Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books
A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

spokeshave

A wheelwright's drawing knife used for shaping and finishing spokes, and used by bookbinders for paring leather and beveling boards. It has an adjustable blade which may be flat or curved. The tool is modified for paring by widening the gap between the blade and the guard to prevent clogging. In addition to this, the bottom of the blade is generally ground at a shallower angle, because a steep angle would result in too much of a scraping action. Because it is safer (in that there is little or no possibility of cutting completely through the leather), as well as faster, the spokeshave has largely replaced the paring knife. (92 , 154 , 236 )