A Shaving Horse for Kids!

Introducing our Adjustable and Portable Shaving Horse for Kids!

At our Heritage Woodcraft Centre, we have a varied stable of Shaving Horses, but I have been conscious for a while that none of them suit the younger kids that we work with. The kids’ legs are too short to effectively use them. So it was time to create a small kids-sized Shaving Horse.

To get the optimum fit, the Shaving Horse for kids needed to have plenty of adjustment. Hence the Ramp Assembly (and the Seat) can be slid along the bed rails, in 100mm (4 inch) increments. This feature would also lend itself to the Shaving Horse for kids being easily pulled apart for transport or storage. Being on the English Bodger Style, the treadle arm has 4 possible positions, as well as the lift block under the ramp being able to give further adjustment of the gap between the ramp and the rotating head of the treadle frame. This further enables the optimum leg length for the child using the device. So it is very adjustable and portable!

It is amazing how quickly kids learn to turn and rotate their work using this traditional foot operated vice. We love the Shaving Horse! We did a test-drive of this design recently at the WA Wood Show, where we had 4 of these new kids sized Shaving Horses in action for the 3 days of the event, where kids could just hop on and have a go. Almost none of them’d had previous experience with either a Shaving Horse or a Spokeshave – and they loved it! Some kids stayed there for hours, having to be dragged off eventually by their parents! It was a great way of testing the design and construction. Hands down, it proved a winner.

We have plans available for purchase!

What a fantastic way to help your kids discover the joys of traditional hand tool woodworking! We have made up easy to follow plans, available in pdf format, which are now available from our shop.

Your kids or grandkids will thank you forever!