Chairmakers Parallel Spoon Bit

Used by chairmakers for boring or reaming tapered holes in the seats and arms of chairs - in particular Windsor chairs. This is the tool recommended by Michael Dunbar in his book "Windsor Chairmaking".

When reaming a prebored straight sided hole, the spoon bit is inserted into the hole and rotated in a clockwise direction with a carpenter's brace, until the desired taper is achieved.
(see diagram A)

When boring into solid wood, the bit should be started in the vertical position and after a "dish" has been created and the bit has begun to "bite" into the wood, the angle of boring can be changed by tilting the brace and bit out of the vertical line; in this way a tapered hole can be bored at any angle.
(see diagragm B)

Material; Hand Forged carbon steel, carefully heat treated and then hand ground to a fine edge. The spoon bit may be honed by using a slipstone on the inside of the cutting edge - never touch the outside edge!

The Parallel Spoon Bits are primarily used for boring holes - either vertically or at an angle - to take the back "spokes" of Windsor chairs; thus hole may be bored in the seat, the curved back or the "stringers" and arms. The range of sizes should accommodate the majority of "spokes" regularly used.