Making a shaving horse on the cheap
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Cheers! And it's now finished!
Just waiting for the stained Danish oil to completely dry, then ill buff up the seat area so it won't get any oil on my trousers. I've plenty of wood to use on it now and two or three good draw knives.
When I can score some half to a inch thick rubber ill wad cut some 2 inch dia circles to tack to the feet. I've looked about the house and there's nowt suitable to cannibalise.
ATB
Tom
Just waiting for the stained Danish oil to completely dry, then ill buff up the seat area so it won't get any oil on my trousers. I've plenty of wood to use on it now and two or three good draw knives.
When I can score some half to a inch thick rubber ill wad cut some 2 inch dia circles to tack to the feet. I've looked about the house and there's nowt suitable to cannibalise.
ATB
Tom
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Thanks! And it cost me about a fiver in bolts, oil and glue. Ok I have the advantage of a excessive number of tools and a decent workshop to do it in but it could have been done with much less kit and using say wood reclaimed from pallets or scaffold planks. If you can make up the bench part to be 3 inch thick and 9 inch wide and as long a you want using bolts, glue, pegs, whatever then the rest is a doddle. It would be easy enough to make it collapsible /take down if storage is a problem.
I'm tempted to make a low trestle to match it in height so it can have more than one use.
ATB
Tom
I'm tempted to make a low trestle to match it in height so it can have more than one use.
ATB
Tom
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That looks superb!
Out of interest, what is the height of the seat above the floor? It maybe just the photo but it looks a little low to me ( no criticism, just lower than horses I have seen before)
Out of interest, what is the height of the seat above the floor? It maybe just the photo but it looks a little low to me ( no criticism, just lower than horses I have seen before)
Cheers!
Measured just now it's exactly 15inches to the top of the seat. The plan called for legs 17.5" long at 30 degrees from the vertical including the part that fits through the 3 inch thick board, although I did have to add 2 inches to the leg we cocked up and is poking out at a more extreme angle. Very little was trimmed off either the end poking up or to level them up at the bottom.
i know what you mean though, if it proves uncomfortable in prolonged use ( it seams fine just having a play on it but that's no indicator I know ) i'll turn some chunky extensions to go over the legs and peg them on and raise it. It will be used by my sons and short legged wife as well so perhaps being low isn't such a bad thing.
I'll be fitting rubber feet to it anyway as soon as I can find some thick stuff so that will give me a extra inch. If I was doing it again I'd do the legs 20+ inches and just cut them down rather than slavishly copying the plan.
ATB
Tom
Measured just now it's exactly 15inches to the top of the seat. The plan called for legs 17.5" long at 30 degrees from the vertical including the part that fits through the 3 inch thick board, although I did have to add 2 inches to the leg we cocked up and is poking out at a more extreme angle. Very little was trimmed off either the end poking up or to level them up at the bottom.
i know what you mean though, if it proves uncomfortable in prolonged use ( it seams fine just having a play on it but that's no indicator I know ) i'll turn some chunky extensions to go over the legs and peg them on and raise it. It will be used by my sons and short legged wife as well so perhaps being low isn't such a bad thing.
I'll be fitting rubber feet to it anyway as soon as I can find some thick stuff so that will give me a extra inch. If I was doing it again I'd do the legs 20+ inches and just cut them down rather than slavishly copying the plan.
ATB
Tom
That looks great Tom, much better than my efforts. I've always enjoyed using a shave horse and keep meaning to build myself a better one but I barely use them these days.
Looking forward to seeing some shots of it in action.
All the best
Andy
Looking forward to seeing some shots of it in action.
All the best
Andy
Well, the first thing I did is take a corner off the support board by not turning the job often enough ( the whole point of the thing is the ease of repositioning , D'oh! ) but I think I've got the hang of it now. I'm not what you'd call photogenic so I'm missing from the shot ( I don't do selfies!). The thing feels very stable even with my great weight over the rear legs and I'm rather chuffed with it.
id promised the middle son a usable ash handle for his Francisca throwing axe, when he got it all we had to make a handle was some hawthorn. Hard brittle stuff, just about the worst wood I could have used. Anyroad, herself brought home a big ash branch last week and we split it into quarters for throwing axe handles and some small planks to do some carving axe handles.
It's been worth the effort making it. And thankfully storage isn't a problem
ATB
tom
id promised the middle son a usable ash handle for his Francisca throwing axe, when he got it all we had to make a handle was some hawthorn. Hard brittle stuff, just about the worst wood I could have used. Anyroad, herself brought home a big ash branch last week and we split it into quarters for throwing axe handles and some small planks to do some carving axe handles.
It's been worth the effort making it. And thankfully storage isn't a problem
ATB
tom
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Well that's me feeling foolish. After 9 days away the Francisca axe handle I made, see below, for the middle son from green ash has shrunk as it seasoned to such a extent that it falls through the eye of the throwing axe. oops. I've another 4 or 5 blanks drying out so eventually i'll be able to make some that won't shrink but in the meantime we are rather stuck! The poor lad had hauled a huge section of the trunk of the huge Ash tree (the council let rot to such a extent that it fell in a storm a few years back and instead of cutting the house in two made a comedy sized pancake of next doors new Ka) up the steep steps to the top back garden to make a target as well.
Anyroad, anyone know a source of a couple of pieces of seasoned ash 35mm x 25mm x 415mm minimum so I can make him a couple of handles in the meantime? The local hardware places only have foreign woods like hickory for spare handles now and he wants to be able to use the handles for period authentic displays.
The forecast for tomorrow is awful and we shopped today so we will be getting in some time on the horse.
ATB
Tom
Anyroad, anyone know a source of a couple of pieces of seasoned ash 35mm x 25mm x 415mm minimum so I can make him a couple of handles in the meantime? The local hardware places only have foreign woods like hickory for spare handles now and he wants to be able to use the handles for period authentic displays.
The forecast for tomorrow is awful and we shopped today so we will be getting in some time on the horse.
ATB
Tom
Cheers!
exercising a bit of lateral thought I got the lad to dig out the tool box I keep the small tool handles I got in a job lot in and there's a couple of hammer handles that that if the are used upside down and all the curves are carved off will make decent handles. Perhaps not quite as thick at the hand end or in one case as long as is optimal but they are seasoned and I believe ash or something with a very similar grain.
'thinking of making a wood and rope chest protector to go with the shave horse, anybody have their own versions I can crib? I've only seen illustrations in a couple of US green wood working books. I've some nice, soft, linen rope for the hanging part.
atb
Tom
exercising a bit of lateral thought I got the lad to dig out the tool box I keep the small tool handles I got in a job lot in and there's a couple of hammer handles that that if the are used upside down and all the curves are carved off will make decent handles. Perhaps not quite as thick at the hand end or in one case as long as is optimal but they are seasoned and I believe ash or something with a very similar grain.
'thinking of making a wood and rope chest protector to go with the shave horse, anybody have their own versions I can crib? I've only seen illustrations in a couple of US green wood working books. I've some nice, soft, linen rope for the hanging part.
atb
Tom
greensurfingbear
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
aye thats reet canny that. I was gonna try making this one
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/Champion the Lumber Horse.pdf
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/sites/default/files/Champion the Lumber Horse.pdf
Having used it some and nearly chopped into my extensive gut a few times I've shortened the top board by about 6 inches. As the end dropped to the the floor and I put the saw down it occurred to me ali should have done is add another hole six inch further up the board for the bolt to go through...
D'oh
Tom
D'oh
Tom
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