I have a keen interest in circular cigar shaves. I use my Millers Falls No. 1 a
lot, even in the limited amount of woodworking I do these days. I’d heard about
the Kelly Tool Works shaves but never had a chance to buy one while he was still
in business. By coincidence I saw one up at the September Nashua LFOD tailgate
sale this year but someone beat me to it. That’s why when Adam pointed out that
these shaves were being sold sporadically on eBay I snagged one right away.

If I’m not mistaken, Tim was making these professionally up until about 2006. I
think they were advertised in FWW for about $89 if I remember correctly. They
were also sold through at least one woodworking website. I had a brief email
exchange with Tim after buying the shave and a few replacement blades. He’s
making shaves when he has time and wants to keep things low-key and fun. I get
the feeling it was the opposite of that the last time around. The prices he’s
asking on eBay are absurdly low in my opinion. I’d be willing to pay a lot more
than the $40 I paid for mine.

The new shaves are just as nice as the old ones from what I can tell. The
machining and woodwork is absolutely top notch. The Kelly shave does have a
slightly larger radius than the vintage Millers Falls due to the beefier blade.
It’s pretty close though. Both are smaller than the Cincinnati Tool Co. circular
shave I found the other day. The body of the Kelly shave looks to be exactly the
same dimensions as the vintage model. The handles are a bit longer and more
flared at the ends which I really like. The handles are not detachable like the
Millers Falls version. The  blades are a full 1/8in thick O1 steel. Mine came
with a perfectly flat primary bevel and a very slight micro bevel on the inside
face which is really the only way you can get these things truly sharp in my
experience.

Unlike Adam’s experience, I was able to fit one of Tim’s new blades in all of
the vintage Millers Falls shaves I have. The blade is about 1/16in wider than
the OEM blade, exactly 2 1/4in. You need to back out the set screws quite a bit
to fit the thicker blade, but it did fit just fine. It’s great to have a source
for replacement blades for these now.

I have no connection to Tim, other than being a satisfied customer. If you want
to get in touch with him I have his email address. You can also check that eBay
ID Adam mentioned.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving,

Josh


.. in cold, rainy CT. 33 degrees and pouring rain. The morning commute should be
interesting,



On Nov 26, 2013, at 6:05 PM, Adam R. Maxwell  wrote:

> 
>> On Nov 26, 2013, at 9:06, William Ghio  wrote:
>> 
>> I think $45 is what he was charging a dozen years ago when bought mine.
> 
> He had one with maple handles listed at $40, but someone else snagged it. 
> 
>> Originals have gone for more than that on that auction site. I do love these
shaves, but the MF version will conform to a tighter radius, so you need both.
> 
> Of course!
> 
> BTW, I didn't mean to sound like a shill. I have no interest in this other
than excitement at /finally/ having a source of replacement blades. Anyway,
forgot the standard disclaimer last night.
> 
> Adam
>