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Shaves, of various sorts, are used by coopers to smooth down the inside and outside of casks and cask heads. This double-handled round shave has a convex blade and is an inside shave, for smoothing the joints of the staves on the inside of the cask. It came from the cooper's shop at H. & G. Simonds Ltd., known as the Bridge Street Brewery, in Reading.

1 Draw Shave: Two wooden handles; Steel blade a round, horseshoe-like shape.

MERL Miscellaneous note from conversation with Alistair Simms (Master Cooper), 3 September 2014 – A cooper uses a round shave to level off the staves in places that can’t be reached with an inside shave. Single-handled round shaves are often used for smaller work such as buckets and piggins., MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This is a double handled draw shave with a convex blade, used by the cooper for smoothing the joints between the staves, inside the cask. By pulling the knife towards him the craftsman smooths [sic] away any roughness on the inside of the cask. The tool from Messrs Simond's workshop has two handles 4.5 inches long, while the curved steel blade is 4 inches wide.', MERL 'Catalogue index' card – [Coopering – General Card, 55/37–55/56 and 55/66–55/68] – 'This set of Cooper's tools came to the Museum from the Cooper's Department, Messrs H & G Simonds The Brewery, Reading. Although the majority of the tools are modern, indeed some of them were never used, the tools are nevertheless the same as have been used for centuries by both urban and rural coopers.'

Wood, Metal, steel