spokeshave

tool

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

A spokeshave is a type of hand tool used for shaping wood, particularly for creating convex or concave surfaces. It can be described as a drawknife or a small plane with handles on each side, allowing it to be pulled towards the user. Similar to a plane, the spokeshave's cutting blade projects slightly from its sole to control the depth of the cut. This tool was first documented around 1510 and is thought to have originated as a specialized tool for wheelwrights before becoming more generalized for shaping curved wooden surfaces.12

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hand tool
Plane
The spokeshave, which may be likened to a short-bodied plane with a handle on either side allowing the tool to be pulled toward the operator, has left little in the way of a record. The term was first used about 1510, but the earliest known example…
Read More
The spokeshave, which may be likened to a short-bodied plane with a handle on either side allowing the tool to be pulled toward the operator, has left little in the way of a record. The term was first used about 1510, but the earliest known example…
Read More