Rocking Horse Documentary

[Louis Bois]

Hello Everyone!!!

I'd like to start this thread by appologizing for my lack of contributions these past months. I've been extremely busy (I know, excuses...excuses...) and checking in only occasionally to try and keep up with all the great info being dished out so generously. I'd like to make up for it with this thread...

With the holidays fast approaching, some of you may be scrambling for ideas...what would be THE perfect gift for that special child in your lives? If you have some time, a bit of skill with hand tools and lots of patience, you could build one of these...yes, you COULD!!!

I hope I'm not being presumptious in my assumption that some of you may be interested in following my journey into the world of heirloom toys. In any event, it's definitely not required reading and can easily be ignored. In the hope that some of you may find it interesting, here is what I am proposing to do.

I have about 2 months, give or take a few days, until my son's 3rd birthday and if you haven't already guessed it, I'm planning to build him a rocking horse (on a swing/safety stand as opposed to rockers). I'll be using Anthony Dew's excellent book entitled "The Rocking Horse Maker" as my guide. I'm not approaching this as a total "newbie" as I've already built a few of the simpler horses from the aforementioned book. I will, however, be tackling the "medium size" horse this time, which involves a bit more carving and detailing in general. I will also be painting this horse...something I haven't done before. I would like to share the build process with you by documenting my progress, step by step...as it happens...so that you may take this journey with me.

Here are a few photos to get the ball rolling. The wood piled on my workbench will cover most of the material for the head and body...minus the legs and stand. I plan to bandsaw the parts to shape to save a bit of time, but most of the rest of the process will be done with hand tools. I've also attached photos of my previous attempts...the natural one was first, a gift for my godson (about 10 years ago)...and a "half-size" horse that I built as a decoration for my mom's house a few years ago...to whet your appetites, so to speak. Here we go.:eek:

I cannot provide plans for this project (due to copyrights on the material) but the book is available at most large bookstores.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Best Regards,

Louis

p.s. I finally get to use that lovely "Forge Royale" carver's vise that I acquired a while back!!!:D:D

[Roy Wall]

Louis,

Boy - long time no hear from you.......good to have you back!!!

Looking forward to the tutorial...and your always entertaining verbage..:cool:

[Mike Armstrong]

I know I'll be following along closely. I've been thinking about doing something like this for my grandkids, but haven't started on anything yet. I really enjoy carving and am now working on a bust of Chief James A. Garfield Velarde. By the time I have that done, I'll be in good shape to take full advantage of your tutorial. Nice to know about that book, too.

Mike

[Louis Bois]

Roy, it's good to be back!!! ...and verbage you say?? Moi?!? hehehe...
I see you've been rubbing elbows with local celebrities...you certainly do get around! At the rate you're learning, you'll be the Master of the Universe in no time.:eek: Please remember me when you get to the top. :D

Mike, I'm glad that you're interested in the thread...I'll try and keep it entertaining and informative...and please post photos of Chief Velarde when you are so inclined.

I'm in trouble now...I've made it public and have no choice but to finish this project within the allotted deadline...January 21st!

[James Mittlefehldt]

Welcome back Louis and may I say you are a braver man than me to post a follow along project like this and then a definite finish date. I rarely finish on time or under budget, hell I have never done that.

Just curious though what is the wood you are using for this project?

[Louis Bois]

Howdy James! I'm using Basswood for the head and body...hard maple for the legs...and probably ash or oak for the base. I'll be painting this horse, so the wood was selected for its "ease of carving" characteristics. Basswood carves easily and holds detail incredibly well...as I'm sure you know.

...and with regards to the deadline...I'm planning a few days off work, just to be safe!

Cheers,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

A wee bit of progress tonight...made some templates and traced the patterns onto the wood in the most economical way...

On to the bandsaw...hopefully tomorrow.

[Louis Bois]

I had a short stint in the basement tonight before being called away on Daddy-Duty!!!

I thicknessed the few pieces that needed it and planed the handsawn surfaces flat. I even managed to get some bandsawing in before the beloved call.

In any event, I should be starting to carve the head this weekend...chanting the deadline mantra...only 65 days to go!:eek:

Cheers,

[Louis Bois]

WeeeEEELLllllll...things are about to get a whole lot more innerestin'...

I've got the head all glued up and ready for carving...which is the next step by the way. The head will get carved basically to completion before it gets attached to the body. This makes it easier to handle during this most complicated part of the project...and besides, if I screw up now, it's easier to just make another head than to tear one off a finished body.

My son decided to take a supervisory role...now that he's taken an active interest in his horse. He doesn't want to ride a piece of junk...and he wants it ON TIME!!! He's a tough boss. I had to make him a little dowel block toy to keep him off my back while I glued the head components together.:eek:

This is it...I need to sharpen my tools and make that first cut...the deepest of all, so they say.:cool:

See y'all Sunday night!

[Howie French]

Louis,

I am enjoying this tutorial as well, I look forward to following this to the end.
Thanks for posting this.


Howie

[James Mittlefehldt]

Don't you hate it when the boss insists on looking over your shoulder Louis.

Actually I suspect he will recall these few months witha great deal of fondness later in his life so there is that I am sure.

Enjoying this thread very much, maybe sometime there should be an Ontario Creeker get together.

[Louis Bois]

First of all...Yes James, sounds like a plan...though it will have to wait until after January 21st!!!:D

A short note on some of the tools I'll be using for the project.

In the photo below, you'll see the basics of what I usually use, namely rasps of every description, a few gouges, a jeweler's saw, etc... There aren't many finesse tools required, but I sometimes will go to a few detail chisels for the mouth and inside the ears and nostrils.

My first horse (depicted above with a green saddle) was built using only a few handsaws, a set of 5 Marples blue chip chisels and a Marples jack (#5) plane. That's pretty much it.

My old carver's vise is working out wonderfully...much better than I had hoped it would, considering the size of the head I'm carving. Those 1/4" thick leather jaw liners just grab the work. I LOVE IT!!! Too bad Walmart doesn't carry them.:cool::rolleyes:

[Louis Bois]

I managed to get a few hours in today...but progress is always slow at the beginning. Call it the "rusty" syndrome. The biggest mistake (if you can call it that) that beginners make is to not remove enough material and the end result looks "chunky". This is better than the alternative in which too much material is removed.

The best advice I can give is to go slowly, working both sides of the head simultaneously to give a good sense of overall progress and symmetry. It's very difficult to mess up the carving this way. Keep drawing guidelines as material is removed to avoid getting carried away. It's very easy to get ambitious when things are going well...this can lead to a horse that looks like it came from Picasso's brush. A scary thought.

So to sum it up, my mantra would be "Slow and Steady". You'll notice that I've adhered to this principle as my horse's ears are looking quite fat! I'll fix this tomorrow...supervisor willing!:o

G'Night.

p.s. You may notice that some images are fairly weird in perspective...no, it's not the weak beer you Americans drink:D, I've been experimenting with a new wide angle lens...hehehe...:p

[James Mittlefehldt]

I assume those rasps are the Auriou rasps that Lee VAlley carries now I wondered how you liked them? Also I could not help notice your wood storage system in the background, is that the system that was featured in last years FWW tools and Shops edition?

I built the same one though I did not get quite as fancy with the ends of the supports. I love seeing other people's shops and how they do stuff.

One more question then I will be quiet where was it you got the vise again?

[Louis Bois]

Yes James, those are the Auriou's from Lee Valley. I really like them!!! They cut quickly and smoothly...just the way a quality rasp should.

The storage system was copied from "The Workshop Book"...a companion to the workbench book...and toolbox book. There's a plan for it in the back of the book.

As for the vise? Check out my profile...go to all threads started by me...and check out the one entitled, "come all ye carvers and drool".

stay tuned for progress pics on the horse...

[Louis Bois]

I'm happy to say that I haven't srewed up yet! Just jinxed myself, didn't I?

Dang, this thing's starting to look like a horse!!! I managed to get a few hours in today to start refining the head carving. This is the most complicated part of the whole project...for me, anyway...so it's good to get it over with at the beginning...all downhill from here.;)

I'm putting my rasps to good use, smoothing out the flowing lines between facial elements. So far, 2 tools are getting the bulk of the workout, the Lee Valley lemon zester rasp:eek: (that's a great tool for removing material quickly) and the Warren fishtail gouge (also from LV). That little gouge is a real workhorse and fits the hand well.

I cleaned up the ears, eyes, nose and cheeks though they still need attention, especially the lumps over the eyes. Then it's on to the mouth, chin and under the neck.

The first 3 photos below are from earlier this afternoon while the last 2 are the most recent shots from this evening. I think it's coming along reasonably well, dontcha think?!?

More as it happens...

Bonsoir,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

Didn't get too much time in the shop tonight, so I didn't want to begin anything too drastic. I removed more material to thin the appearance somewhat. I'm slowly working my way to the mouth/chin areas to get those roughed out closer to finished size.

I managed to get the brows scaled down to give it a more balanced appearance...less neanderthal, if you will.:rolleyes:

I'm hoping to have the head completed this weekend...at least that would keep me in line with my makeshift schedule...but the holidays are coming quickly and that can only kill my workshop time...parties, parties and more parties.

One of the things that helps the most when attempting a project like this - photos...and lots of them!!! I find there are never enough reference photos from step A to B, etc...so I'll try to post as many as possible during the course of the most complex parts. I've already missed a few steps, but I think the book fills this void quite nicely.

Arivaderci!

[Louis Bois]

more photos...

[Louis Bois]

A few more hours into the project and I've started to round out the sharp areas a bit more...hopefully it will be obvious!!! I rough sanded some areas to get a feel for the overall symmetry of the head.

Now I'll begin to get into some nitty-gritty details, such as the cheek and jaw muscles, as well as the mouth and nose area.

The ears are looking a bit more proportional now that I've taken more material off and started to hollow them out.

I'm still hoping to finish the head this weekend...wish me luck!!!

If there are any questions about the process so far, I'll be happy to fill in any gray areas.

...and the journey continues...

[Louis Bois]

The last batch for this evening...added a bit of muscle detail in the face...and started on the mouth.

[Howie French]

looking good Louis !, Being someone who doesn't carve ,it's really neat to see the progress step by step. Thanks for posting.


Howie

[Louis Bois]

Thanks Howie. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far...

I've managed to catch a bit of a cold from my son (Daycare syndrome!!) so work has been sporadic.

I've finished rough sanding the head and fine tuning the ears, mouth and cheeks. I'm still not sure if I've removed enough material from the lower part of the head, namely in the mouth/chin areas. Any comments? Should I remove more?

In any event, I'll be moving on with attaching the head to the upper body block and attaching the neck muscle blocks as well. I can stare at the head for the next few weeks as I work on the rest and revisit it if it doesn't pass muster.

I still need to buy lumber for the legs and stand. I'll probably get that next weekend.

From there, the whole thing goes together...then it's more carving, shaping and sanding. The worst is actually complete...although I'm dreading the painting stage as I've never done it...and if there's anything that can mess this up? it's the paint!!!:eek:

Cheers,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

more pics...sorry to overload the bandwidth!!!

[Pam Niedermayer]

Approaching masterful, Louis. I especially like the muzzle/nostril work. I have a question about the back right top tooth, though. My guess is its curve in the back is to accommodate the bit. Correct? Is that what's done with real horses? I used to ride and never noticed such a cutting away, but those days were in my preconscious, adolescent period. :)

Pam

[Louis Bois]

OMG Pam!:eek: I hope they don't do that to REAL horses!!!! It's actually just a product of drilling a hole to shape the mouth in the initial stages of cutting the head. The bit will fit nicely in this area, but it wasn't intentially for this purpose. I could square off the teeth and hollow out a cavity behind them, but it's a difficult place to reach.

Perhaps some real horse folk will be able to add insight here...but to my knowledge, the bit rests behind the teeth...without modifications to the teeth. Whew!

...and with regards to your "preconscious, adolescent days", you really mean your "boy crazy" days, right?;)

...and thanks for the kind words...

Louis

[James Mittlefehldt]

WAs away for the weekend so did not see all these pictures till Monday morning.

Looking real good Louis, I think in answer to your question up there that you should be real careful taking anymore away, as we all know it's easy to remove but difficult to replace wood.

I have a question to, do you find the wood to be hard top smooth, ie is it fuzzy when you sand it, being so soft and all?

[Louis Bois]

James, I know what you mean about removing more wood...and my skills of screwing things up at the eleventh hour are impeccable!:o I'll probably just fine tune it with sanding at a later date...before painting.

With regards to sanding basswood, it is a bit fuzzy in the lower grits, but this disappears at about 150 and beyond. Though basswood is soft, it's still a hardwood. The difference is obvious when you put it next to a piece of pine. I'd hate to be carving this horse out of pine!

[Louis Bois]

Pam, what happenend to your reply? I was just about to answer it and found it to be deleted...

No worries and I didn't take it personally. In fact, many of those stereotypes still exist today! Thanks for the post.

Louis

[Louis Bois]

I've been suffering from a head cold...so progress has been slow. I managed to get an hour in this evening.

The photos below show how I planed the neck muscle blocks flat on the bottom so they sit flush on the body slab and flat against the horse's head.

Firstly, the carved head gets dowelled and glued to the upper body slab.

Secondly, the 4 muscle blocks will get glued to the head and upper body slab.

As you'll notice in the photos below, the head will be angled off to the left somewhat to give the horse a bit more life. This definitely adds to the illusion of movement moreso than leaving everything in a straight line. It's a bit of extra work, but it's worth it IMHO. This step is well described in Mr. Dew's book.

I'm still waiting on lumber for the legs which I hope to have this weekend. That will be the next step before gluing the whole body together. The legs will get carved almost to completion before they are glued and screwed to the body. Stay tuned for more horsey fun!!!:D

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

more pics...

[Roy Wall]

Louis,

Looking VERY GOOD my man....this is fun to watch! Well Done!

You bench looks terrific....I remember you starting the thread when you built it.....but never saw the finished product until now. I bet you are well pleased! How thick did you make the top? Would you change anything about the bench?

Keep up the terrific work!!:)

[Mike Armstrong]

Lookin' good, Louis!

So, do you have photos or sketches to look at as you work? Frontal view, profile, etc.? Do you transfer any measurements from them to your work?

In the case of the Indian I'm doing, I have a front view photo of him, but only a generic Indian profile. My carving instructor says that in trying to do a particular person, I should transfer measurements from the photo to the carving to get an accurate carving. Otherwise, the final result may very well not look like the real person.

I guess after you've done a few horses [or Indians], you get feel for that particular look and can carve it without having to rely as much on a photo or model, right?

Looking forward to more in progress photos.

Mike

[Howie French]

Louis,

this is really looking great, your work is very impressive !
I can't wait to see the head blend into the body.

Keep up the great work !



Howie

[Louis Bois]

Thank you all for the comments...

Roy - the bench is "almost" finished. I still haven't glued down the top caps on the tail vise, or put a "finish" on the whole bench. Right now, it's "au-naturel" as they say. I'm not putting glue anywhere near it! I was well on my way to finishing up the tail vise when I noticed how much time I had left to finish my son's horse. So I stopped. I'll probably finish it over the holidays. As to the top? It's 2 1/2" thick. So far I'm pleased with the bench's versatility. One thing I will be adding is a "sliding deadman" on the front. I'm not a big fan of having extra little stands to hold long lumber. I'd rather have it as part of the bench.

Mike - I'm basically just looking at images in the book I'm using, as well as using the internet as a model resource. I downloaded a bunch of pics and simply apply the features that I like. It does get easier as you carve more of the same subject. The first one was pretty hairy!:eek: I also have templates that I made when rough cutting the shapes - I made a few sketches on them to get a feel for the locations of various parts of the face, such as the eyes, ear positions and nose. I refer to these often to make sure I'm on the right track. The rest just comes from slowly working both sides and trying to keep some symmetry.

Howie - hang in there...I need to get the wood for those legs first!!! If my initial source falls through, I'll have to drive a few hours to pick it up myself...hopefully this weekend!

[Pam Niedermayer]

Pam, what happenend to your reply? I was just about to answer it and found it to be deleted...

No worries and I didn't take it personally. In fact, many of those stereotypes still exist today! Thanks for the post.

Louis

Oh, I didn't intend to kill the thread, so I deleted it, decided to chalk it up to a bad day. Not that I didn't mean what I said, but that it didn't need to be said here.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Well, I'm back in the saddle...so to speak.

My wood source came through (thanks Exotic Woods in Burlington) and I was able to forge along with the legs.

At this point, I'd like to thank my mom...for she bought me my bandsaw many moons ago. My wife and I had just bought a house and were short on funds...and my mom bought me the best Craftsman bandsaw at the time. It's been a real timesaver...especially with projects such as these legs! I used a coping saw for the first horse I made...something I'm not eager to repeat unless it's absolutely necessary. So in honour of my mom, I nicknamed my bandsaw "La Toune" which is a short, affectionate form (in French) for my mom's middle name, Antoinette. THANKS MOM.

Now we move along. The next step is to shape the legs to near completion before attaching them to the main body. It's easier to manipulate them at this stage, much as the horse head was before attaching it to the body. I'm hoping to have enough time to finish the rough carving this weekend...though I'm having trouble shaking this bloody cold!!!

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

This day yielded a little more time but I'm finding time constraints are starting to be a bear!!!

I rough-shaped the legs with various rasps.

The next step will be to cut the notches in the bottom body block (slab) to receive the legs. These notches have to be cut with included angles to get the legs to splay correctly. The rear ones are relatively straightforward...but the front notches are a bit of a compound affair. There's no rocket science here, it just all seems to work out. The plans in the book illustrate this fairly well and the text reinforces the geometry involved. It pays to be careful here...as it's fairly easy to get wrong. Everything must be marked carefully so that the legs splay out...not IN!!!:eek:

Tomorrow, I'll hopefully be able to get the legs attached to the body...and possibly finish gluing the head and neck muscle blocks to the upper body block.

Right now, things look like an abattoir! Legs here...head there...kinda messy. Let's see what Frankenbois can do!

Goodnight.

ps...here ya go Roy...an end vise without the top caps istalled...guts to the air for all to see!

[Louis Bois]

This cold is getting the better of me...didn't make much progress with getting the whole body together.

I did get the lower body block milled to spec. and those pesky compound cuts for the front and rear legs. It's pretty thick material to be doing fancy joinery, especially when all the joints will get rounded over once the parts are glued together. The only crucial part is to make sure the joints are nice and flat to get the best glue bond.

The following photos show the legs screwed to the lower body block as I check for the correct splay before gluing them together and adding the leg muscle blocks.

Once these are glued together, the top of the lower body block gets planed flat to receive the rest of the main body blocks.

It may be a few days before I post more...need sleep.

Adieu.

[Roy Wall]

Louis,

Things are er...er..shaping up nicely!! Looks good!

On the topcap....you could put a series of dowel pins protruding from the lower section in perfect register with MULTIPLE TOP CAPS! You know, different woods and colors for the four seasons, holidays, Democrats or Republican Elections...etc..... You know....a little change of pace when you see fit!!:cool:

Some of my ideas are off color.....best not to post........:eek:

[Louis Bois]

Thanks Roy...and I like the idea of multiple top caps, but perhaps just a different coloured flag in the bride?!?...and I still don't understand American politics.:D Go Florida...or is it Ohio?:p

Another sick day...this thing's been going on longer than most. Must be a good strain!

Managed to glue some stuff up tonight...as the pics will attest.

Now back to bed.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Still great stuff, Louis; but what a load of wood they require. Do you have an estimate of the materials costs? Different woods for different parts?

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Pam,

Here's the basic material breakdown...

Main body minus the legs - Basswood - about 200 CAN

Legs - Hard Maple - 70 CAN

Stand - Black Walnut (this is what I'm using) - 150 CAN

Just under 500 bucks for the wood. The big expense lies in the accessory kit! That's about 400 bucks and comes with all the hardware, leatherware and real horse hair main and tail. Much of the cost can be cut down if you make your own saddle, etc... I won't have the time to do it myself this time around...so I'll have to bite the bullet on this one.

Now you can appreciate why these things sell for 3 to 4 thousand dollars!!!

Cheers.

[Pam Niedermayer]

I've never priced a new horse, but based on what you're doing, I'd say $3-4,000 is cheap. And basswood is not all that easy to come by these days, especially in big chunks. Just for kicks I checked out the completed auctions on ebay. There are only a couple or three that appear to be of your quality, and they are antiques.

Thanks,
Pam

[Louis Bois]

DAGNABBIT Pam!!!! You mean I could've just bought one?!?:eek::rolleyes:

[Pam Niedermayer]

Nah, they look kind of scruffy. :)

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Well kids, it's time for the half-time stretch!!! I've got all the major parts of the horse cut to size and ready to glue together.

I planed the tops of the legs flush with the lower body block...scrub planes are wonderful, aren't they?!? I then sized up the middle body blocks, 2 long side pieces and 2 smaller end pieces.

I already had the head and neck muscle blocks glued down.

So now, all that remains is to glue all the parts together and remove everything that doesn't look like a horse. There's an awful lot of wood to remove, but it's mostly grunt work.

Once the horse is more or less carved to the finished shape, a decision has to be made about how much detail to carve into the body. Since this particular horse will be painted, most of the finesse will be lost. The best we can expect are a few neat shadow lines and a few possible paint highlights in appropriate areas.

I'll glue "old what's-his-name" up this weekend. Guess my son has to come up with a name soon...I'm up for suggestions in case we fall short on ideas.

Adios,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

...more pics of horse precariously put together...nobody sneeze!!!!

[Pam Niedermayer]

This is almost as good as when we'd hover around someone trying to fix some software, watching every move [sic], "helping" with advice. Love watching other people work. It's looking very, very good.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Thank you Pam. It's nice to have you (and other SMC'ers) looking over my shoulder. Sorry I didn't clean up the place...you can keep your shoes on.

One of the reasons the place is in disarray...my water boiler blew up a while back. I cleaned up the place after that event. Then, last year, we found some tree roots (more like small trees) growing in our main drain. A plumber dug that up this summer...another mess. So now, I'm just leaving it in disrepair, getting a head start on the next disaster. At least the basement's dry...and I can flush without any fear!:cool:

Cheers.

[Tom Sontag]

Louis,

I am brand new to this thread and enjoyed the entire journey. Thanks for taking the time to show us the step-by-step progress.

Two points: 1 - You would probably get more comments from others if any of us could actually imagine being good enough to tackle something like this. I suspect most are just sitting there slack jawed like I found myself more than once.

2 - Whenever I try to carve or sculpt something in three dimensions, I find that having a three dimensional model is by far the easiest approach. Do you think the book you are using is an adequate substitute? How many zillion pictures of horses have you studied? Do you wish you had a pony to model for you? Are you shooting for any particular breed?

[Louis Bois]

Hi Tom,

Welcome to my nightmare!!!:eek: No, not really. I'm having a blast, even with this deadline hanging over me. Now to answer your questions...

Thanks for the compliments...I'm simply doing it to hopefully encourage others to take the plunge and start with a carving project of their own...although I draw the line at little rosettes on the side of toilet paper holders.:o ...not that there's anything wrong with that!:rolleyes:

...side note...did you ever get around to building that carver's vise?:D

I do indeed wish I had a pony to model for me...but alas, I have a very small basement.
The book is reasonable with regards to giving good step photos of carvings in progress...I find it helps to scour the web for photos of old rocking horses...and I acquired an amazing book: "THE ROCKING HORSE: A history of moving toy horses" by Patricia Mullins. It's not cheap, but if you plan on making a few of these, it is absolutely packed with examples of the most wonderful horses.

As to specific breeds? I'm pretty much shooting for "horse" at the moment :p with a traditional "dapple gray" painted finish.

...and now on to a progress report.

I didn't get much shop time this weekend, but I managed to glue up the entire body! I even put a few newspapers, family photos and a note to the future in the body cavity. Hopefully, these documents will never be seen...:rolleyes:

I also started to carve the recesses under the body at the front and rear. I managed another hour this evening to start carving the neck. This is an absolute joy to do...nice straight grain...the gouge just "swooshes" through the wood. It's so therapeutic.

It's going to be a crazy week at the Bois household...so I don't know If I'll get to do anything until next Sunday!!! Hope you enjoy the pics.

Have a great week!!!

[Louis Bois]

Addendum...a pic of flattening the body cavity before gluing the top...and a cool sunset shot from last night!

[Tom Sontag]

I was going to mention the carving vise project. Um, er, it is still in the planning stage. :o

To be honest, the vise is still on the list and I have done a small amount of carving since you so generously sent me those plans. I have some wood chosen and have discussed custom hardware with a metalworking buddy. Will I ever get through the honey do list?

Cool idea about the time capsule.

[Louis Bois]

...just a quick one tonight...managed to get another half hour in the dungeon...carved the neck a bit more. I'll try and be diligent with carving pics from now on as things will be changing quickly...stay tuned.

nighty-night.

[Pam Niedermayer]

This stallion is going to scare your boy, he's so muscular and strong, wonderful.

A method question: Do you push or hit chisels for the major, first shaping?

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Yes Pam...this is going to be an Assateague wild pony on steroids!!!:eek:

As to the method question: I usually push the gouge until it gets dull...then I break out the mallets and whack the c@#$ out of it:D

...just kidding. So far, the only work the mallets have seen was to start the small muscle blocks on the legs. That hard maple is REALLY hard. Aside from that, I find I get the most control just pushing the tool...one hand pushes at the back and the lead hand guides the tool while resting the palm on the work. I know that some carvers use mallets for the whole process except for the final detailing. I'm not quite comfortable with that yet.

Louis

[Pam Niedermayer]

Yes Pam...this is going to be an Assateague wild pony on steroids!!!:eek:...

Then his name should be Chesapeake or Chincoteague.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Great names Pam...I'll toss them at the wain and see what he thinks!:p

...a few more snippets of time in the tar pits this evening...and a realization: ONLY 39 DAYS LEFT!!!!!:eek::eek::eek: Yikes.

In the following pics, you'll notice that the neck muscles are slowly blending more fluently into the neck. I'm removing wood in layers until I get all the sharp angles to merge into curves. I'll then start roughing out the body to get a better feel for the contours around the shoulders and haunches.

Once these basic areas are established, I'll start to refine the musculature and blend in the legs, which still need a fair bit of work. I'm hoping to get some primo time over the holidays...but I'm not holding my breath.

Buh-Bye.

[Louis Bois]

Parties!!! These things have been plaguing me since the middle of last week. no sooner had I overcome...well, mostly overcome...my cold than these system weakening parties began to rear their ugly heads. Guess we really need to learn how to say no. It's really not that easy.

Sporadic would barely describe my shop time of late. I've been sneaking down to the pit between dinner courses...pretending to go to the washroom...need to get a tool to fix that leaky faucet...only to emerge 15 minutes later with another leg muscle roughly shaped. That's what my week has been like.

Collectively, I've probably logged about 4 hours this week. Not that great.

I'm giving the neck a rest to advance other stages of carving. I'm essentially trying to blend all the sharp corners into flowing lines. I started with the leg muscles and then worked my way up...aside from starting to shape the hooves. The photos are relatively self-explanatory.

I'm going to continue giving my horse the "Jenny Craig" treatment until he gets somewhere near Oprah's shape :D. Ahem...moving right along...

I've reposted an old pic alongside the new ones for comparison.

sleepytime is a lovely time...

[Louis Bois]

...a few more detail pics...

[Pam Niedermayer]

That's a great idea to use an earlier photo to mark progress, keeps up one's spirits and the like. I've run out of good things to say about this work, so someone else should definitely chime in about now. :)

Pam

[Marc Waldbillig]

Pam,

I'd like to say something but have no clue what. The work in progress is terrible, the light on the pics is gorgeous, the speed is fantastic. I daily return to Louis' shed and look how he unveals the horse out of the wood. No definitely, I have nothing to add or write, only sitting here and admiring :o

Marc in Luxembourg

P.s.: Bought my first carving gouge this saturday, only to have a hint of the feeling :)

[Louis Bois]

Pam, I'm not in it for the glory (else I would have prefaced my post with "wooden horse porn":D). But thanks for your continued patronage:rolleyes:...I just hope I'm not boring the potential "project undertakers". The only reward I hope to gain is the glimmer in my son's eyes as he rides this noble steed.

Mark, thanks for the kind words...and I hope you enjoy the feeling you experience when using your gouge...keep it sharp!!!

Cheers,

Louis

[Wendell Wilkerson]

Louis,

Please keep updating the progress. I love this project. I wish I had your carving skill/talent. I would love to build a rocking horse for my kids. At the rate I finish projects, if I start now, I might get one made for my grandkids (my kids are 3yrs old and 10 months old).

Wendell

[Louis Bois]

Wendell, don't worry...I plan to take this to completion...in front of your eyes...one way or the other.

As for my skills?!? They're no greater than most of you...I consider my greatest skill to be my "patience", which is constantly being put to the test by a very demanding, almost-3-yr-old, and a working staff of very demanding middle-aged 3-yr olds!!!:D I'm conviced that ANYONE can do this. Pick up this book and tackle one of the early projects (which aren't too shabby, by the way). There are great projects in there for kids of all ages. Better yet, go to the library and peruse the pages of the book before you consider buying it...or any other book on carving for that matter.

As to the finishing rate of projects...did you notice the workbench in the background of those photos I've been posting?!? 4 years and counting...still haven't put the top caps on the tail vise. It's a silly thing that just doesn't seem to get done...it's always pushed down the list.

All I can say is that the rewards justify the means...there's no rush, except the rush we impose on ourselves...speaking of which: ONLY 34 DAYS LEFT!!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[Louis Bois]

I hogged away a bit more material around the neck/shoulder area. It's difficult to tell in the photos, but I removed almost half an inch of material.

You'll also notice that the back is still quite flat with only the edges slightly rounded. This will be my next area of attack. I'm not going to round it entirely at this point as it's easier to clamp it down to a work surface while there's still a flat area for stability.

This stage of the game can be a bit depressing as material is removed quickly, yet the overall effect is still very "boxy". Not to worry...this will soon change...mmwwaaahahahahahaha....

There is much material yet to be removed from the sides as well...so I need to start defining the musculature where the legs meet the body...stay tuned for more from: THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE PIT THINGY WHERE THE SUN RARELY SHINES!!!!

OK...I'm tired and it's showing...zzzzzz

[James Mittlefehldt]

I have not been replying lately Louis but rest assured I am watching every step of the way as you post with great interest. Hope that doesn't make you nervous, hundreds of people out there in cyber space, watching every post you make. Well there must be at least a dozen or two, carry on and thanks for the efforts.

I mean it is bad enough you have to do all this work with the boss looking over your shoulder, or around your waist, as I assume he is not that tall, but then you have to sit down and post the pictures and commentery as well.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Hey, did you carve the model on your bench?

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Yes Pam. I'm making a small one for a friend as a prop for her sculptural puppetry character displays. This one will be on traditional rockers as opposed to a safety swing stand...hence the extended front and back legs.

[Jerry Strojny]

Wow,

I don't venture to the Neader forum enough. I definitely will be from now on, if not only to check up on the progress of the horse. This is truly fascinating to watch. Great tutorial.

I am working on some dominos for Christmas gifts.....blocks of wood. That's about my skill level. What you're doing....amazing. I can't wait to see more. (I'll be sending you papers for my adoption, btw, my birthday is in November, so you'll have plenty of time for my horse.)

Seriously though, keep up the great posts and "wooden horse porn".

[Howie French]

Louis, what James said.
I am still checkin'in and things still look great.
Keep up the super work, and thanks for posting


Howie

[Louis Bois]

James, my boss has given me some slack...considering he wants to make sure I can reach Santa to give him "the wishlist"...and all those people watching over my cyber shoulder simply add to my paranoia.:cool:

Jerry, welcome to the neander side...but there's more to it than just this little old thing:o...aw shucks...

Thanks again Howie...

...and on to tonight's progress.

I've shifted my focus back to the neck...don't know why exactly except that I was in the mood to do it. I also took 2 of the legs closer to finished shape to see how they would flow into the body.

I've reposted some of the old pics for comparison to make it easier to spot the changes. I'm amazed at how much material I'm removing on a daily basis.

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

...and a couple more...

[Mark Stutz]

Louis,
Just wanted to offer more encouragement. I look forward to each new installment. You are too modest. This is truly a skill. I have used that line before...Aww, it's not as hard as it looks...when someone comments on a small boxor something, but this is in another class altogether!

Mark

[Louis Bois]

Thanks Mark...but it's really not as difficult as "all that". I still firmly believe than 90% of the members of this forum would be able to pull off a reasonable one of these...really! The trick is to be able to visualize in 3 dimensions. If you can't see what you're trying to carve, the process becomes a lot slower as you have to refine your vision with every step of the process. It can still be done, it just takes more time. I find that sketching guidelines during the whole process helps keep that sense of balance...I do ramble on, don't I?

[Louis Bois]

Another 90 minutes down below and tonight I concentrated on one of the toughest parts to carve...from a brute strength perspective...the chest.

This is one of the toughest areas due to limited access...it's surrounded by legs and chin...not to mention all the conflicting grain directions and tough end grain.

This is a fairly challenging area, not only due to the points mentioned above, but also because of the amount of the material that needs to be shaped. The shoulders come into play here, as well as the lower protruding chest muscles and the blending of the front legs...not to mention the neck. That's a lot to think about when you hit that big gouge with a mallet. One false move and you could take a chunk off the chin...or worse. A slow and steady hand is key here. There's no rush. It's worth doing right as it's a highly visible area.

So far, it's coming together nicely...hence the slow progress in a 90 minute period. I also smoothed the neck with spokeshaves and started blending the neck into the throat to expose the gullet? a bit more.

I think my plan of attack from hereon in will be to finish shaping this front area and work my way towards the back, blending the neck into the back, rounding the swell of the belly and finally the "derriere" and rear legs.

I'm not too worried about the deadline yet...as long as my leather parts, horse hair and metal parts arrive from England in time. I couldn't order them from the shop in Cambridge, ON as Gord was out of stock and wasn't expecting another shipment until at least mid January. That would've cut things a little too close. So I went straight to the source.

Just in case I forget, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best to you and yours in the coming year. May you all be blessed with health and happiness...and an unexplainable urge to carve rocking horses!!!!:D

Cheers,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

2 more for the road...

[Tom Sontag]

Still enjoying the show from this end Louis.

I presume you have plenty of models for the chest, but I to this day remember admiring Secretariat's:

[Louis Bois]

Thanks for the photos Tom. An impressive and majestic beast to say the least! Ron Turcotte (who rode Secretariat to triple crown fame) actually lives a few miles from my home town...nice fellow.

Cheers!

[Pam Niedermayer]

So how will you smooth the chest area? Difficult to get spokeshaves in there.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

...with GREAT difficulty Pam...great difficulty...and my arch-nemesis: sandpaper!! I H-A-T-E sandpaper...oh, and did I mention that I DETEST sandpaper?!? Not to mention my distaste for gritty substances applied to solidified pulp products.

...I'll smooth the areas as well as I can with sharp gouges and finish off with...yes, you guessed it...sandpaper. An alternative that I'm seriously considering is a set of violin maker's scrapers with curved profiles. It may be more difficult and time consuming, but it just might do the trick...taking into consideration my aversion to all things gritty and dusty.

...did I say all that out loud?;)

[Tom Hamilton]

Louis, thanks for taking the time at the end of a long day to post pics and commentary. That is a wonderful gift for all of us.

Your equine project is awesome.

Merry Christmas, Tom, in Houston, enjoying the revealing of the steed.

[Louis Bois]

Thanks for the kind words Tom.

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

Just when you thought it was safe to wander into the Neanderthal Haven...here I am again!!!:eek:

Here's a quick synopsis of today's progress...

- refined the chest a bit more...
- shaped the front leg muscles to some degree...
- rounded over the back and rear a little...
- shaved the neck and managed to remove a chunk out of the base of the neck...must have been glue-starved...I'll patch it over the weekend.

that's about it for now...not sure when I'll post again as I have some Christmas shopping to do. My wife is even giving me all day Saturday to get her presents!!:D

Until we meet again...Adieu!

Louis

[Pam Niedermayer]

What a gorgeous neck. I'd be tempted to go with bareback and abstract mane at this point, you can only wreck those curves. :)

Pam

[Tom Sontag]

I agree Pam. It is starting to look quite 'real' and animate. I am reminded of the Michelangelo story of when he finished his "Moses". He stared at it a while and then grabbed a hammer and whacked him on the knee. "Speak dammit!" he cried as he took a chunk out of the marble. Anyone who has ever been up close and personal with a Michaelangelo marble will understand.

Don't make yours TOO perfect Louis.

[Louis Bois]

Pam and Tom, don't worry about my achieving perfection...I'm not capable of it...and I don't believe it exists. But just in case, I'll keep "his" backside less than perfect for fear that "it" may come to life!!!:eek:

GOOD NEWS!!! I received my hardware kit from England...IT ONLY TOOK 3 DAYS!!!!! I'm still in shock. Things have taken longer coming from Jersey!:D

No progress on the horse today...we're in survival mode with a sick little boy...and my wife isn't feeling so hot either. I'll try and get a bit of time in the shop on Sunday...and at the very least, I'll post photos of the accessory kit. It's absolutely stunning.

Cheers,

[Mac Cambra]

Speechless regarding what you have accomplished here.......... The beauty of this is that it will be passed on for generations to come.

How do you feel about air powered carving tools? Ball mills and all of that. Is it cheating or somehow a lower form of the art? I guess that would really be a Neander project.......

Thanks for sharing your project it is inspiring.

[Tyler Howell]

Silently watching in awe.
Pix police chiefs award.
Outstanding documentary.
B&W photos have a wonderfully dramatic and retro effect.:cool:

[Louis Bois]

Mac, for me, the pleasure lies in the process...but the bottom line for most resides in the end product...not how you get there. I don't consider power tools "cheating" in any way, shape or form. I prefer hand tools for their simplicity, quietness and intimacy...the way they transfer information from the wood being worked. Some people can't use them due to physical limitations or time constraints...or simply because they prefer power tools. No problems here. The important thing is to use a method and START CREATING!!!!:D ...and thanks for the kind words...

Tyler, I'm relieved to be in compliance with the pic fuzz...and the approval of the B&W. I like the texture they give...thanks.

I didn't get to the shop until later this evening and my progress is reflected accordingly. I started shaping the swell of the belly and the sides.

I'm not able to use my old carver's vise as the horse is too wide to properly secure between the jaws...therefore, I brought out old faithful.

I threw in a few pics of the accessory kit that I received from the "Rocking Horse Shop" in the UK so that you can see the quality inherent within it. All the leatherwork is hand-stitched and wonderfully executed. The real horse hair is absolutely gorgeous...I chose the light grey color and it has a peppered quality (not unlike my aging mop :eek:) that is consistent in colour throughout. I can't rave enough about the products and customer service of this outfit. Highly Recommended!!!!!

This may be my last post before Christmas...so again, I bid you all a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

best wishes,

Louis

[Howie French]

Wow Louis, seeing that picture with the tack on, your horse looks magnificent. I can only imagine what the final pictures are going
to reveal.

Merry Christmas and Good Health to you and your family for 2007.

Howie

[Pam Niedermayer]

Whew, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the carving vise to come into play. Stunning, Louis, still can't get over that neck.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Thanks again Howie...and Pam, you didn't think I was going to go much further without breaking out "the vise" did you?...and as for this neck fixation...we have to talk!:D

Living in a sick household is no joy...as I'm sure most of you know. Why does is always happen at Christmas?!? I guess we let our guard down and attempt to relax...that's the killer. My wife and son still have it bad...but I'm suprisingly o.k....QUICK, KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!

One of the areas that I find lacking somewhat in Mr. Dew's book are photos of the underside of the horse...never really get a good shot of what's happening under there....so I'll try and make up for it by documenting it a bit more.

I'm in the middle of refining the legs and shaping the joints where they meet the body. There's LOTS of grunt work here and the horse needs to be moved around a fair bit to make sure things are symmetrical...especially in my small space. Once the bottom is roughly done, I'll bring the sides closer to completion, which in turn will involve rounding the back and rear. I'll hopefully have a horse that's ready for sanding by the end of this week...wishful thinking.

Hope everyone's having a great holiday.

Cheers!

[Louis Bois]

and a final shot...

[Jim Becker]

Those last shots look like medeval torture for the poor horse, Louis!! :D But in all seriousness, this is really kewel stuff. What a work of art!

[Roy Wall]

Louis,

Hoping the best for your Family this Christmas Season. ( I know they're sick.....best wishes for speedy recovery!)

Looking good, real good!!!

[Louis Bois]

Thanks for the well wishes Roy!

Jim, sorta brings the term "drawn and quartered" to mind, doesn't it? Nice "lid" on your avatar by the way...kinda brings to mind that dead animal you wore on your noggin' when you were in the Ukraine:D:cool:

Just a short stint in the lower level today as I spent part of the day at work...yeah, I know I'm supposed to be off...go figure.:mad:

I worked on the gluteus maximus region...someones been doing their lunges!!!:eek::D I also did some more work on the belly, though it's difficult to tell from the photos.

I also patched that little "faux pas" at the base of the neck...and of course I threw in a few gratuitous neck shots for Pam!:D

Cheers,

[Louis Bois]

...the patch and the gratuitous neck shots...

[Louis Bois]

A few progress pics since the last post...

I've got the body more or less where it should be at the moment, with a good belly "swell" and the shoulders and back rounded for a more natural look. It's more "caricaturish" than a real horse, but that's the desired effect here. Actual proportions of a real horse would be too fragile for a toy.

I'm going to have to refine the face a bit...it's somewhat noticeable in the photos...as the bridle (bit) is too tight a fit in the mouth. I'll take advantage of this fact to make a few changes that were bothering me...

I've started to sand the chest area to round things over a bit more. My patch on the base of the neck worked well...everything seems to be under control...EXCEPT FOR TIME!!!! Only 22 days left and quite a bit to do.

I have a few days off next week...so I'll hopefully catch up. At least I didn't have to turn the posts for the stand (don't have a lathe) so an experienced turner friend of mine volunteered :rolleyes: to turn the black walnut for me!!!

...more soon...

[Louis Bois]

...a few more...showing where I need to refine the gullet/neck area...

[Jim Becker]

Nice "lid" on your avatar by the way...kinda brings to mind that dead animal you wore on your noggin' when you were in the Ukraine
Well...it was Russia, but you were close. And yes, rabbit fur dyes nicely in Photoshop.

Since I've changed back to "normal" (whatever that is... :eek: ), I'll add this for continuity...

53848

-----

Outstanding work as you continue with this project. Oy, the hours! But the end result is going to be "wow"! BTW, I love the fact that you're photos are B&W/monotone. It's really adding something special to the pictorial.

[Louis Bois]

Jim, you have the honorary 100th post!!! Congratulations!!!

...and Russia...Ukraine...isn't it all the same once you're east of France?!?:eek::eek::eek::D:D:D:D;)

Thanks again...and remember that hours mean nothing to a project like this one. I estimate that it would take 2 full weeks to do it from start to finish...instead of this sporadic approach of mine...so not too bad, all things considered. I'm really enjoying the texture of these photos as well...could be a regular thing for me from now on...

I've taken the horse where it needs to be before the first round of sanding. I'm going to go over the whole thing with 120 grit and decide where I'd like to add some muscle details. I'll definitely be adding some grooves to the neck. I need to do this right or it could definitely ruin the look of it.

I'll probably add a bit of detailing to the legs as well...not too much as it will most likely be lost in the painting...same goes for the back since the saddlery will cover most of it up.

I need to cut notches in the hooves for the rails, as well as cut some recesses in the back to accommodate the stirrups and saddle back. More on this later.

...well, we're getting there folks...no time to get too fussy as the deadline looms and there's still the unknown factor...THE PAINT!!:eek:

The base is relatively straightforward...except for the little something extra I want to add to it...yup...there's always that little something extra. I'm a glutton for punishment!

G'night.

[Louis Bois]

...a few more money shots...

[Louis Bois]

A few more hours today...refined the legs and thinned them out a bit, as well as giving the whole thing a rough sanding just to see if there were any high spots...or obvious defects to fix.

I'll take a needed break to sharpen some tools tomorrow and finish carving the muscle details this weekend...and hopefully start painting.

...tick...tock...tick...tock...

[Pam Niedermayer]

These last photos reminded me of Da Vinci's problems with commissioned triumphant statuary. Seems that he, and other sculptors as well, had problems making the rear legs strong enough to support the rest of the horse/man sculpture and still look like rear legs. Of course, all the generals wanted their statues to be on rearing horses.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Interesting tidbit Pam...

...and Pam? You're not going to like this...

It's just the beginning of a series of butchering cuts to the neck...among other things....and I'm rehashing the body and legs as I'm not happy with their current state...

[Louis Bois]

OK...we're getting closer to the painting stage.

The neck is essentially done (the back, that is...the front still needs a bit of work) and the chest is coming together slowly. This is still an area of contention for me...difficult access makes it really tough to sand properly...but I will persevere!!!

I added a few details to the legs and did a bit more fine tuning to the overall body. You may notice that the upper thighs of the legs have changed shape somewhat...or not. I'll add a "before" pic for comparison.

I'll probably put the eyes in tomorrow and drill a hole for the tail. I was also going to cut the mortise for the mane, but I noticed that I don't have a 3/8 mortice chisel. The one that was coming to me from Fleezay (seller in England) hasn't reached me...8 months later. Guess I'll have to do it the hard way.

I'm still hopeful for the deadline...but I won't be devastated if I miss it. I'd rather come out of this with something I'll be able to live with.

I'll hopefully have more tomorrow night...but as a famous author once said, "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

...once more into the breach, dear friends...

[Louis Bois]

Today saw a shift of focus from the horse to the stand. I milled the base components to size and chamfered the edges using a low angle block plane and a nifty, indispensible gizmo from LV...a chamfer guide that replaces the throat adjusting mechanism. If you don't have one of these, I highly recommend it. I set the guide for a 1/2" chamfer (on 1 1/4" base stock) and shaved away until the plane would shave no more. Voila!!!

I couldn't resist posting a few pics of the shavings, both long grain and end grain.

[Louis Bois]

The next step was to notch the hooves to receive the hoof rails. I made a few sacrificial rails to hold the horse during the next steps (final sanding, painting and adding the saddlery) to prevent damaging the actual rails.

The following photos depict the techinque I used to mark and cut the hoof notches. Once cut, they were bolted to the temporary rails. Not sure if I'll get to do anything else this evening...but I'll post pics if I do.

Abscheid

[Louis Bois]

a few more...

[Jim Becker]

LOL! Those "curlies" are really great works of are, Louis! Especially in the mono-tone! You really need to frame them...
---

That chamfer guide is interesting, too. Will it only work on LV planes or is it "adaptable"?

I have to imagine notching the hooves for mounting was pretty scary...

[Pam Niedermayer]

Well, Louis, even though you tried to kill my fun via neck mucking, you failed. :)

Pam

[Louis Bois]

LOL! Those "curlies" are really great works of are, Louis! Especially in the mono-tone! You really need to frame them...
Jim, walk away from the Cheech and Chong tapes...I repeat, WALK AWAY!!! I tried to keep it out of the gutter...but NOOOOoooo. You couldn't resist taking us down that road, could you?!?:eek: er...I'll have 8x10 glossies available for distribution in a few weeks!!!!:D:D:D


That chamfer guide is interesting, too. Will it only work on LV planes or is it "adaptable"?
I'm not sure, but I suspect it may be specifically for the LV planes. I'll measure it up against my old "65" and see how close it is.



I have to imagine notching the hooves for mounting was pretty scary... For a man of my skill and confidence, scary never entered the equation...although I was frightened poopless!!!:eek::D


...and Pam?!? I'll keep trying...I'm thinking of modifying the face next...:rolleyes:

[Pam Niedermayer]

Yeah, the face needs fixing, too angular or something, too chiselled.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Hang in there Pam...it's coming...and it's going to be a doozy!!! mmMMWWWAAAHhhhhaaaaaahaaaaa....

I'd like to mention a few things that were neglected in the base preparation photos above.

When chamfering a board as shown, it is best to start with the end grain. I clamped a sacrificial piece of wood to the far end of my cut to avoid blowing out the wood fibers on my actual board. I then finished up the long sides. This is probably obvious to most, but it works really well...and saves lots of cleanup later.

Cheers,

[Tom Sontag]

I am glad we are only hearing you talk about the quality of the work and no more of that nonsense about deadlines Louis.

Pffft. Deadlines. I just delivered a furniture piece one hour before my wife's birthday.... 5 years after I began. :rolleyes:

Give those cheeks a third dimension!

[Louis Bois]

5 years Tom?!? Sounds like a good project average...that's what my bench is turning into. You build a base and start using it...until you need a solid top...then you build that...add a vise as clamps fail to do the task...and before you know it? Voila!!! A bench! Oh wait...there's still the issue of top caps on that tail vise...grrrr...

Those cheeks have been bugging me ever since the head started to take shape. I made them according to the book...and the horse is supposed to be "stylized", but I'm having a difficult time swallowing the look of it. My next horse will be different!!:eek: Did I say that out loud?!?:rolleyes:

I've been doing some sanding but time has been limited due to other commitments and time constraints. I drove home at lunchtime to do something about the cheeky look of the face and started to round them off a bit more. I think I may be able to save this one. I was actually considering just chopping off the head and starting to carve a new one. Common sense prevailed in the end. I'm going to blend the features of the face, especially around the eyes, ears and neck...but I think I'm on the right foot. See the before and after pics below (they're actually opposite sides of the head as I've only modified one side so far) and all comments are welcome...as well as name suggestions since my son is still thinking on it.

Cheers,

[Pam Niedermayer]

Oh, yes, now that's a head to go with that body.

Pam

[Tom Sontag]

Nice improvement on the cheeks, although being a city lad I cannot tell you what a horse cheek really looks like. I'd have photos and drawings taped up all around me if I were doing this.

It could drive you crazy though; at some point you have to admit that this is a rocking horse. Like at the point you realize horses don't ever splay their legs fore and aft like that. Do they? Maybe when jumping... Better build a wall underneath the belly....

[Howie French]

Louis - new cheeks look great !

keep going, your in the home stretch !!

Howie

[Louis Bois]

Now we're talkin'...stay tuned Pam...and Tom? did you see my basement? Those are all pics of various horses sprawled around the place...amongst tools, shavings, etc...and thanks Howie.

...down to business...took a day off today as my shop time was suffering and we were a bit slow at the office...and managed to catch up on some neglected steps.

Firstly, I drilled the holes for the eyes...now it's starting to look interesting...there's a whole new personality there...but still no name...brings to mind a tune by a certain group called America:rolleyes:

[Louis Bois]

Next, I cut a slot in the back to receive the saddle support...this was really harry folks!! Don't try this as home kids...:eek:

I also cut a few grooves in the back to receive the stirrup staples. These are recessed enough to hide under the saddle and not interfere with little legs...

[Louis Bois]

Finally I cut the slot in the back to receive the "real horsehair" mane. This was relatively easy...I didn't even have to break out the Berg's from their resting place...the Marples did just fine:D

I also picked up most of the paint supplies I'll be needing for this weekend...yes, you did hear me correctly. The painting commences this weekend!!!! ...fingers forcefully crossed in a most uncomfortable manner...

[Louis Bois]

...did I mention that I cut a hole for the tail?!? I thought I did...maybe I didn't...so here's a teaser with the "real horsehair" tail...

Danger Will Robinson...we have a petuteeee...:eek::D

On that note, goodnight all...

[Jim Becker]

Oh my...what a transformation on this beautiful work of art! Wonderful!

[Tom Sontag]

This is terrific. You are very brave to cut into that back; I guess a surgeon's gotta do what a surgeon's gotta do.

And no I did not see much of the basement although I espied one pony in the background of a couple shots. I never doubted you though.

[Ned Bulken]

awe inspiring, I just discovered this (being a tailed tool fan, I dont' venture over in neander-land much). Great job, and I just subscribed so I will continue to get updates.

[James Mittlefehldt]

I made the mistake of showing this to my wife and we have a grandchild due any day now. I doubt I would even attempt that Louis, you are doing swell.

I can understand though as I am sure many of the woodworkers here can, that when you get to the end of a project, and you have to make that one cut or make one detail that if you mess it up makes the whole thing firewood.

It is looking good Louis I have to hand it to you and maybe I should go back to the beginning of the thread and see about those books you mentioned.

[Louis Bois]

Thanks Jim, Tom, Ned and James.

Jim...on a side note regarding that LV chamfer guid...it does fit on the Stanley 65 but the hold down screw is just a tad short to get a secure fit...I'll post a pic later.

Tom, you can see a bunch of pics of horses in the shop in previous posts...but I'm using a 50mm lens for most of the pics so it creates that blurry "bokeh" effect in the background...makes it difficult to see.

Ned, welcome to the dark side....:cool:

James, Anthony Dew's book is a great guide in that it has many projects for different skill levels...and all the projects differ greatly from the usual Woodcraft plan horse. The range starts with a horse head on a stick...and progresses to a fully carved carousel horse. There are about 14 projects all told, increesing in difficulty as you go. There are a few great bookstores online where you can get it secondhand for less money. Lee Valley used to carried but dropped it a few years ago...probably due to poor sales. PM me if you'd like more info on possible sources of acquisition.

I'll hopefully be able to post a "white" horse this evening...but it's not looking to good...tomorrow seems more feasible.

Cheers,

[Louis Bois]

The first coat of paint went on this morning...pretty ghostly thing...

...a few "before" and "after" pics....

[Louis Bois]

I was debating not posting any more pics until the horse was completed as most of these intermediary painting steps can look a little "weird".

It was one of my worst fears to screw up the painting of this horse...but as I perused numerous examples of antique horses, the level of expertise varies tremendously and some of the least elaborate paint jobs have the greatest appeal.

The photos below show the horse complete with "stylized" paint job (remind me to carve the next one in black walnut) before applying the antique glaze and varnish. It looks somewhat bizarre, but you have to imagine it with all the leather "fixins" to get the full effect...as all those little circles are a major distraction. I've never done this before...and it shows...but I developed some techniques that would improve my next attempt.

The best approach is to use a round brush...wipe off the paint until it's mostly dry...and stipple the dapple pattern onto the horse in the lightest colour possible, therefore establishing a symmetrical pattern...to some degree. You then pick a focal area and begin to darken those circles, slowly working outward...lightening the colour as you move away from this focal area. If things get screwed up, it's fairly easy to sand away the black once the area is completely dry, or add a bit more colour later. I still have a few areas to "touch up" and the photos show my "first side" attempt. The other side is much better...but I tried to keep them close.

I'm still on schedule, depending on drying time for the next few steps...and I'll probably concentrate on the stand this evening. I was hoping to have a bit of extra time to carve "violin scrolls" at the ends of my hoof rails, but time may not permit me to accomplish this. In any event, I'll be able to show my son the horse for his birthday, completely rideable...and finish the scrolls in the next few weeks.

I'm down to the wire now...only 4 days left.

Does anyone else have a carnivalesque feeling about this wee horsey?

By the way, I feel as though I've ruined this horse...I hate to put paint over wood...Period!

ps...I asked my son (who hasn't and won't see the painted version until Sunday) what he'd like to name his horse again...and being near Christmas and all...he said "Rudolph". I almost cried...from laughing so hard. He joined me in the laughter and said he was only pretending!!!

[James Mittlefehldt]

Wow Louis the horse is really starting to show personality, it looks almost alive. I take it you are going for a dapple grey affect, but whatever it looks good to me.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Yeah, a little carnivalesque, exacerbated by the symmetry of the black paint application, for example, on the legs. But that's not to say I think it looks bad. It looks great, especially when I imagine the red leather saddle to tie in the nostril red.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

Thanks James and Pam...yes, it has been a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering how good it looked before all this pigment was applied. I was getting pretty depressed looking at those photos yesterday and wondered why I didn't spot all those glaring anomalies...it looks much, much better in person...and like any good movie, a little drama is a good thing..."will he be able to pull it off ladies and gentlemen?!? Stay tuned..."

In any event, I repaired the areas that were bugging me the most in the dapple...and here are a few pics of his "good side" if there is such a thing.

I won't be posting any more pics until it is complete...

...back in a few days...

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, Last night I fell asleep to visions of your pony dancing in my head. I am so anxious to see the finished project and your son astride. I have 3 names for him to mull over... :rolleyes: registered name, 'My Fancy Dan', everyday name, 'Fancy' 'Chisel' 'Bailey' in honor of the Liberty horses in the 'Barnum and Bailey' traveling circus.
Thanks for sharing. It has been an inspiring journey, Susan

[Louis Bois]

Thanks for the kind words Susan...and for the names. I'll run them by the boss and see what he thinks. In the meantime, you've spurred me on to post a few more pics...even though I said I wouldn't:rolleyes:

The clear coats have muted the black somewhat and the horse is looking pretty cool right now...you'll have to use your imagination.

...and the black walnut for the stand is simply stunning. I can't wait to have it all together tomorrow night!!!!!

Cheers!!!

[Jim Becker]

Tease........

[Louis Bois]

HAHAHA...So Jim...how do you like your black walnut?!? I'm partial to wedged...with a bit of oil...

[Jim Becker]

Hmm....nice wedgies!!! (Beautiful work, Louis!)

[Louis Bois]

...well, it's not 100% complete yet...but it is rideable. I'll add the missing details next week. Here's a sneak peek.

[Jim Becker]

Oh, man...that is just wonderful! Stunning, even!

I can see it now...your next project will be a full-size carousel... :D :D :D ...you know...something to horse around with in the shop for a few weeks, err...decades...

[Roy Wall]

Louis,

IN the spirit of the Old Seinfield re-runs...... tHE words of Kramer echo in my head:

GITTY-UP!!!!!!!:cool: :cool:

Excellent Job Captain!

[Pam Niedermayer]

Gorgeous, Louis, as expected. Couple of things I don't get:

1) Did you glue the saddle?

2) How does it rock? Seems that the two braces as installed would pretty much eliminate movement.

Pam

[Howie French]

Louis, wow, that came out super !, you did a great job all the way around.
Everything came together perfectly, carving, painting, outfitting.
This has been a great thread to watch. Thanks for taking the time to document your journey.


Howie

[Susan Castaneda]

Young Master Bois,
Happy Birthday to you and may you and your beautiful dappled grey steed travel many happy miles together!

[Jim Dunn]

Just wonderful craftmanship! A real nice/beautiful job of hand crafting the horse and cradle/rocker.

[Mark Stutz]

Another thanks for all the extra effort to let us follow along. I almost cringed when I first saw the paint. but after seeing it all decked out...it looks like the carousel horses I remember! Great job!

Mark

[Louis Bois]

Thank you all for the kind words. Jim, Roy, Pam, Howie, Susan, Jim, Mark and all the others mentioned before. Your words of encouragement helped me along the course of this journey.

I'm pretty happy with it now that it's 99% finished!!! I still need to add a few coats of Waterlox to the base and there are a few decorative nails that go around the saddle blanket. There are also some brass domes that will be fitted over the rod ends that poke through the hoof rails...and that's about it!!! Should have it cleaned up this weekend.

Pam, about your questions:

1. The saddle is nailed on...all the tack is nailed on except for the bridle which is removable.

2. I assume the "braces" you're referring to are the hoof rails. They are bolted onto the horses legs. The swing irons that attach the rails to the main walnut stand are the center of the horse's movement. The brackets holding the rods to the stand are the pivot points. The horse moves about these pivot points in a gentle rocking motion.
There's a website that has a short video showing a horse in motion...let me know if you'd like the link and I'll send it along...as I don't think I'm supposed to link to commercial sites here.

Hope that clears it up.

Thanks to all for following the journey...hope it wasn't too boring. If any of you are thinking about tackling this project, I'll be happy to answer all questions and help where I can.

Hearty Cheers...I think I need a scotch...

Louis

p.s. My son was quite thrilled about seeing it today...but there was much going on at the time...so he rocked a bit and then sat for a while...eating pretzels.:D He was quite generous in sharing his new steed with all the other children at the party. That's my boy...but he's still playing with the name Rudolph...little bugger! I'll hold off on the brass plaque for a bit...just in case he comes to his senses!!!

[Jim Becker]

The smile on his face is what makes it a total success! Congratulations on the completion of a really, really, really great project, Louis. I'm glad you shared it with us!

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, Thank you for offering to take questions. It will make the carving of Bebe's medium horse so much more pleasurable. Please, a short list the carving chisels, gouges, and rasps you would absolutely not want to tackle this project without, a picture of these tools would be especially nice. Once again thank you for your generosity in sharing this project with all of us.

[James Mittlefehldt]

I am impressed beyond words Louis excellent work.

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, Could you also include a list of tools that you could have struggled thru without but it was soooo nice to have. My husband loves to buy tools and is standing behind me with his wallet open.:) Thank you

[Louis Bois]

Thanks for your comments...and for riding along James...it was good to have you aboard! Now we'll be able to consider beginning talks about an Ontario Creeker get-together...

Susan, below are some pics of the tools I used. There are a few things that I didn't bother to show such as drill/auger bits, screwdrivers, awls, sandpaper, etc...

Another thing of note is a means to secure the pieces being carved. I have 2 carver's chops at my disposal which were indispensable. I'm certain there are many other ways to hold the work, but for me, these proved to be especially valuable...especially in my small workspace.

So, on to the tools.

The absolutely required minimum...a pocket knife. That's it. What, you think you need all those fancy tools?:eek::D:D:D

...but seriously, I used the Auriou gouges shown in the second photo (25mm-9sweep and 18mm-6sweep) as well as the short gouge from lee valley. It's still in their catalog somewhere. I also found some of the Palm tools (in this case Henry Taylor) to be very useful in carving the finer details of the face. That's pretty much all I used for the basic carving. My wife actually bought me a set of Auriou gouges for Christmas (about halfway through the project) and I didn't even have time to hone them to put them into use...
- some type of coping saw to cut around the ears
- rasps, microplanes or whatever other riffler you can get your hands on...in various forms of courseness. At the very least, the 2 nicholson patternmaker's rasps would be a good help...as well as a means to keep the teeth clean, such as the brush shown.
- a reasonable backsaw for notching the hooves to fit over the rails...and for cutting the compound angles on the lower body to splay the legs (which can also be done on the bandsaw)
- a drill or brace of some sort (with bits) for the various holes you'll encounter.
- a few standard chisels...1/4", 3/8" (for the mortise on the neck), 1" (general stuff)


Some of the tools that aren't absolutely necessary but were nice to have:
- spokeshaves, both round and flat
- a nice big drawknife...very cheap on the used market...not reason not to have one.
- a pairing chisel to clean up hard to reach areas and glue removal.
- the little chamfer attachement from Lee Valley was a great little tool...saved me pulling out a router, jigging up the table saw or eyeballing with a plane. It was safe, quick and extremely accurate. Don't believe me? Look at those sexy chamfers on the base...
- I almost forgot...my son's 5oz. Lee Valley hammer to nail in the tack! A great little tool...by no means a toy!!


If you're dimensioning most of the lumber by hand, you'll need a few planes (jointer, smoother,, square, marking gauge, saws, etc... If you're going the power tool route, these will be lessened.

I'll add to this as I think of stuff...

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, Thanks for your quick reply. What an impressive array of tools you have. I am perusing catalogs right now. Sifting through a lot of new information and hopefully someday I will be able to pass on my expertise to another a skittish beginner. Many thanks and sleep well.

[Tom Sontag]

I hope I am not too late with my congratulations Louis. This whole thing came together very nicely and I would like to redouble my thanks for sharing the journey so thoroughly.

As for the name, if he is still with Rudolf after you tried to laugh him off it, well, I won't tell you how to raise him; it looks like you are doing fine!

[Louis Bois]

Tom, it's never too late! Thanks for your comments and participation during the course of this thread. It was much appreciated.

Susan, I'm a little embarrassed to say this...but my tool "collection" would scarcely fit on the surface of my bench...thus is the danger of the slippery slope we all must face. Needless to say, I won't go there.

But I will say that if you have a willing partner with an open wallet behind you, you should take full advantage of this unique opportunity to avail yourself of every tool you can identify!!!...and one of each you can't! just in case...:D After this horse, the only thing I find in my wallet is the odd moth trying to fly out.:o

...and an update on the name, it looks like it may be "Gabriel" which coincidentally is my son's middle name...but he calls it "Gabriel Bois". Quite the formal chap be he.

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, In the cuisine world. people who love food and cooking are called 'Foodies". Might you be a 'Toolie'?:D Also kudoes to your Wife for understanding, supporting and adding to your tool collection. You are a wonderful addition to this forum. Thank you

[Dan Mages]

Holy cow!! that is one darn impressive project!!!!!

But I am surprised... no horse shoes from the local blacksmith? ;)

[Louis Bois]

Thank you Susan...and YES, my wife was a priceless asset to the completion of this horse, giving me all those precious hours while she entertained "the ever-curious one"...no small feat! She has an equal stake in this project...and I let her know it...and besides, she can ride Gabriel too!:)

...and thank You Dan...our local blacksmith took ill and was unable to fulfill my request for elf-horse shoes...perhaps I can retrofit them later.:D...and I love the quote from "the Day The Earth Stood Still" or are you using it from the Tron reference?

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, I am scouring ebay for good used tools and the further I get into this project, the more confused I become!:confused: A 1" gouge is listed and it is stamped 9, is that the sweep? The legs on our pony are oak and I am working on the knobbyness at the knee joint now, trying to make a nice soft round curve; is this where rifflers come into play (and if so, do I really need the whole array of coarse to fine tools?)or would a small round rasp work just fine? Could you list your favorite woodcarving catalogs, hopefully you have a few low-end. As much as I love the beauty of the Aurious, I have not earned such fine tools yet. Thanks for your time

[Louis Bois]

Yes Susan, the 9 in this case is the sweep. Have a look at Chris Pye's website for some excellent reference material...link... http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/

An alternative to the Auriou rasps has been mentioned in another thread on the Neanderthal Haven front page...posted by Terry...about Dragon rasps. They seem like a worthy alternative/complement to the Nicholson patternmaker's rasps. Might be worth a look for the price.

I used the Nicholson #49 quite a bit on the legs, as well as the "microplane" rasps from Lee Valley, which leave a smoother finish. I only picked up the coarser/larger Auriou rasps toward the end of the carving phase as I liked the others so much. Any of these will produce great results.

[Dan Mages]

...and I love the quote from "the Day The Earth Stood Still" or are you using it from the Tron reference?

Yes

Dan

End of line

[Louis Bois]

I'm not going to "flog a dead horse" so to speak...but I've received a few questions with regards to the range of motion of the horse.

...well, a little Photoshop magic later and I superimposed images at both extremes of the range of motion. This gives a pretty good idea of the rocking movement of this type of mechanism, aka, a "safety stand".

I'll post a few "finished" pics (with brass bowler hats on rails and domes nails covering saddle nails) of the horse later tonight and then I'll consider this thread officially closed...unless, of course, there are any other questions with regards to this project.

Cheers,

[Louis Bois]

This will conclude my contributions to this thread. I'm glad that some of you enjoyed this self-indulgent tutorial and I hope that I shed some light onto the quirkier parts of the project.

As you can see, it's not as difficult as it may at first seem to be. I imposed a deadline on myself and decided to try and stick to it. I just made it, taking a few shortcuts along the way. If I had to repaint the horse, I'm confident that it would be a thousandfold better...but it wouldn't be this horse...my son's horse...Gabriel. I'm happy with the result...and more importantly, so is my son. He rides it daily and it gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment to see him do so.

...now on to his bed...my next project! No deadlines as he'll probably be sleeping on a mattress for a while:rolleyes:.

Thanks for riding along...

[Louis Bois]

...I'm adding this series of photos as reference for those who may wish to undertake this project. It's a good thing to see the horse from as many angles as possible...

[Louis Bois]

...a few more reference pics...

[Pam Niedermayer]

...I superimposed images at both extremes of the range of motion. This gives a pretty good idea of the rocking movement of this type of mechanism, aka, a "safety stand".
...

Thanks, Louis, much easier to see than describe.

Pam

[Susan Castaneda]

Louis, I have looked at Dew's book and read your notes on cutting the bottom block angles. Your picture of the layout of the cuts helps. How do you get the 5 and 8 degree angles? Did you cut the block by hand or use a band saw? How did you bevel the leg to match the block? :confused: Susan Castaneda

[Louis Bois]

Susan, you're at a very crucial step. The key here is to draw your guidelines carefully and mark the faces with "top", "bottom", "front", "back" and clearly scribble on the waste areas.

The rear legs are relatively straightforward as there's only one angle to worry about. Make sure the angles flare out towards the bottom when viewing from the end.

For the rear legs, things are a bit trickier. We're working with a compound angle here, as you're painfully aware, but it's not that difficult if you mark everything carefully.

I did indeed make the cuts on the bandsaw...since I had one available...but it was a nerve-wracking process. I decided to cut to the outside of the lines and trim it up with various implements afterwards (2" paring chisel, plane and rasp). This worked out well for me.

Does your bandsaw tilt in both directions? This will be of tremendous help. If not, you can still do it, but you'll be flip-flopping the slab a bit more.

If I were doing it again, I'd probably have a go with a sharp handsaw. You can control things a bit better and do it very slowly. The bandsaw is quick, but also quite unforgiving.

Hope this helps.

[Howie French]

Louis,

glad you posted the additonal pics, they are great and really give a more complete feel of the finished project, just beautiful ! For one last time... I would like to thank you for all the effort you put into creating this tutorial, it's been great to follow your journey.

Howie

ps. nothing beats the smile on your own child's face. :)

[Barry Beech]

Louis,

I have closely followed this thread and your process from the beginning. I have to say that this project is one of the most stunning that I have ever seen. The detail that you have put in the horse is nothing short of extraordinary. Your son, your grandchildren, and your great grandchildren will enjoy and love this beautiful piece for years upon years.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of watching you work this masterpiece.

Thank you for taking the time to show everyone here on the creek the process that you went through to make it.

Barry