What is the difference between a Bowyers Edge and a Spoke Shave?
Bowyers edge is a tool Dean Torges designed, spoke shaves have been around for years and years. They both do about the same thing and either tool will suffice. All they do is shave off thin slivers of wood. You should get a good quality scraper too.
Bowyer's Edge is more of a scraper while the spoke shave is more of a cutter. Dean designed it specifically to allow more movement along the length of a bow from dips to tips, particularly on a radiused belly bow.
the biggest difference in my mind is that the Bowyers Edge is made for very precise wood removal. like John said, it is, effectively, a depth controlled cabinet scraper. indispensable for the construction of wooden bows of all varieties, imo. I can't think of any bow I DIDN'T use mine on in the last 15 years. spoke shave is rather useless on any bow with with less than perfectly straight grain. has a tendency to tear up grain, which can be a serious problem. I've only used a spoke shave successfully on a handful of extremely straight grained selfbows.
Bowyers Edge is handy for final tillering where precise wood removal is most important, for cleaning up tool marks left behind from a rasp, for controlled, even wood removal when managing draw weight, for chasing growth rings on back of a selfbow. heck, you can even taper arrows with it.
For selfbow building I do't care for either unless I'm using yew or ERC. I like a simple scraper and sometimes a rasp for most of my tillering.
My experience and opinions mirror Jamie's. I LOVE my Bowyer's Edge and I use it all the time on all parts of my bows, on selfbows, bbb's, chasin rings, cleaning up rasp marks, tillering, barrel tapering arrows, etc. I've generally found that those who don't like it either don't have the blade sharpened right or don't have the blade depth set properly.
On the other hand, I haven't used my spokeshaves in years... again, for the reasons Jamie noted.
Thanks guys, you answered my question.
Thanks guys, you answered my question.
Ultimate tillering tool .... belt sander or pneumatic drum sander ....
Then again I'm kinda lazy
i have always used a small scraper i make from handsaw blades. but for some reason with the bow i am working on now i am getting a lot more of the wash-board effect than before, so i started using a small 8" half round, double cut bastard file for tillering and i love it. not so aggresive as a rasp (so at least it slows down my screw-ups) doesn't leave the washboard like a scraper, but can still remove a suprising amount of wood in short order. after floor tillering this is my go to tool now. Still need a scraper for nooks and crannies.
I use the bowyers edge and cabinet scrapers for removing curls, and use double cut bastards of various sizes to level any washboarding that can't be removed by switching directions with the scrapers.
I just gave my Bowyers Edge away. Never found a use for it. Im not big into tools that need to be "adjusted" or "set up" to work right. I like fool proof tools that work when I do as Id rather work on bows than tools.
For the record: The fella I gave it to adores it!
Wow, I don't know what to say.
I 'set up' my Bowyer's Edge yesterday in less than 20 seconds.
Just my thing Jeff, it doesn't make Dean or his tool bad. My one piece scraper does anything I have ever asked it for.
That's cool. We all have our things I suppose. :)
I don't like mine either, never use it, I'd rather use a scraper. Heck they do the same thing.
I've only used a spoke shave out of those 2 but don't like it so I built a baby drawknife and that my favorite tool for scraping.
Yo Roy, I'll buy it off ya. I've been meaning to get another one as a spare, and mine's about wore out :)
I'll trade ya Jeff. How about a pair of tapered ERC lams, or a whole 66 inch piece of a tapered ERC lam, 1/4 at the center to 1/8th at the tips? :)
OR..
You attend my next TWO Bownanzas? :)
Ah hell Bro, I'll just give it to ya. You have done a lot for me in the past!
You guys need to get a good spokeshave or get a book on how to tune one up, so it works like a $100 dollar spokeshave. A good spokeshave can peel wood just as clean as a bowyers Edge. For the record that tool used to be called a Chair Devil. A tool used to smooth the rungs in chair making. Dean was the first to use one on bows. They are very simple to make and set up.
They are ok for sure. But a scraper doesn't need setup. Just personal preference I suppose. It's all good.
Roy, I have 72" ERC 1/4" thick. How do you want it tapered exactly? Parallel in the handle area then tapered 1/8" from dips to tips? Limbs same length or shorter bottom limb? Lemme know the details.
See how that works Jeff? Roy helped me along so I use only a scraper. Bowyers Edge lovers generally leaned on Dean to learn a lot of what they know. It all makes sense now!
I DID lean on him, hard. Still do. Most of my bows are quite Torges-esque. If they're half as nice as his, I'm cool with that.
Hey, wait a minute... old RoyBoy's leanin on him as hard as anyone. He's been stuck on them Torges-style BBO's for how many years now? And he don't like The Edge?. .. uh-oh, so much for your theory :)
...............I never thought of that, your right. He couldn't build a non-Dean bow to save his a$$. Guess my theory is shot full of holes now.
For you guys who don't like to mess with the setup on a tool, do you set up your bandsaw? That takes a lot longer.
I have countless tools that require more set up or maintenance than my Bowyer's Edge. Tool set up and care is an integral part of woodworking.
That said, though I do take reasonable care of my tools, I could probably do a better job of it. I can kind of relate to what Pearly's sayin' though... cuz when I go down to the shop, I want to work on BOWS dang it. In fact, it's usually the thought of a bow in particular that beckons me there in the first place.
Right now I'm thinking about the yew ELB stave leaning against the bench that needs the sapwood thinned... and the BBO tri-lam ready for the tillering tree... NOT thinking about sharpening my scrapers that need it, doing the roller bearing guide upgrade on my bandsaw, changing blades on my jointer, finishing the workbench in the corner, etc. :)
I bought a Bowyers Edge from another tradgang member that had not been used. Some may not like it, but I think it is the cats meow.
My favorite tool and I would not be without it! Even keep a spare just in case.
A spoke shave is an entirely different tool. Spoke shave is a cutting tool that is basically a very short soled plane. I use one often on ELB profile limbs (arched not flat profile) and keep it very sharp and well set up.
The bowyers edge is a scraper set up in the same short sole. A scraper uses a fine curled burr to cut micro thin shavings and will not dig in like a cutting blade.
The advantage of having the scraper in a short sole is that it cuts high spots and rides over low spots evening out the surface. An unmounted scraper follows the dips and does not even it up.
Would hate to build a bow without my bowyers edge.
The more I use the bowyers edge the more I like it. Great tool.