Shaving Horse - Do I need one?

[hickry]

Hey guys.  I see the other thread about the shaving horse and have a question.  I don't currently have one and have never used, or seen, one.  As it is, I'm always struggling to find a way to hold my wood while I'm working on it... ESPECIALLY when I'm really trying to "hog" the wood off.  I'm, somewhat, satisfied with the setup I'm using when the wood gets to the tillering stage.  Question is... is a shaving horse a good tool for using w/ drawknife when cutting to get a LOT of wood off in a hurry??? Or is it mainly for the finer shaving when tillering, etc?

[Pat B]

Hickry, A shaving horse is an excellent bow making tool but not necessary. I don't use mine for hogging off bark and wood. I do that on a big bench vice. I use my horse mostly for tiller work. The original shaving horses were used to reduce wood for different projects. It would work for hogging off wood but I prefer a well planted vice.     Pat

[John Scifres]

A stable bench, a quality vise, a sharp drawknife and good technique are more effective than brute force when you need to move a lot of wood fast.  A bandsaw is even better.  

I had a shaving horse when I first started making bows and only used it rarely.

[onemississipp]

Hickry,
  A shave horse is not a must, a vice will hold a stave better any day of the week.

Some of us just like the shave horse, something to do with traditional maybe.

I use the shave horse because, I really enjoy my back hurting! No, well, maybe...I like it because I can get out under the huge Osage shade tree and peel bark and sap wood, then flip the stave on the side and shave a profile.

[hickry]

Thanks guys... sounds like I need to get set up w/ a vise...

[George Tsoukalas]

There's a bow bench described on my site. Jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/

[The Gopher]

i sure like my shave horse but there is one big downfall. i have just a small shop to work in and it takes up a lot of floor space. since i do a lot of woodworking other than bows, it can get in the way sometimes. but when i use it i love it.

[Bjorn]

A shave horse is fine; but a good vise set up works at least as well for me and offers more flexibility for other jobs.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I use a picnic bench and some clamps. Wish I had a horse & vice. But That works for me. I'm going to build one here soon.

[Eric Krewson]

When I was obsessed with cutting osage I used my horse while removing bark and sapwood. I now use my bench vise for all my initial stave work and finish work as well, no longer use my shave horse. I remove bark while a stave is in my bench vise and bandsaw most of the sapwood off.

[hickry]

Thanks for the input guys.  Nice site George!

[elkslayer]

No its just a bid bulky tool that is not needed. I would say a good vise is much better tool.

[Adam Keiper]

I've hogged the bark off of countless osage staves by leaning them against a tree, or over a log or bench while stradling one end.  I also learned, I think from a photo of Tim Baker, that you can throw two loose loops of rope around a stave, tie the ends together, and cam your foot into the double rope loop to hold a stave tight across across your thigh.  It works tolerably well...tolerably if you can stand the vee of a 40# log split digging into your thigh.  :^)

I don't like shaving horses.  They don't hold a stave securely enough to suit me and I don't like to work while sitting down.  I have a vise on a pedestal lagged to my basement floor that I really like.  I recently recycled my old shaving horse and made a takedown vise bench to use for working outside.  3 bolts keep it together.  Some pics:

The tree brace.  Particularly effective when you employ your children to do the actual work.  :^)
 

The permanent, lagged to the basement (or garage) floor vise.

 The takedown vise.
 
 
 
 
 
 

[hickry]

Great post Adam!  Thanks guys.