Planning a modular shave horse

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Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Kind of a multifunction affair. I know I've always said multipurpose tools serve no purpose well. But I think this is different.

This will be a shop tool that has various modules that are interchangeable. It will be used for shaving tool handles, carving spoons, planing boards, sawing, leather work and maybe some other things as I build modules to work with it.

I've been rolling this around in my foggy head for years and I'm getting close to making it reality.

No pictures yet, but accepting suggestions and answering questions.
 

Robert

New User
Robert
Would that be along the lines of the Jawhorse idea...with dwarf size legs, a seat, and various mountable tables/tools, etc.

I like the idea. Will the legs be collapsible for storing it for small shops?

Robert
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
Seen this one?
p74-001.jpg


It's so special purpose but I can see how you could come up with on that handles maybe 2' at max that could be an accessory you take off and on. I want to shave wood wind blanks and carve bowls that are part of string or percussion instruments. As I turn rough blanks down, I find I often take a big chip that tears out more than I wanted. If I shave first I get a better yield. I still owe the kids more bows; just made one today without a good horse.

An alternative for bowls would be to have one of these that you can quickly attach:
carve_2.jpg
. I think that is how I am headed now; make a somewhat hormal hose for shaving wit a bowl attachment.
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
Here is where I am with a couple of candidates for this.
benchhorse.jpg

A rustic style 3 legged horse is in progress, sitting on top of a construction style bench I use a lot. Those are hard maple cross pieces being glued into a white cypress log split. I expect the cypress to get some checks and splits over time and will just pour epoxy in them. I am going to scour the bottom of the log with Murphy's and then oil it. The top will get a similar treatment. The legs a black locust an the 1" tenons are centered on rings.
Anyway, I have dog holes in construction bench and use a hold down sometimes. It also has a removable stop. I often clamp a bench top workmate to it also. But I don't have the quick and easy foot clamping a horse style attachment would provide.
On the rustic one, I am going to feel a little constrained to keep it authentic looking, though I will admit to being influenced by Fort Wilderness as much as Fort James; it's eventual purpose is going to craft fairs and whatnot. So rustic looking horse attachments don't have to be historically acurate, but I would want to make them from wood that isn't machined.
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
An update - it stands on its own! And yes, I sat on it also - it is quite stable.
newhorse.jpg

Also, I didn't hold the camera level. The horse/bench is fairly level.
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
That link didn't work, but I found them at http://www.hiltonhandcraft.com/

This picture from that site shows what I probably will do with the rustic one:
IMG_0068.JPG

but I hope to figure out a way to mount something like the bowl carving jig I posted earlier
 

jpaup

New User
JP
Mike,

When I built my shave horse I adapted it from the information I gleaned from the following 2 sites"

http://www.greenwoodworking.com/ShavingHorsePlans

and

http://www.woodworkingplans.tv/do-it-yourself/build-a-shaving-horse-shaving-horse-plan

In the Greenwordworking article they mention about building a companion work table the same height as the shave horse which combined can be used as low saw horses. While I have not built a work table yet, I can see the value of this for holding wood, tools and refreshments.

Given your thought on having a modular shave horse, I thought maybe this work table concept could be expanded by adding into it aspects of Chris Schwarze's traditional sawbench:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/traditional_sawbench


The sawbench could be scaled to double as a saw horse to the shave horse (double horse) :gar-Bi, you could add a couple of dog holes for a plane stop, and it could still serve as a work table. With a double thick top, you could use traditional hold fasts and all kinds of bench jigs. Even a bowl carver, maybe set into a through tenon through the top.

Not sure if you were thinking of incorporating all or any of these ideas into the shave horse itself. The key limiting dimension would seem to be that between the treadle and the end of the shave horse bench. If the treadle was easy to remove then you could pretty much build anything into the shave horse bench. I still like the idea of having an auxilliary table keeping the shave horse pretty much standard.

My .02
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I'm going to make several attachments for the shave horse. And Yes, I will build a side kick for it.
 
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