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Caught an old timer using a spokeshave on drawer fronts
Was at a shop in Portland last Tuesday picking up some hard maple. Guy next to me was shaping a curved drawer front with a spokeshave. Not a router, not a cnc. Just a sharp blade and some elbow grease. He let me try it on a scrap piece. Took me a good 20 minutes to get a feel for the grain direction. The finish it left was insane. No sanding needed at all. Made me think about how much we overcomplicate things with power tools. Anyone else still use hand tools for stuff like this?
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leehall16d agoTop Commenter
Man, I gotta push back on you there @dylan_brown30. The whole point is that 20 minute learning curve pays off forever once you get it. You're not just making a drawer front, you're building a skill that makes every future project faster and quieter (and way more satisfying).
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Took me a good 20 minutes to get a feel for the grain direction" - yeah that's exactly why I'd rather just grab my router or my orbital sander and be done in 5 minutes flat lol. I get the appeal of the old school stuff, it's cool and all, but time is money for most of us. Not everyone has an afternoon to finesse a single drawer front when a power planer or a scraper can get you 90% of the way there in a fraction of the time. Plus hand tools have a learning curve that just adds frustration when you're trying to get a project done on a weekend.
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the_leo16d ago
Time is money" sure, but a power planer won't leave that glassy finish the spokeshave did. That 20 minutes was just the first try, not every try.
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