Shaving Horse Plans

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>The Landis workbench book has a whole chapter dedicated to them, for what it's worth. Haven't made any or used any, but they're there, and you can glean some of the logical progression between designs.

re:shaving mule plans

Jeff Bishop-Leeds, AL

>Dave,

Drew Langsner has the plans on his website, as well as selling plans. Just go to www.countryworkshops.org.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Bishop

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

kees

>Drew Langsner sells the plan of the Brian Boggs model.

I made one and it's worth the money.

regards

kees

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

John

>Dave

I made/use the Brian Boggs style shave horse and am very happy with it's performance. It's a great design that has refined over the years. Brian also wrote an artical for FWW (I can Fax you a copy) that explaines the construction of his shave horse. Whatever you do don't skimp on the material you use when you build yours.

John

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

Greg B�tit, Vergennes, VT

>I recommend that you look at some pictures and build one that suits your fancy. I have collected several sets of plans, but have never followed the dimensions on any of them. I have built four shaving horses over the years, and started a fifth this past weekend. The first one I made is a behemoth made of cherry that stays in my shop. I make more compact ones to go on the road, and end up giving or trading them away.

Your idea to scale your horse up to your dimensions is right on. I believe most plans are scaled for hobbits. Get a 6' or so plank and mortise in some substantial legs so that the top is 20" or so off the floor. More is better. If you're a chairmaker you can eyeball appropriate rake and splay angles for the legs. You can probably do a good job even if you aren't a chairmaker. Don't get me wrong. Some of my best friends aren't chairmakers.

Sit on this bench, and adjust if necessary so that your feet can reach the floor.

Next, sit 6-10" from one end and extend your legs towards the other end. Roughly 4-8 inches back towards you is where the foot treadle should end when the dumb head is clamped down on the table (I call this the clamping position). Stretch out your arms like you're getting ready to pull on your drawknife. That's just about where the top of the sloping table should be, maybe an inch or so beyond (midway between your navel and nipples is a ball park height for the top of the table).

Now imagine a line that goes from a dumb head clamping down right near the front of the table extending to your outstretched feet in the clamping position. That line is where the center of the tiller board will be. Mark the bench where this tiller board goes, and mortise a slot for it. Before you elongate the mortise to allow the tiller to swing full throw, drill the horizontal hole through the bench at the exact point that the imaginary line penetrated it (this should roughly be near the center of your mortise). Fit in and drill the tiller hole, and hinge it through the bench horzontal hole with a dowel. Most tillers have more than one hole, so don't get worried about finding the sweet spot on the first try. Finish elongating the mortise to allow full throw of the dumb head.

Now fit your table. I use three dowels in the front, and three 1/2" wooden pins where the table meets the bench. Drill the three perpendicular holes in the bench. Cut three dowels that will bring the top of the table to the appropriate height . Set the table on three dowels set into the bench, measure and cut the angle of the bottom of the table. Set the table on the dowels and mark the locations of the holes on the bottom of the table, and set a sliding bevel to the correct angle. Drill the table holes (not through). Check fit, then glue the dowels to the table and bench. Drill the 1/2" pin holes through both the bottom of the table and the bench, glue and drive them in.

Do the mortise for the table.

The foot piece should be a thick plank heavy enough to make the dumb head open when you lift your legs. I make a sloppy mortise in the foot piece, and a long pin through the tiller to hold it on. If all else fails, a bungee cord or piece of ash can be used to spring it open. Springing open when you pull your legs back is important.

I hope that made some sense. Email me direct if you need help or encouragement.

Greg -who thinks that everyone needs a shaving horse

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

Alan Hamilton

>Dave,

If you haven't yet read it, Saint Roy of Underhill devotes a full chapter in _The Woodwright's Shop_ to making a shaving horse. His version is rather rough and ready, to say the least (the first step is to take an axe into the forest) but he talks all the way through the whats, whys and hows. After reading Saint Roy you'll be able to design your own.

Alan

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

dave caudill

>Wow I didn't know there were so many folks out there who used shaving horses. I feel a little bit unworthy not having one of my own. I appreciate all of the comments and suggestions. I'm a lot further along now then I was when I first wrote this.

Thanks

Dave

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

Matthew Springer

>I just was reading this Friday night. His methds involve first chopping downa tree and then splitting your own boards, so you miht conceivably skip this part. (they get kinda upset if you cut down trees in my neck of the non-woods)

It's a pretty simple design you build with basically a hatchet and a brace and a couple Really Big(tm) auger bits.

The neat part of his design is it accounts for the spiral of the tree in the design of the bench so you end up with a level clamping surface even if the bench part is twisted.

-Matthew

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

kees

>you're not the only one; I didn't see one in Mike Dunbar's book neither in John Brown's.

so you're in good accompany.........

kees

Of all my posts...

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>Of all my controversial posts, a three liner on shave horses provides me with a steady stream of e-mails. Obviously there's either:

1) A lot of interest in shave horses

2) A lack of an authorative and illustrative guide to their construction.

Maybe somebody here is interested in an article. I'll volunteer to help, but my experience isn't great enough to author something sensible.

My hindsight:

I built mine using St Roy's book. It has several advantages in my opinion.

1) The skills you learn building it are confidence building and fun. But you need the "right" tools.

2) The design is essentially parametric, i.e. sized to your body, so its easy to make a good fitting horse (versus scaled plans)

3) Compared to horses made from boards, my riven horse is wide and heavy. The rough hewn seat gives me plenty of friction. Other horses I've used spit me off the back. (How else do you react the forces you apply to the foot pedal? Your seat, right?)

My advice:

a) If at all possible, make a horse using Roy's instructions. You do need some specialty tools (framing augers, framing chisels) and a log. I think the process is worthwhile.

b) Make the seat long. 3 feet long isn't too long. And don't smooth it!

c) The key to a comfortable bench is the height AND angle of the table. I think you want that table no taller than your elbows. Or.... Draw a line from the end of the bench to your elbows. That's how the table should be.

Of COURSE, everybody is different. Your answer may vary, but I think you do need this type of analysis to get it right for YOU.

My horse is a couple years old now (she's an old gray mare) and still working fine. I move it outside in warmer weather, inside the shop in Fall. Its not too heavy to move, maybe 100 pounds or so.

Adam

What are the three lines?

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>

Re: Shaving Horse Plans

john jesseph

>Hi Dave-

I would just build the horse that is on Drew Langsner's website- the free plan, not the mule plan. It is also in one of the FWW reprint books. It is probably the easiest of all the options, and easily scalable. I have logged a lot of hours on my Boggs horse, and it's the best IMHO. Building a big dumbhead horse would be cool, but may be overkill for what you will use it for.

Back to the shop.......

Can't find them

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>Maybe really old posts are now moved. Used to be able to do a search in Google and find posts here. Even the internal search didn't find it. No loss, though. I just said basically that I used Roy's process (its not really a set of plans) and liked it. People wrote and asked me for the "plans" (there aren't any) and what book they were in (I think it's the first one Woodwright's workshop?).

Best

Adam