The Wooden Horse’s Weblog

Recently, I was asked by the CNIB to donate an article to their fundraiser auction. I thought a handmade rocking horse would fit the bill. This is the story of this build.

I selected pine as it is easy to work and is relatively inexpensive. The process is straight forward, but there are a few tricky bits.

1. When lumber is selected, dimensional lumber is used. Even  though, it costs more than rough cut lumber. I save time by using prefinished wood…time is money.  Lumber should be straight ,thus, avoiding twists or cupping in the wood. Generally, I take the section templates with me to the store. I can use them to do a rough layout ensuring that I have the right amount of lumber.

2. In the shop, the layout is double checked and the pieces are given a final trace . Then all pieces are rough cut to shape and left to acclimatize to the workshop. After a day or two, all pieces are cut to shape on the band saw. A little extra (about 1/8th inch) is left so that I can sand up to the line.

3. Pieces are joined to check for an even fit. Each leg is made from 2 pieces of 3/4 inch pine. The head comprises of 3 sections and the body has five.

4. Contours and edges are rough sanded so that shapes are more defined. I attempt to sand the body contours with a belt sander… portable and table top models. It is slow work to define facial features.

5. Leg pieces are glued up, being careful not to have glue ooze out from the seams. When dry, I drill a 1/4 inch hole to insert a dowel that will reinforce the legs structure.

6.  Attaching the head to the body, biscuits are used as they provide strength and aid in alignment of the head to the body. These are cut before any glue ups.

7. Next, the three centre body parts are glued together.  When dry, two 1 inch holes are drilled that will house the support posts.

8. Following the head glue up, it is attached to the body.

9. More sanding and shaping, then the outer parts of the body are attached. Throughout, dowels are used to keep the parts in correct alignment.

10. The base is made up of two runners and top platform. They are attached to a box into which, holes for the support posts, have been drilled.

11. Moving onto finer grit of sandpaper, a smoother surface is created.

12.  The legs are fastened and the body is slipped onto the support posts which have been inserted in the base.

All that is left is to coat the surface. Will I use a clear coat of polyurethane or stain it to give it character?