Ashaving horse(alsoshave horse,shaving bench, orschnitzelbank[1]) is a combination ofvice andworkbench, used forgreen woodworking. Typical usage of the shaving horse is to create a round profile along a square piece, such as for a chair leg or to prepare a workpiece for thepole lathe. They are used in crafts such ascoopering andbowyery.
The shavehorse is commonly used in the preparation of stock prior to turning in a lathe, to roughly form cylindricalbillets, the intermediate dressing phase between a crudely dressed raw split log and the final lathe work.
As the name "horse" suggests, the worker sitsastride the shaving horse. The clamp is operated by the operator pressing their feet onto atreadle bar below.A foot-actuated clamp holds the work piece securely against pulling forces, especially as when shaped with adrawknife orspokeshave.[2][3][4]
The shavehorse provides a rapid and sturdy clamp, which allows the operator to use their legs and upper body weight as additional "power" for work. It is considered by some[by whom?] to result in less fatigue than generated by constantly standing.
Shaving green wood with the drawknife or spokeshavealong the grain is far quicker and easier work than turningacross it. Skilled operators can produce very fine results with a drawknife and shavehorse, requiring minimal lathe finishing.
Straddling a shave horse while carelessly using any dangerous power tool, such as acircular saw, may result in the operator suffering serious bodily injury.
The typical clamp is a vertical bar or bars, hinged on a pivot attached to or passing through the bench/seat top. The top of this bar is enlarged into the "horse-", "dog-", or "dumb" head, the part that holds the wood. Some clamps are worked via string or rope, rather than mechanical leverage.
For extra precision and better clamping force, the clamp pivot point may be raised above the bench level on a sub-bench, giving moreleverage. These so-called "Black Forest" orGerman andSwiss shave horses (as pictured) give a longer lever-ratio, creating greatermechanical advantage and thus greater force to trap the wood very securely.
Shave-horses are commonly workshop-made by their user and entirely wooden, though modern screws, washers, metal sleeves and threaded bolts with locking nuts are a very welcome and practical innovation, allowing re-tightening or capability to be knocked-down as necessary.
For the itinerantbodgers, simplicity and lightness of their tools was important, thus the bodgers often created their shave horses from logs found in their woodland plot.
Mike Dunbar, a now retired Windsor chairmaker,[5] has posted a blog decrying the use of the shave horse for actual production work: "I do not use a shave horse. When asked why, I answer, 'Why would I impose a pay cut on myself?' That is in effect the result of using this tool. It is so limiting that it slows down the chairmaker and costs him income. I prefer a vise. Using a vise I am standing, not sitting, and I am far more productive and efficient. I work far faster, using less energy."[6]Mike Dunbar was widely criticised for this commentary following the blog post's publication. Most well-known Windsor chairmakers would use and employ a well made shave horse in the production of their chairs to great effect.[citation needed]
