Comments on: Kunz Round Bottom Spokeshave

By: Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:49:09 +0000

I bought one of these two years ago, along with the flat bottomed spoke shave. Whereas the flat bottomed unit works OK, I have never been able to produce anything but chatter marks with this one. I tried making a beefier chip breaker, setting the blade in a bed of epoxy, honing the blade razor sharp, etc. No cigar. After talking to some others, it seems that this general design is flawed and everyone has had the same experience. It is copied from an older Stanley design which wasn’t good either. With so much curve on the sole, the blade protrudes unsupported and will chatter on anything remotely hard. I think if you really need a round bottomed spoke shave, you really need to go with a more expensive one.

By: Alan Bigelow

Alan Bigelow — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:30:02 +0000

I have yet to get this spokeshave to perform the way it should. Next time, I will pay more attention to other reviewer’s comments.

By: Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:19:36 +0000

I got two Kunz spoke shaves last year, a round bottom and a flat bottom. The flat bottom is fine, but this one chatters so badly that it is useless. I even went to the trouble of epoxy bedding the blade and making a heavier chip breaker. I think the blade is just too thin. I guess you could buy an expensive blade, but it would cost more than the entire tool. I would not buy one of these again.

By: A. Bragg

A. Bragg — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:27:47 +0000

I purchased this shave for the purpose of shaping a curved table pedestal out of mesquite. The shave would do nothing but chatter no matter how I held it, high or low angle, push or pull, dull or sharp. The blade is junk too. I thought maybe the problem was the very hard mesquite I was trying to work, so I re-sharpened and tried it on some poplar… nothing but chatter and a dull blade after just 5 or 6 strokes.