What this tool adds
What this tool adds to your bench
The No. 55 wraps a hollow cutting profile across the width of the work. It is intended for shaving the outside of round stock, where that curved face has a different contact from a straight blade. Choose it for that profile, rather than assuming that every tool described as a round spokeshave is for the same part of a curve.
Its useful comparison is with the Kunz 51AR. The 51AR has a rounded sole for working inside a hollow along the direction of travel; the No. 55 has the concave cutting edge and face across its width. A flat-base Stanley spokeshave is a third contact arrangement. Matching the shape at the cut is more useful than choosing by the largest blade-width number.
The maker identifies this tool as 13.55 with a nominal 52 mm iron and cast-iron body. It is a complete two-handled tool, so allow gripping room around the rounded workpiece. The seller describes the tool as factory ground and requiring honing before use, so allow for edge preparation in a first carving or shaping kit. That preparation is separate from a promise that a particular timber or diameter will give a finished surface immediately.
For a spare, the archived maker table identifies iron 03.55 for this hollow profile. Confirm current fit and availability rather than substituting a flat blade of similar width. Overall length is withheld as a settled figure because the listing and catalogue differ; check the actual footprint if the available working or storage space is tight.
Choose for your actual work
- Match the outside-round profile you need to shape. A rounded sole for inside curves is a different construction.
- Check the current profile and explicit No. 55 fit before ordering an iron; a flat iron of similar width does not preserve the working shape.
Fit checks & limits
- Confirm overall length for a fitted holder: the listing gives 10 inches, while the archived maker table gives 240 mm / 9-1/2 inches.
- If a particular blade alloy or corrosion-resistant grade is essential, obtain model-specific confirmation before ordering.
- Compare the actual hollow profile with your workpiece; no universal stock diameter is specified. Confirm spare-blade fit and availability separately.
Use & care
The seller states that honing is required before use. Prepare the actual hollow-profile edge with suitable guidance; no particular sharpening angle or media is prescribed by the reviewed exact-model source.
Questions before you choose
Is this for an inside hollow or for a rounded outside?
Its hollow blade and face across the width are described for shaving round external stock. Compare the 51AR when a rounded sole is needed inside a hollow.
Is the blade ready without sharpening?
The seller describes a factory-ground tool that requires honing before use. Allow for that edge preparation rather than assuming a finished edge from the description alone.
Can I replace the iron with a flat spokeshave blade?
That would not preserve the supported hollow profile. The archived maker enquiry reference is 03.55; confirm the current exact fit before ordering.