What this tool adds
What this tool adds to your bench
The 51AR is the round-sole option for shaping an inside hollow or concave curve. Here round refers to the base that contacts the wood, not to a blade with a hollow across its width. Choose it when a flat sole has the wrong contact for the inside curve you want to work, while checking that the particular curve still leaves room for the tool and stroke.
Two adjustment knobs set the blade, and a lever cap holds it. The listing describes use by pushing or pulling with both hands. The maker catalogue identifies the model as 13.51AR, with a cast-iron body and a green epoxy finish. This is the complete adjustable spokeshave, not the related loose blade shown as a replacement reference in the catalogue.
Compare it with the Kunz 55 if the aim is to shape the outside of round stock: that tool has the hollow cutting profile across its width. Compare Stanley 12-951 for a flat-base arrangement. These are working-contact choices rather than a sequence of larger and smaller blade widths, and no one of them establishes a universal minimum or maximum curve radius.
For replacement enquiries, the archived maker table lists standard iron 03.51A and a separate HSS option 03.51AS. The selected 51AR name does not establish that an HSS iron is supplied. Verify the actual current iron and fit with the supplier, particularly because the listing uses a generic 2-inch width while the archived maker table gives 52 mm.
Choose for your actual work
- Choose between a rounded sole for an inside hollow and a hollow blade for the outside of round stock; their names can sound similar while their contacts differ.
- Ask for confirmed 51AR fit and the actual blade grade when replacing an iron; do not assume that a 52 mm reference means any roughly 2-inch blade will fit.
Fit checks & limits
- Confirm the blade width before ordering a width-critical replacement: the listing says 2 inches and the maker catalogue says 52 mm.
- For a weight-sensitive setup, confirm the actual tool: the listing says 12.32 oz and the archived catalogue says 340 g.
- Check that the round sole suits your workpiece curve. Do not assume the separately listed HSS iron is supplied with this standard version.
Use & care
Use the two adjusters and retaining cap according to the model instructions. For a spare, confirm the standard or HSS option and the current 51AR fit; an archived reference is not a stock guarantee.
Questions before you choose
Is a round sole the same as the Kunz 55 hollow blade?
No. The 51AR’s rounded base supports work inside a concave curve. The 55’s hollow blade and face are for shaping the outside of round stock.
Does 51AR mean that an HSS iron is supplied?
The maker lists HSS as a separately identified option. The selected standard 51AR listing does not establish that option as supplied.
Can I use any 2-inch spokeshave blade?
Use the explicit 51AR fit and confirm the current iron. The archived standard reference is 03.51A, with 03.51AS listed separately for the HSS option.