As part of our traditional woodcrafts program we enjoy teaching some the simplest, most visceral types of woodworking. Bodging (what a wonderful word) is the traditional craft of working with air dried or green wood to make chair components. A shaving horse is one of the key components of a bodger's toolkit.
Shaving horses are creeping back into the mainstream as manufacturer's like Lie-Neilsen offer high end shaving horses. We offer you a chance to make a shaving horse and to learn the traditional skill of using a drawknife to make components for chairs and stools.
In both classes you'll get to build a shaving horse and take home a shaving horse.
In the week long "Building and Using a Shaving Horse" you also get to develop your hand skills with a draw knife by building a simple three legged stool and to practice making staves for a Windsor chair.
In the shorter three day class you will just build the Shaving Horse.
This shaving horse borrows ideas from chairmakers Brian Boggs and Drew Langsner who in turn borrowed some of their ideas from previous Swiss and German craftsmen. These horses are part of a long and honorable tradition.
We've found a good local source for some old growth douglas fir and you'll use that to build the horse. The horse will be a knock down construction -- bolted together to allow dissasembly for easy transport. The seat will be saddled like a chair seat using chairmakers tools.
Building and Using a Shaving Horse
Class size 10
Cost $650
Materials Charge: $95
Minimum enollment: 4
Shaving Horse in a Weekend
Class size 10
Cost $390
Materials Charge: $60
