Shave Anyone?

    What a treat to see Ken Neiswender's spokeshaves, each with a Hock Tools' blade. Ken is one of those generous-of-heart hobbyists who always has a project to finish, and a long list of waiting loved-ones. Just a hobbyist? With woodworkers such as Ken, the phrase lacks depth.  

     Ken explains that at some point in 2003, "I wanted to make a Windsor chair and liked the idea of learning woodworking from somebody who knows what they were doing. I convinced my wife that taking our then 13 year old son to  The Windsor Institute on a "man-vacation" could be a great father-son bonding experience, and therefore worth the 'expense.'"

     Happily, that class exceeded all of Ken's hopes. He and Michael learned to cooperate as a father-son team (and many of us know how elusive that state of grace can be) and had a lot of fun that summer building their first Windsor chair. They went back to The Windsor Institute two years later to build rocking chairs together; but only after Ken took his youngest daughter, Lizzie, to build a chair with him in 2004. No more a man-vacation, this was father-child bonding at its best, and Michael was already hooked.

    "Chair class at The Windsor Institute requires spoke shaves and I bought a fancy figured set of three spoke shaves for me and a plain cherry one for Michael. I bought them from " Dave's Shaves," which sends the shaves with Hock blades.

One of Ken's Spokeshaves Waiting for Work

     Ken has made 16 Windsor Chairs so far, helped Michael build 3 and Lizzie build 1. His builds other things, too, and

 he and eldest daughter Katie turn pens together.

     Ken kept going back to learn more about making chairs and has only himself to blame for passing on the right genetic material to Michael and Lizzie who naturally needed spokeshaves made by their remarkable father.

     "Now that we had three chair makers, we needed more spokeshaves and I figured out that for the price of a blade, I could make shaves for everybody. I made Michael a flat, brassed shave and a curved bloodwood shave.  I made Lizzie a similar set in purpleheart. As I made more chairs, I realized the value in having more spokeshaves set to different cutting angles." 

Ken Neiswender in his shop using one of his spokeshaves with a Hock Tools'   spokeshave blade.

 Ken learned to make the shaves from an American Wookworker article by Dave Wachnicki of "Dave's Shaves," and used  hocktools.com for his most current shaves. 

     He still uses his "Dave's Shave" Flat Sole in highly figured birdseye maple for a fine cut, as well as it's mates with a curved sole and a smaller detail shave. They all use 2 3/4 inch blades, except for the Dave's Shave Detail Shave that uses a 1 1/2 inch blade.  So, Ken's birdseye shaves are set for fine work, the bloodwood for medium and the padauk for coarse.

This Little Shave Shaves Shavings and a Spoke Takes Shape.

      At Hock Tools, we just love it when we hear, "I'm just a hobbyist woodworker." In our experience such words are usually filled with an authentic "aw shucks" type of self-effacement.  We work with professionals; students, hobbyists, the gamut of woodworkers in a variety of very specific niches. The craft and productivity of woodworkers such as Ken Neiswender are a true marvel in this world, and the results a point of pride for everyone, including Hock Tools..

     "Woodworking has become my passion and my hobby, so when I find a chance to share it with somebody, I do.  I am just a hobbyist woodworker who makes what my family wants and what seems like fun to me. 

     Lucky family, lucky Hock Tools.

Michael, Lizzie, Ken, and Katie on their Windsors at a table full of their Spokeshaves Made with Hock Tools' Blades. Awesome!

in Hampton, New Hampshire    

and James Mursell's The Windsor Workshop  

in West Sussex, England.  

Definitely worth looking into!