Building a Shaving Horse for Free (WIP, Pic Heavy)

Ernest DuBois said:
Your Finish axe is really in good condition, almost like new. These can better be called in English carving axes. You cannot make a flat surface with them and they are not supposed to make a flat surface. In fact one of the uses is to create a sort of decorative effect on the internal walls of log constructions. In use it is important to make a definite slicing motion as you are cutting down across the grain in a straight line.


Ideally you achieve a layered effect on the surface with the waves of a series of cuts and the underlying scales of each individual cut. Always two things to keep in mind on every stroke. Not difficult with the right wood but it takes concentration. Also, the surfacing is done after the walls are erected. I have heard that this was done periodically in the dark winters to remove soot on the walls for a brighter interior. I have also tried it to clean off a road-side shelter vandalized by grafitiests.

E. DB.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback on my Finnish broad axe and how to use it. I did make a new haft for it last year, here is a link to that thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...new-haft-and-hang?highlight=finnish+broad+axe

I have seen a write up on Finnish log home repair with the tools used and drawings of how the walls are finished but it didn't really specify which axe was used for the final hewing. It is nice to see up close photos of how the log is supposed to look when it is done with the angled slice marks. I have a hard time imagining doing this up high on a wall, this axe is not very light. What type of wood yields the best result?

If you have an axe like mine please feel free to post up a pic or two of it. I would really like to see more of these types of axes and what they can do. Thanks again.
 
Impressive build, thanks for bringing us along this WIP!

Ernest, I'm looking forward to more Finnish pilluja info. Thanks as well.
 
As far as which wood is best worked with these axes, it would be Finish wood. I guess you know that Spruce is the one most common in use for log construction in Finland with pine used in the roofs and then about the only choice left to the Finns is birch. That's the thing, you know, the wood available to you and me has grown under different conditions than slow growing wood from so far north. Not that the axe is incompatible with whatever wood you may have but it is something to keep in mind when assessing your results. Far more important is that your wood is somewhat freshly cut wood. This makes all the difference because you are cutting directly across the grain and the water-filled fibers present a much firmer material than dried ones which fold and break more readily. I have used it on Larch out of Central Europe and did not much like the result, which you see there below.
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This technique of creating lines of a wavy pattern across the courses on the walls is I think restricted to some regions in Finland and is completely ignored by the Swedes who do a random pattern on the outside and smoother walls inside, though this Finish way is now more and more popular.

E. DB.
 
Oh yeah, and more to the point, here is the shaving horse I also built for my daughter a few years back, also from found stuff and a lot of axe work.
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I particularly like the attachment of the table clamp assembly to the bench, if I may say so myself.

E.DB.
 
That is one cool bench, Ernest!

Is it holly? I'm looking at the green bark with the very white wood and it reminds me of the invasive English holly we have around here.

And how about a few more pics of that clamp assembly?
 
No, it's Maple mostly, with Sweet Chestnut and Pine.

It's a forged staple fastened to the bench which passes through a slot in the table, held in place with a wedge so it can be broken down into components for mobility and multi-functionality, like if I just want to use it as a bench for support or something.

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A later picture after it has been worn in some.

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E.DB.
 
Very nice axe and shaving horse E.DB. How sharp do you keep the axe?

Thank you for the info and pics.

I think I will be doing an English style treadle but I haven't quite decided how I am going to fasten the platform to the plank. I guess I will just figure that out when I get to that part.
 
You are drawn to a Finish axe like a bee to flowers I see. It takes a very nice edge, an inserted bit, though like the majority of these axes you see now days it has worn almost to the end of the insert, so in retirement I have passed it on to a friend in Sweden where it now hangs on the wall of his cabin.

I can't say what advantage one style of shaving horse might have over the other. I guess I chose for this one because it is the style from closer to home and simple to make. Good enough for shaping all kinds of handles. I'm now making shingles and for this work, when I choose to use the horse, it's less suitable.

E.DB.
 
Nice horse. I've got a wood shop in the basement and have been getting more and more into hand tools the last few years. A shave horse is on my list of shop projects. Don't have a decent broad axe yet either.


Gary
 
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