so you want to make a shave horse_printable
TRANSCRIPT
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HOW TO
MAKE A
SHAVE
HORSE
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I have this shave horse in my woodland outdoor
workshop. It's wedged between two Alder trees but it
does of course stand up totally on it's own.
SO YOU WANT TO MAKE A SHAVE HORSE ?
Heres an Innovative style of rustic
shave horse that is quick & simple
to construct with basic hand toolsand using round greenwood timber
that you can obtain from your local
coppice worker, woodland manager,
woodland volunteer group, farmeror if you are very lucky, your own
woodland.
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Tools you will need:
tape measure & pencil/marker
bow saw or pruning saw
hand drill brace or electric drill
auger drill bits (recommend 12
mm dia & 20mm dia)
Small chisel
Hammer
Spanners (wrenches) or grips to
suit 12mm threaded nuts utility or outdoor knife
hacksaw
Materials you will need:
2 forked branches around 75mm
dia
2 lengths of branch around
75mm dia x approx 1600 mm
long 1 length of branch approx 75mm
dia x 750mm long (split
longways)
1 length of branch approx 75mm
dia x 500mm long for making
spindes
1 length of branch approx 20-
25mm dia x 1metre long for
making spindes 2 lengths of 12mm dia threaded
bar x approx 500mm long
8 x 12mm nuts & washers
A few small nails if required
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1 take the two forked branches and
cut them to size to suit your own
seat height. The total height of theupside down Y will be the finished
seat height.
Keep the forks as wide as possible
for maximum stability so cut
material off the single branch endfirst as far as possible
2 - Using the 12mm auger drill bit,
drill a hole approx 35/40mm from
the top and in line with the forks
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3 take the two long branches and
cut them to length to suit your own
horse body length
Better at this stage to keep them
longer if possible, you can adapt
later if required
4 Following the diagram above
a) mark the positions of the two curved
cut-outs and cut them out
NOTE they are shallower than semi-circles so that when bolted to the legs,
the two halves of the body dont touch but
leave a gap of approx 20mm along the
length of the body
b) Mark then drill the 4 holes using the12mm dia and the 20mm auger drill bits
A piece of Hazel approx
75mm dia x 3.5 mtrs
long cut in two would
be perfect
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5 Cut a piece of the 12mm threaded barso that it passes through both halves of
the body and the upright of the leg with
approx 40mm of bar spare on either side.
Assemble one end of the body and leg as
in the picture above and secure looslywith 1 nut & washer on either side.
6 Do exactly the same for the other endof the body
Place the body & leg assembly on a level
surface and ensure that all four feet
contact the floor firmly whilst ensuring
the body isnt twisted.Trim the feet as necessary to produce a
stable assembly.
7 Fit the 2nd nut onto each end of the threaded bars then fully tighten them whilst
applying pressure downwards on the body (sitting on it with caution will help)
You are looking to pull the two halves of the body tight together around the uprights ofthe legs except for a 20mm gap along the length of the body
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8 - Next is the swinging foot clamp. The two sides can be made from a piece of branchsplit lengthways or with two pieces of 50mm x 25mm (2 x1) lumber if its easier.
As a guide, drill the two end holes of each piece with 20mm auger drill bit approx
50mm from each end. Position & drill the middle 20mm hole so that its approx 40%
down from the top, remember, the foot clamp has to swing freely and not snag on the
ground so be sure to measure the height from the ground to the hinge pivot in the bodybefore drilling!
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9 - The three spindles
Usually, the spindles are
turned on a lathe out of
solid branch-wood and you
can either do this if you
have access to a lathe ortake the easier route which
works well and is a strong
alternative:
Take some 60-75mm dia: branch-wood and cut two lengths to suit the inside width of the
swing arm (for 1 & 3 above).
Into each end of each of these pieces, drill a 20mm hole about 50mm deep.
Take some 22-25mm dia thin branch-wood and cut two pieces each to suit the clamp spindle
and the foot spindle.
Shave one end of the thin branch-wood to a slight taper to fit tightly into the 20mm hole ofthe larger pieces and hammer home firmly. You can tap a small nail into the spindle to
secure it if required.
Cut a final piece of branch-wood about 20mm dia: and long enough to act as the pivot
spindle and taper slightly by shaving so that it can be tapped into place without slipping out
Cutting a V slot into the clamp spindle (1 above) will help with gripping round wood you
may work on when using the shave horse.
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10 Assemble the swing
arm
Now you need to assemble the
components of the swing arm.
The clamp spindle and the foot spindle should be fitted into the
corresponding holes of the two arms.
The foot spindle can be secured with a small nail into the arms either side if
required. Do not use nails in the clamp spindle as you want it to be able to
rotate within the arm to alternate between the V slot or the round whenyou are using the shave horse.
Now for the tricky bit pass the assembly over the front leg and onto the
body, make sure you have the top of the swing arm at the top!
Knock the pivot pin (2) through one side of the swinging arm, through the
body and through the other side of the swinging arm.
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11 The Hinged Work Slope
This is the final stage ofmaking your shave horse.
You can either find a piece of
branch/trunk approx 200mm
dia and split it into a boardapprox 150mm wide like the
picture on the left or else find a
piece of seasoned lumber to
suit. The length will depend on
your own circumstances.
Drill a 20mm hole approx 50mm from one end all the way through.
Take a piece of 22-25mm dia branch-wood and make it into a pivot peg as in the
picture.
Shave the peg to fit tightly into the hole in the board, secure with a nail if required.
Position the work slope & peg into the slot of the body so that it sits approx 25mm
above the body and mark the position of the hole that you need to drill through the peg.
Drill hole then shave a piece of 12-15mm thin branch-wood to fit as a spindle.
Find a scrap piece of branch approx 100mm tall to use as a wedge under the work slope
to adjust its height and angle depending on what you are shaving at the time
Job Done!
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Hopefully, you should now
have a fully functional rustic
shave horse.
It might want tweaking a bit
here and there but take your
time and fine tune it to suityou.
If you want, you can fashion a
board as a seat with a flat peg
in the bottom to slot into thebody but most times, a
scrunched up sweater works
well!
Dont forget, mine is wedged
between two trees to prevent it
from being stolen, not because
it would fall over otherwise!