, as a short-based plane for use on banding or hard-to-get-at places. And also for small jobs like non-precision chamferring. It is in some respects a very short smooth plane because of the heft and the tight mouth, so you wouldn't use this tool for hogging.

The impression you get is heft and balance. The heft comes from the bronze casting, I suppose. I was trying to figure out the balance, by comparing it to a similar sized Preston, and I think the LN has great balance because the handles sit kinda low relative to the cutting head. The result is that the tool feels great for one-handed use, which happens a lot--like when you're holding a piece of banding or stringing down on the bench with one hand, and shaving it with the other. Or shaving a piece by eye, holding it in one hand. As an intangible, the tool just feels exactly right. I should add--I'm indifferent to adjusters, and don't care whether they're there or not. Many might feel differently on this point.

Well, this tool is a great favorite. And again, my impressions are only about the LN shave; I haven't tried the leading competitor. The choice among curve-bottom shaves or course depends a lot on what radius your specific application requires.

Wiley

Re: I love mine, but...

Greg B�tit Crown Point NY

>I think Scott hit it- the Boggs has a very fine throat. There isn't a shave much better for fine work. If you're looking for something to do more aggressive wood removel or are working with green wood, then one of the spoke shaves with a more open throat might be better. Stanley had one that had an on-the-fly adjustable throat, and the LV is slightly more open throated & comes with shims to make it capable of finer work. The rank and file Stanleys come with gaping maws, and are great in the right applications. A Hock blade in an open throated Stanley will turn one of these Stanleys into a different tool.

Myself, I like having lots of choices so that I don't have to slow down to adjust. Get one of everything! What you really need to do is to try them all. If you're near Crown Point stop on in, I don't have them all, but I'm getting there...

greg

Looks like the Lee Valley low angle shave, yes?

Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA

>

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont.

>Hi Tommy,

I have both Boggs shaves and they work great, nice feel in your hands, solid response in my mind. It took me awhile to do the tap tap thing to learn how to set the iron.

Now I bought these prior to the newer LV shaves. I have tried them out and I like the adjustment setting feature. If the two were available at the same time I might have chosen the LV shaves for that reason.

I have also bought a few shaves from Kansas City Windsor Toolworks. They are made of rosewood and they are wonderfully made, a small cigar shave, a small radiused shave and also a large flat bodied shave. I would call them a low angle shave with respect to the way the iron is presented to the wood compared to the LN and the LV shaves (I might have the terms wrong but I love the way they work)

There are a lot of options for shaves, what work are you thinking of doing with them?

Take care,

Jim

It Does Look Like That

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont.

>Hi Bill,

At the Woodstock woodshow this fall my daughter enjoyed trying out the LV shave you mentioned. She said it was her favorite part of her day...a nice shave for sure...

The wood was hard maple.

Take care,

Jim

Kinda sorta!

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>Never see the LV in person.

Adjustable mouths were Stanley #53 & #54

Dave Thompson

>

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>There is a new Boggs/LN razor type shave that Boggs shows in his dvd. It doesn't appear to be available yet. Also, there's the LV low-angle shave. I happen to have a Stanley 84 and the LV, both of which are great workers. Funny, I bought the Stanley simple because someone on ebay was selling it way cheap, like $10. I'd intended to clean it up and resell it; but I like it a lot, so it's still here. Another abortive money making effort. :)

Pam

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Tom

My favourite general purpose spoke shave is the Stanley #53. This has an adjustable mouth, which permits it to go from a thick to a fine shaving (and vice versa) in a second.

It handles well and is a good compliment to one of my other favourites, the LV LA spoke shave.

I am also trialing a couple of spoke shaves from HNT Gordon. These are modelled in the Japanese style but are high angle and have thick blades. One is a flat- and the other a round soled version. They are quite different to anything I have used so far, and all I can really say at this point is that they are better at shaving interlinked grain than any other. They do take some getting used to, however.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Thoughts on the Boggs Spoke Shave?

dave caudill

>One of the beauties of the old Stanley shaves is how they feel in your hands. The flat curved handles are really comfortable and easy to keep from rolling or twisting. It just has an awfully good feel that the round handled shaves don't have for me. The flats on top are a nice place to put your thumbs and just a little pressure keeps it form rolling if it grabs unlike a round shave that has more of a tendency to roll. Not a huge thing. On the other hand comfort is a big part of it for me.

I spoke with Tom Lie-Nielsen a couple years ago and he asked what I would like to see them produce. I said it would be neat to see some fences for the beader that might allow it to be a chamfer shave and a reporduction of the razor edge shave. He eluded to the possibility and apparently as Pam has noted it is in prototype stage. If they do a good job, which is almost an oxymoron it will be a huge success and a great seller. SO get on the list. You heard it here first!

Dave