In 1999, a series of photos were taken of Arthritis Victoria member, Glenda Shalman, demonstrating arthritis-friendly gardening tools and aids, and how to use them. Some of these photos were used to accompany an article in the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Arthritis Update. In this photo, a woman sits at an outdoor table, tending to her potted plants with a pair of hand-held pruning shears. The shears have thick, wide handles. On the table, there are three more handheld gardening tools with thick handles. A similar photo appears on page 13 of the Vol 12 Issue 3, Spring 1999 edition of the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Arthritis Update.COL photo of a woman is sitting at a table in the garden. She is holding up a pair of gardening shears with thick handles. On the table, there are several potted plants and three more pairs of various types of small gardening tools, all with the same type of thick handles.[On a yellow sticky note, in blue ink] Glenda Shalman Gardeningarthritis foundation of victoria, afv, arthritic aids, gardening aids, gardening tools, pruning shears, living with arthritis, pain management, arthritis update, 1999

A spokeshave is a hand tool used to shape and smooth woods in woodworking jobs such as making cart wheel spokes, chair legs, paddles, bows, and arrows. The tool consists of a blade fixed into the body of the tool, which has a handle for each hand. Historically, a spokeshave was made with a wooden body and metal cutting blade. With industrialization metal bodies displaced wood in mass-produced tools. Being a small tool, spokeshaves are not suited to working large surfaces. The name spokeshave dates back to at least the 16th century, though the early history of the tool is not well documented. The name spokeshave reflects the early use of the tool by wheelwrights. The first spokeshaves were made of wood usually beech with steel blades, before being largely superseded by the development of metal-bodied spokeshaves in the latter half of the 19th century, though many woodworkers still use wooden spokeshaves. Due to their widespread use and versatility vintage wooden spokeshaves remain commonly available and relatively low in price. Spokeshaves consist of a blade or iron secured to the body or stock of the tool, which has two handles one for each hand. The bottom surface of the tool is called the sole. The blade can be removed for sharpening, and adjusted to vary the depth of the cut. An early design consisted of a metal blade with a pair of tangs to which the wooden handles were attached, as with a draw knife. Unlike a draw knife, but like a plane, spokeshaves typically have a sole plate that fixes the angle of the blade relative to the surface being worked. There are a wide variety of different types of spokeshave, suited to different trades and applications. A now vintage tool made by an Australian manufacture in NSW who specialised in making pruning shears, hacksaw frames and heel shaves under the Erskin brand name. This tool is now sought after by collectors even though it was probably made in the first quarter of the 20th century. It gives a snapshot of how carpenters work with wood by hand showcasing their craftsmanship. Hollow face Spokeshave, metal body with black enamel finish. Erskin stamped on frontflagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, spokeshave, cabinet makers tools, wood working, cutting tool, shaping tool