If you’re looking to purchase a cheap spokeshave from websites like AliExpress, you might want to read this short review to learn what I discovered about my cheap spokeshave purchase.
One of the reasons I decided to purchase this was because I already had a Stanley block plane, and I wasn’t really sure if I really needed a spokeshave. Since these cheap little things were everywhere, even on eBay, so I decided to get one. What’s the worst that could happen?
At just $4, I bought it without even searching for reviews. Perhaps, I should have spent ten minutes to do some research, and I would have most definitely discovered this video.
Aliexpress Cheap Spokeshave Review
The spokeshave you see here is loosely modeled after the Stanley 12-951 spokeshave and is probably the most common model of cheap spokeshave you’ll find.
There are two common types of spokeshaves – flat-bottom and round-bottom. The spokeshave you see here is the flat-bottom version, which is way more useful.
Here you can see the main parts that make up the spokeshave:
- The cutter or iron that cuts fine shavings from wood
- The chip-breaker that holds the iron securely and prevents chatter or vibration
- The dual adjustment knobs that allow you to adjust the blade’s depth and alignment
- The mouth that determines how much wood is allowed to pass through between the iron and the body
- The body of the spokeshave itself, in this case, made from cast iron
- The brass nuts and screws that hold everything in place
One thing you can notice right away is how long the brass screw that holds down the iron is. It’s way longer than it needs to be, for no apparent reason. You can see that it is already protruding at the bottom.
I believe the original Stanley spokeshave had a similar screw, but I do not think it protruded that much. The screw on my Record A151 spokeshave has just the right length to hold everything in place and doesn’t protrude out the back.
The one thing that they got totally wrong on this cheap spokeshave is the bottom. It’s painted like the rest of the body – indicating that the people who make these have no real idea what it is used for!
The poor quality paint on the cheap spokeshave needs to be sanded out, and the bottom needs to be flattened to make it accurate.
The adjustment controls are very rigid and do require a lot of force to turn, but they do work. With these two knobs, you can independently raise or lower one side of the blade, and adjust your overall alignment.
With a quick test cut (without additional sharpening of the blade), the spokeshave did cut wood. I created a beveled edge on a piece of scrap wood, and it worked perfectly. However, when trying to take full-length cuts, the uneven bottom makes it difficult to get an even shaving.
After using it for a few minutes, you can see why the bottom surface needs to be stripped of paint and flattened.
For now, what I can say is that this cheap spokeshave from Aliexpress does its job, but very inaccurately.
Cheap Spokeshave Vs. Affordable Spokeshaves
I am still amazed that anyone can make something like this, sell it for $4, and still make a profit. This is something about China that no other country can do.
You could buy this, and with some tuning up, you can make it work.
However, you can buy a new spokeshave from Amazon for as little as $25. You have brands like Stanley, Robert Larson, Taytools, and Woodriver to choose from. Although I have none of them, they all look much higher quality than the Aliexpress version.
The picture above shows the Taytools spokeshave combo that you can get for just $38. You get one flat-bottom and one round-bottom spokeshave, virtually at $18 each. These have pretty high ratings and look like an excellent deal for any woodworker.
So how cheap do you need a cheap spokeshave to be? You can get one for $4 and spend a whole lot of time tuning it up, or move your budget up and get the best value for money.
