Making Chair Devils | Paul Sellers

Chair Devils are a great tool for refining the shape of round legs and spindles, smoothing out any irregularity or unevenness. Paul shows how to make your own using a card scraper. The design can be adapted to various tapers and diameters and you could make a couple of different ones to have at hand for a number of projects.

[@TheSMEAC]

Just watched this again today after a few years. I need to sharpen up my concave chair devil and knew I had seen Paul do one. A quick search and here it is again ❤. I’ve saved it to my chairmaking playlist now. What a blessing Paul is to so many.

[@christopherharrison6724]

Poor man’s tool ,I must say the ability to throw together such a tool with the scraps of materials most could find in their workshop,and keep the pennies you would have spent on such a tool is a very valuable lesson indeed. Thanks Mr Sellers.

[@jakegevorgian]

Poor man with a rich heart... Thank sir for your energy.

[@martinbarnes98]

I really like these ‘poor man’s tools’. However, the name belies the knowledge, experience and skill in making them. What a lovely finish on the spindle. You could say the detail is in the devil!

[@MACLADILLY]

Thankyou Paul. I've never seen this tool before despite making chair legs and spindles for years, using a draw knife, spoke shaves and a pole lathe.

[@juanrivero8]

These videos are wonderful. I have made many tools (including a flat scraper) out of old handsaw blades. They are often found abandoned in construction sites, skips, and flea markets. It you score it with a triangular file and bend it in a vise, it will snap off. Then you can shape it to taste. Cheaper than most scrapers.

[@BlackSwan912]

excellent thanks

[@dennaamsden4310]

thanks for scraper material idea...

[@ashyclaret]

Good tip,you can't by a good solid scraper these days.

[@to_a_nico]

THANKS AGAIN PAUL! I continue to learn so much from you. I was able to share some of your handtool techniques with a 13 yr old neighbor boy yesterday who is taking woodshop in school. He is gonna be teaching stuff to his TEACHER soon thanks to you haha!

[@phungphan2245]

It's almost like magic to watch you make a tool in less than 9 min!

[@davidharris6581]

So knowledgeable and such a good instructor. I always learn from your videos. Thank you!

[@billfromelma]

Hey Paul, You always have videos worth spending the time watching. Just like this one. I can't thank you enough for shareing your knowledge !

[@michaelmiller463]

Poor mans tools are awesome. Great vid.

[@BushcraftMatt]

I'm glad Mr Sellers shows us these tricks of the trade

[@garyknight8616]

Thank you again for another brilliant video. I really want to get back in the workshop and practice all the techniques you have kindly passed on. Best regards, Gary

[@PeterWMeek]

Nice trick (angling the blade) to avoid needing a differrent scraper for each diameter. Thanks.

[@remwoodz]

I am enjoying your videos and learning a great deal. You are a superb teacher Paul! Thank you

[@obodude71]

this tool works well for removing varnish from tool handles.

[@brianmiller9365]

ahhh ... thanks for the tip on tool handles. Thanks.

[@cassia_cries]

Your videos are so helpful :) The poor (wo)mans tools, sharpening, restoring etc ones have saved me a fortune! ..and got me started. Thank you

[@Rhodri80]

What a great idea!. Well done Paul. Not having the budget for tenon cutters I shall be trying the spoke shave and chair devil method. Thank you very much.

[@headknocker8999]

Another tool for the list of goodies that Paul has turned me onto.. I'm gonna make a few with a bigger radiuses to help smooth guitar necks..

[@lagoondragoon]

Such handy tool, and space saver when you can repurpose one scraper to have four shapes in it, would have saved me some trouble while I was rounding a piece of purple heart to a cylinder. On a side note of my workbench project, never imagined how hard it was to find stable piece of 200mm wide length-wise glued wood (frame timber? if thats the correct word) for the aprons, selected the straight ones, and checked those true, but oh how those twisted in a month, had to re square every one, and ended 1/8" too thin from the workbench cutting list, well shouldn't matter too much.

[@MarkWladika]

Thank you Paul, so clear and concise, I really have learned a great deal from your videos.

[@mycats7321]

This is so cool! I've never even heard of that type of tool before. It looks like it would come in handy.

[@waynefuller5280]

Thank you Paul for sharing knowledge chair devils, I know already that it will be very handy. Good Luck to you.

[@tonyn9259]

Thank you Sir for sharing your knowledge, you're a great teacher. Learned a lot and hope to see more videos about simple made tools (poor man tools). I like hand tools woodworking. CHEERS!!!

[@johnzzhu]

Definite have to make one. Thanks for the instructions.

[@valterleao2798]

Parabéns Paul, sempre com excelentes conteúdos, um melhor que o outro, show 👍👍 Abraço aqui do Brasil 🇧🇷

[@sleepingbear7182]

Good, have a new project to work on Sunday afternoon. Thanks!

[@RickRose]

Thanks for sharing another bit of your hard-earned knowledge--I can definitely see making one of these in the future.

[@ikust007]

Thank you so much. I was going to buy some but prefer to make them. May I point out that the way Paul is doing the Sharp edge (sliding the tool inside the curve) is extremely important.

[@brianmiller9365]

Outstanding. In every way. Thank you again.

[@SkylersRants]

Am I the only one to notice that the second screw is beyond the slit you cut? It doesn’t do anything to help hold the blade! Nah, I can’t be the only one. Excellent video, very clear and simple explanations.

[@mhaz49]

I've only ever used a Spoke shave for this, but I like that this allows me to have a more complete round profile. Thanks.

[@charleyandsarah]

Did I just see this right? Paul Sellers using a power tool? Haha, great information as always, Paul. Thank you. :-)

[@maikr.5020]

Respect for your work . nice greetings from Germany.

[@watermain48]

I like Paul saying "just a saw" in the beginning. It isn't "just a saw" when it's in his hands is it?

[@rickgatewood6442]

Thanks! I needed that tip! I have some legs that need smothing!

[@juliodifelippo]

Excellent. A kind of poor mans spokeshave. Thank you!

[@johncourtneidge]

Excellent! Love it!

[@bradenglettkd8zm69]

Very informative as always!

[@MrRichot]

Sorry Paul, but I've been intending to buy a bench top router table its been over a year now..so anytime now! Thanks to you though I have learnt so much from you using hand tools and enjoy every second of using them. But I'm having to start doing "repetitive" jobs. When I get the router table it will save more time allowing me to use my hand tools !!!!!. That's MY excuse anyway! Thank you for your great vids. Happy days.

[@SuperBardley]

Paul, as always, another top-notch vid from such a gracious, sharing expert! Yours is an example we should all try to bring to some aspect of our lives, thank you. Any plans to bring your instructional series to the USA's West Coast? Lots of great talent out here.

[@Paul.Sellers]

SuperBardley we've been asked to come Stanford.

[@SuperBardley]

I'm standing by for the announcement of that.

[@dahmanus2002]

it's not a wast time when i see your videos

[@victorenriquetumepalacios3046]

very interesting information,thanks for this.

[@jorgefernandez8774]

ingenioso recurso gracias por compartirlo jorge de argentina

[@Venge94]

This could not of come at a better time for me, i'm making a stool for the first time for my workbench, and i've been debating whether to go with round or square legs as going round would be a lot of work, but this looks fun to do! Would you consider doing a small series like the box/divider one on making a stool for benchwork?

[@johnpurser2798]

Conor Paul runs a for pay site called "Woodworking Masterclasses" on which he does a series of videos on specific projects. One of them happens to be a work stool. I believe the "gallery" portion of the site is open to all and here is the gallery to the student's finished work stool projects. Each project is chosen more to transmit specific techniques of working wood than just the production of the final piece. I've found them to be well worth the cost. woodworkingmasterclasses.com/galleries/bench-stool-gallery/

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

ah Ha! Just what I need for a project I am currently doing!

[@JohnColgan.]

I saw you make something similar for scraping and ogee type patterns on wood edges. I can't remember the name of the tool or find a video of it without name??

[@ronanthem]

Thank You

[@hansdegroot8549]

Very instructive video. Thank you for sharing your skills. I have two questions. What kind of steel is used and what thickness? And for what reason is the steel at the non-used side so long? Can it be shortened and used for another Chair Devil?

[@davidjohnston1971]

+Hans de Groot The one he shows at the start of the video has two different sizes for chair devils. He left it long as he can still use the flat sides as a card or cabinet scraper on flat surfaces.

[@cdouglas1942]

The steel used is just an ordinary card scraper he already had...not a pruchased material

[@Kikilang60]

Thanks, I think I'll use a putty knife. This is all very help full.

[@Bloodsweatsawdust]

A cheap and easy alternative to a concave spokeshave.

[@frazerwolf745]

Could you do? how to make a secret bookcase door please

[@Traderjoe]

Nice idea! What kind of steel is the blade made from and where does one get it from?

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

traderjoes Many tool suppliers stock 'cabinet scrapers.' That's all you need, if you don't have a suitable bit of steel.

[@eddyflynn213]

traderjoes you could always cut strips of steel out of blunt non-sharpenable saws instead of throwing them away as it's only usually the teeth that are hardened

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Thanks for this. Very interesting, as ever. I haven't used a rasp before. Do you have a recommended make?

[@Paul.Sellers]

Offshoreorganbuilder If you have the money then you should go for an Auriou, if not the closest second I have found is the Tome Feteira which is 1/5th the price. I should have just shown it with the bevel down 1" chisel. That works just as well for this.

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Paul Sellers Thanks for this information, and for all your excellent advice and demonstrations.

[@Cimmerian89]

+Paul Sellers Hi Paul, I was wondering, is there anything that can be done with old plane irons? I'm asking because I don't like the idea of throwing away perfectly good steel. Regards, Nick.

[@Diozark]

Cool

[@smurfman691]

He's using a POWER TOOL! Must be an imposter!

[@MrGoatflakes]

8:02 do my eyes deceive me? Paul is using Phillips head screws?! What's going on? xD

[@censusgary]

Why is it called a devil?

[@ryannavarre4161]

Gary Cooper chair bugger may have been taken.

[@AlanLiefting]

You should have put the second screw through the portion of the handle that had the saw kerf. Doing it that way would mean that it does actually clamp the blade.

[@TerryD15]

The second screw is there simply to prevent the wooden handle splitting. A second clamping screw is not needed.

[@Febeleh]

Why not use a lathe? Does a foot powered lathe count as a hand tool?

[@LSLencrypted]

Febeleh I'm guessing it's because it's a poor man's tool; A lathe is not :)

[@MrTuffbull]

As an example, I don't make furniture even though I like working with wood but chose something else in life, I don't have much money, and I only have a spindle on my chair to replace (broken). So this little cheap handmade tool allows me to repair my chair. If I had to spend big money to buy a lathe (whether electric powered or build a foot powered) just to repair my chair, I might as well pay someone to make that spindle. So this tutorial is wonderful for that reason as well as for pure choice. So thank you Mr. Paul Sellers, I wish I had known people like you to learn from when it was my time to make a choice for a trade. I would have chosen wood working (hand craft) which is where my heart was originaly. Advise to young people: Always choose where your heart goes before the pocket!

[@ibrhemahmed170]

Ok here l am searching to answer

[@alemore62]

You cheated using the electric drill! LOL!!

[@tombaker3794]

Why not call this Devil a Scratch Stock?

[@SuperBardley]

Tom Baker Yep it reminds me of a scratch stock too. This brings up an interesting question Paul: Just how big will go in making a scratch stock? At some point, a router (plane) makes more sense, but how do you make that choice?

[@mikeprell2747]

This question has nothin to do with Chair Devels, altghough I do plan on attempting a build. My question refers to your use of the term, "REBATE". It took me a while to figure out that you are refering to what we call a RABIT. What, if any, is the difference. Just cureous.

[@h0ney_r0ze]

:/