Re: Shaving horse designs
thomd
>I'm working on my third right now. I made as close to a Boggs one as I could back about 8 years ago. After that some partial plans for a boggs came out in a Master Class in FWW. According to something I saw LN was going to offer plans for the Boggs as well as selling it in finished form. Country Workshops plans are good, and amount to a somewhat more rustic boggs. I'm talking about their plans that look like a Boggs, and that one pays for. I also made a dumbhead model.
I think you want to look at a couple of basic points first:
1) What kind of things do you want to make? Chairs ar mostly short parts and they require a lot of end for end turning since one is trying to work the whole part for length, but has to do it by sequentially regriping the workpiece from the end. Probably the type of horse you have shown here with the closed jaw is better; even pressure across a wide area. I think for this kind of work the boggs is the best. Best adjustments posture, and comfort. Boggs is something new, a guy doing a country craft on a production basis, not entirely new, but a lot of the horses one sees around really don't come up to a full time worker's level. This style is also the style you might want for stuff like shingles.
2) The dumbhead style that has a jaw open to the side is better for rakes, bows, paddles long objects you don't wnat to thread through a hoop. This style is nearly as good for chairs so it might be a better overall cassual style, or for people who only do the long stuff like bowyers. I really like my Langsner dumbhead. I posted a picture of it around September in a "World's ugliest" post. Part of the charm of a Dumbhead is that you can use all kinds of weird things for the head. But if all one has is some Lumber the Langsner version is pretty good. He has published the plans in a number of books including his chair book.
3) There are some tasks where an object is only worked from one end that are better done without a shaving horse, though the option may tempt. Examples are the long spindles in windsors, or bows. Some workers feel these are much better held in vises. Just a thought in the even this kind of thing is all you want to do.
The other main thought is where do you want to keep it. I like mine out of doors, but the Boggs is fine furniture. I like the rustic style, say like an Langsner, Some paint or semi shelter and it can live out of doors. So depending on that, you might want to go one way or another.
The leather is a good idea if you use some cabinet grade hardwood like maple and add a finish - too slipery otherwise. If you use softwood, or less slipery wood, another option for working wet wood is to put osme water on the jaw, that will also hold the workpiecee, as per John Alexander (good online SH plans).
