I’ve been on the lookout recently for extra spoke shaves for my chair making course, I have found a few metal ones like the Stanley 151 and the more basic type without the adjusters but I also wanted something a little more delicate for working the smaller details on the chairs. Sometime ago I bought from Workshop Heaven a small beautifully made ebony spoke shave by Mujinfang. So I had a look on their web site but found that they no longer stocked them.

This was disappointing as these shaves were just right for the job, so I thought I would be cheeky and ask at Workshop Heaven if they might have the odd one kicking around the warehouse. Matthew Platt, the main man at Workshop Heaven said that he was not sure if Mujinfang even made the shaves any more, something about problems with switching to Rosewood then that species being added to the CITES list. Anyway he said he would have a look round to see if he had any to spare, agreeing that they are a beautiful tool to use.

A couple of weeks later I received a small parcel in the post. Inside I was delighted to find, nestling on a bed of cherry shavings, an expertly fettled Mujinfang spoke shave. Matthew had really pulled out the stops for me, the blade had been polished to a mirror finish and the ebony leading edge carefully flattened, I was impressed.

Another benefit, with it being Movember, I don’t need to grow a moustache!