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There are a lot of options when it comes to shaping the seat of a chair
or hollowing out a gentle curve for the arm rest of a chair. You could
use an adze, inshave, scorp, travisher, compass plane, power grinder
equipped with a circlet cutter, card scraper or go at it with sandpaper.
Which ever method you use, it's a lot of work.
If you do any amount of hollow work, then you'll want to take a look at
this new pullshave from Veritas (Lee Valley Tools). I think it's going
to set the standard when it comes to hollow work. The Veritas Pullshave
makes it very easy, and quick, to remove wood. Surprisingly, it doesn't
take that long to get the knack of using this tool. And you can really
remove a lot of wood once you get a rhythm going. You can adjust the
blade for finer work, but you will still need to use a scraper or
sandpaper for final clean up.
The pullshave is essentially a spokeshave with a single, centrally
located handle. You adjust it much like a spokeshave, using the two
knurled knobs. The blade is curved, which might intimidate anyone who
has only honed straight blades. However, it really isn't that difficult.
Like anything in woodworking, practice, practice, and, did I mention,
practice.
Like all Veritas hand planes, this one is exceptionally well made - the
tooling is as good as it gets, and all the parts fit together well. The
African Rosewood handle and Bubinga knob are nicely shaped and
comfortable in use. A super tool at a very good price.
This is an uncomplicated tool. The body is ductile cast iron, the rest
is brass, steel and wood. The knob and handle can be removed should you
want to customize your shave.
The cap iron is perfectly machined. No tune-up needed here. The bed is
perfectly flat and the posts are straight. The two brass wheels enable
you to quickly and accurately control depth of cut. Isn't life
wonderful?
The 1/8" (0.125") lapped A2 tool steel blade is nicely ground at 35°,
and it's radius (2 1/2") matches the radius on the sole of the tool (3
1/2"). As you can see in the photo, the blade could do with a bit of
honing. Judicious application of a 4000x waterstone will do wonders.
The back of the blade was next to perfectly flat. Some day it will get a
polish, but for now, it has to earn its keep. Thick (1/8") blades are
the standard in quality planes today. The extra mass helps reduce
chatter.
It doesn't take long to get the knack of using the pullshave. If you've
used a spokeshave before, then using this shave this will be a piece of
cake.
For the bulk of hollow work you'll likely use a coarse setting. These
shavings are a good 1/20" thick. I found it easiest to turn the shave
upside down to change the depth of cut. I only loosen the cap iron
enough to enable the blade to move. Then I turn each thumb wheel the
same number of revolutions.
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Product:
Price:
Manufacturer:
Source:
Specifications: |
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Pullshave
$139.00
Veritas Tools
Lee Valley Tools
- 10 3/4" overall; 5 3/4" handle
- 45° bed angle
- 35° blade bevel
- 3 1/2" sole radius
- 2" blade width
- 1/8" blade thickness
- Weight: 1 lb, 1 1/4 oz
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© Canadian Woodworking
Magazine, 2007
Note: This review originally appeared in the Dec
2006 eNewlsetter
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To report any
specification errors on this page
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veritastools.com
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Pullshave |
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A simple tool |
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Well machined cap iron |
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Perfectly flat bed |
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Bevel could stand with honing |
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Flat smooth back |
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1/8" blade adds mass |
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Easy to use |
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Thick 1/20" shavings |
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Turn upside down to change depth of cut |
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