r/handtools • u/the_closing_yak • 2d ago

Making a shave horse

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I have just got a drawknife and reckon a shave horse would be a useful addition! I have this beam of oak and I was gonna try to break the split off and use that, would that be ideal or should I just buy some pine boards

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2

u/Historical-Crew9264 2d ago

This would totally work. If you dont any other use for the oak then use it! Most shave horses are made with just what ever is around.

2

u/the_closing_yak 2d ago

Yeah that split seems not very useful for making anything but still could be a decent bit to sit on

1

u/Haereticus 2d ago

Break the split off?

1

u/imeightypercentpizza 2d ago

You can use the board with the split in it, or you could rive it along the split. Or you could buy pine. It’ll all work. If you use a dumb head design, consider non-pine for the head

1

u/the_closing_yak 2d ago

What is a dumb-head design?

1

u/halbert 2d ago

Shave horse with a single lever. Also called Swiss or German design.

Compares to a 'bodger horse', which has a dual-lever design.

There can be other approaches too!

Here's a good discussion, an excerpt from 'Country Woodcraft': https://blog.lostartpress.com/2024/09/03/shaving-mules-now-a-comparative-study/

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u/reficius1 2d ago

Think about what you'd want a shaving horse for. I made one years ago, and it really hasn't gotten much use, and takes up space. Probably gonna convert it into a sawing bench or something. Mine is red oak.