i wanna make...
- Thread starter mikethescout
- Start date
-
Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Ive made a couple..Mark 1 failed because i didnt make the part that you clamp the wood using your foot strong enough and also it was just a general bodge job!
Mark 2 is still awaiting assembly..
My advice would be not to make something too complicated,the best one ive seen in a book was by Mike Abbot i believe, made entirely from cleft wood.
Mark 2 is still awaiting assembly..
My advice would be not to make something too complicated,the best one ive seen in a book was by Mike Abbot i believe, made entirely from cleft wood.
This is mine and Ive used it to many years now 
Its all made form found parts except the bolts
Cheers Russ
Its all made form found parts except the bolts
Cheers Russ
you dont need to use cleft wood, in fact you can make a shave horse from anything, pallets, shuttering ply, recycled wall studs and joists etc. There are certain people in the "green wood supplies industry" 
attempting to take lots of good monney for what is essentially a simple and traditionally self made device....there are as many horse forms as there are green woodworkers.
Think of it as a huge pair of pincers, with one side fixed and the other side shut with your feet. My advice would be to do a google picture search of shave horse, get a few ideas. You need to bear in mind your body size. Do you want the thing to be portable/collapsible to go in a car or is it a permanent fixture at home? I would make a few mock ups from any old scrap to get the proprtions right for you.....I personally would recomend the english style (with 2 arms and a crossbar, not the american dumbhead style with just one arm.) ideally go for one with 3 legs (more stable on uneven ground than 4 legs) and splay the leggs at an angle too, this adds to the stability.
There are some assorted shave horses on this thread on the bodgers green woodwork forum
http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=813&hilit=shave+horse
attempting to take lots of good monney for what is essentially a simple and traditionally self made device....there are as many horse forms as there are green woodworkers.Think of it as a huge pair of pincers, with one side fixed and the other side shut with your feet. My advice would be to do a google picture search of shave horse, get a few ideas. You need to bear in mind your body size. Do you want the thing to be portable/collapsible to go in a car or is it a permanent fixture at home? I would make a few mock ups from any old scrap to get the proprtions right for you.....I personally would recomend the english style (with 2 arms and a crossbar, not the american dumbhead style with just one arm.) ideally go for one with 3 legs (more stable on uneven ground than 4 legs) and splay the leggs at an angle too, this adds to the stability.
There are some assorted shave horses on this thread on the bodgers green woodwork forum
http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=813&hilit=shave+horse
Yeah shave horses are dead easy - its quite a bit of work to do it from cleft wood but very satisfying. They also seem to be more resliliant to being left outside than other sawn timber (although mine is looking rickity now).
If the plans above dont take your fancy just 'google' shave horse, i would ignore the dummy head or american ones at the mo and stick to the bodgers/UK one.
The only thing that is very helpful to make one is another one...asuming you dont have the luxury of having rounders for the joints, also a long 3/4 - 1" drill to reach through the seat would be usefull.
there are so many plans onlne you should fine something no problem - and they are suprisingly pleasent to use and usefull!
If the plans above dont take your fancy just 'google' shave horse, i would ignore the dummy head or american ones at the mo and stick to the bodgers/UK one.
The only thing that is very helpful to make one is another one...asuming you dont have the luxury of having rounders for the joints, also a long 3/4 - 1" drill to reach through the seat would be usefull.
there are so many plans onlne you should fine something no problem - and they are suprisingly pleasent to use and usefull!
Similar threads
