A
spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a
wheel (the
hub where the
axle connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface. The term originally referred to portions of a log that had been split lengthwise into four or six sections. The radial members of a wagon wheel were made by carving a spoke (from a log) into their finished shape. A
spokeshave is a
tool originally developed for this purpose. Eventually, the term spoke was more commonly applied to the finished product of the
wheelwright's work, than to the materials he used.