Spokeshave

A spokeshave is essentially a very short plane with a handle projecting from each side of the blade, sized and shaped to be pushed or pulled across a curved or tapered surface that a full-length bench plane's longer sole couldn't ride against without rocking. Named for its original job -- shaping wagon-wheel spokes -- it remains the standard tool for smoothing chair legs, tapered table legs, curved seat edges, and any other convex or gently concave shaped surface.

Flat-soled spokeshaves handle broad, gentle curves and flat tapers; curved-soled versions are built for tighter concave work, like the inside curve of a chair seat, where a flat sole would only touch at two points instead of riding the actual curve.