A shave horse is a vertical lever and fulcrum used to apply clamping pressure. It's operated by pressing on a toe plate at one end of the lever, forcing the top of the horse to clamp a work piece to its table. Materials:
Wood for work surface, about 30" x 30" x 1/2"
Table saw
Drill
Screws
Wood for lever, about 42" x 2 1/2" x 1/2"
Two strips of wood for braces, about 24" x 2" x 1/2"
5/8" drill bit
5/8" dowel
Two 6" x 6" x 1/2" blocks for gussets
Band saw
Two 12" x 12" x 1/2" wood blocks for the foot plate and the hand plate
Wood glue
- Use the table saw to cut a 7" by 2 1/2" slot in the work surface to hold the lever (figure A).
- On the back of the work surface, use screws to install the two braces on either side of the slot (figure B).
- Place the lever in the slot, and drill a 5/8" hole through the braces and the lever. Insert the dowel through the hole to hold the lever in place between the braces.
- Use a band saw to cut the two 6" x 6" x 1/2" blocks into right triangles (figure C), creating four gussets.
- Glue two gussets to the top of the lever, one on either side (figure D). Screw them into place.
- Glue the hand plate to the protruding edges of the gussets (figure E). Screw the hand plate into place.
- Glue the remaining two gussets to the bottom of the lever, one on either side. Screw them into place.
- Glue the foot plate onto the protruding edges of the bottom gussets. Screw the foot plate into place.
- To use the shave horse, place the work piece under the hand plate. Step on the foot plate to hold the work piece.
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