Rocking Horse

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Well it is time I had a go at a WIP. I had offered to make a rocking horse for my Nephew and his birthday is approaching fairly fast. I have been thinking about it for a while and needed some reasonable ply for it without wanting to break the bank. I was lucky enough to get these offcuts at Avon Ply.

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[Weekend_Woodworker]

The plan is to produce something along the lines of the produced by Dennis from Hooked on Wood.

I have started with an old bit of 18mm MDF. Ideally it would have been a bit thinner for a template, but it is what I had.

First thing was to work out the internal radius’s so I know where to drill, then I can start cutting out. I think 7.5mm looks about right and I have a 15mm Forster bit.

So with my compasses I was able to work out the centers.

Which I then center punched to get more accurate holes when drilled.


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[Weekend_Woodworker]

Next it was a case of roughing it out on the band saw so I might have a chance of drilling the holes on the pillar drill.

Something that vaguely resembles the desired shape. Hopefully I left enough for drilling.

Some of that worked well

And some didn’t where I had cut away too much when roughing out.

Then to break through from the back

Ready for a bit of tidying up.

Not looking too bad. Although I have noticed a hole that will need something doing about it from a previous life for this piece of MDF.


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[Phil]

That is really a different type of horse, should look very good.

 

[AndyP]

A think a rocking horse build is a first on here. I like the open nature of that design.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Now for scary bit of cutting to the line.

Reasonably happy with the outside being cut to the line on the bandsaw. A bit of sanding needed at the corners. Now for the inside with the jigsaw.

And ready for a bit of sanding and finessing.


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[AJB Temple]

I've not seen that design before. Presumably the two horses are linked together? So the curve on the small one has to match the arc on the big one?

 

[Malc2098]

Nice job.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

I've not seen that design before. Presumably the two horses are linked together? So the curve on the small one has to match the arc on the big one?

No the photo is just of two different sized horses together. I am only aiming to make one.


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[Weekend_Woodworker]

Spent quite a bit of this afternoon sanding.

Started with the outside to get it smooth and remove the saw marks

I also used a rasp to smooth out the joins where my cuts didn’t line up well with the holes I had drilled.

With a bit of work they seemed to come out not too badly.

That was the outside done. Then onto the inside.

This was where a hole from a previous life fell on the cut line. I decided a bit of dust and superglue might do the job.

It took a couple of fills with a bit of wire brushing in between.

And finally I filed it flat.

Which left a reasonable finish

So that was both the outside and inside smooth.

I then wanted to round off some the external points so with a couple of guides I penciled some lines on.

I then set about sanding down to the lines

And that was the template finished

I am wondering whether it makes send to seal the template at all before using it and if so with what. Any advice or recommendations would be welcome.

Finally I offered the template up against the ply off cuts I had bought.

It fits on easily but the sheet is not quite big enough to get the template on twice!

Oh well, that’s it for today.


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[Mike G]

So this is going to produce a rocker which is 6 or 8 inches wide. Is that right?

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Hi Mike, It should be 90mm wide as it will have 5 lots of 18mm ply glued together. It will then have saddle on top which will take the width up to about 126mm.


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[AJB Temple]

This why I thought the two in the picture must be linked. I just thought the horse would easily tip over otherwise with a child on board. 90mm is not all that wide. The saddle width is surely far less important than the base width? On conventional rockers, the horse legs are splayed out to enable the two skids to be further apart. CofG will be quite high with a child on board. As on a real horse, stirrups lower the CofG.

 

[Mike G]

Hi Mike, It should be 90mm wide.....

Are you not a bit worried about its stability?

 

[AndyT]

Have you tried turning the template 90 degrees?
I've not measured the photo but it looks like you might just be able to cut two, with the lower parts nested together and the higher parts at either end.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Well it is a good question. Having thought about it a bit over night I think it will be a bit like balance bikes for kids where they can easily put their feet down either side on the ground. If that proves to be a problem then I could make some more curved sections to make the base wider, but it would prevent the feet going on the ground.

In separate thoughts I have been thinking about the order of operations for construction. Dennis routed out the sheets and then stuck them together, using clamps to get the right relative positioning and then sanded so it was all smooth. I was wondering if gluing a sheet on at a time and then template routing it would remove the alignment issue and the need for any significant sanding at the end. What are your thoughts?

I was also thinking about the handles and foot rests. I am not sure I like just some metal tube going through as it could hurt a little one if they fell on it, so I am wondering about alternatives.

As mentioned previously I am still wondering about whether I should seal the template with something or not?


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[Blackswanwood]

I don’t see any benefit in sealing the template.

IMO using the router to cut through a 90mm think ply block would be hard work. Do you plan to “rough cut” first on the band saw and then use the router or make the actual cut with the router?

Broom handle may be an alternative to metal pipe for the stirrups?

Cheers

Robert

 

[Malc2098]

In principle, the making of a pattern/template, then template routing the other individual thicknesses is the same way I make moulds for my instruments.

If the original could have two or three strategically placed alignment holes drilled into them, then come the time the others have to be fixed together, then holes in them can be used with dowels to locate them all together. Again, I've used that process to join the components of my moulds together.

I agree that I see no benefit of sealing the pattern, unless you are going to use it for multiple models of rocking horses.

I also agree that dowel or broom handles would be more suitable for handles and foot rests.

 

[GarF]

A rocking horse is a wonderful thing, but like all the best toys does come with a certain amount of risk and the possibility of learning a few hard lessons about physics. With a narrow stance, your design will work more like a hobby horse. I followed the New Yankee Workshop design for ours. I used solid ash which I hazily recall sitting up til about 2am one Christmas Eve to apply the last coat of lacquer which was then rubbed out and waxed before anyone stirred in the morning.



It weighs quite a bit, and our kids were (and are) light compared with their peers. Neither of them has pitchpoled it, but there have been a few close calls. Nor have we had any significantly squashed fingers or toes, but again, a few scares for onlookers. I've often debated whether I would tweak the radius of the curve to tame the action a bit if I were building another one.

Good project. I definitely agree with dowelling to locate before and after pattern routing.
G

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

I managed to find a bit of time today to make some progress.

I started by trimming the board down a bit, which left enough ply for a small shelf.

I then had the dilemma of how much double sided tape to put on the template. Too little and it moves when routing, too much and you damage the wood when trying to unstick it. I erred on the side of too much.

I bought this 1/2” carbide compression bit for the job, as I figured it would be useful for other projects in the future. I decided I would try just cutting it with the router bit rather than taking the bulk off with the bandsaw first.

I put some masking tape round the bearing so I could then go back and take a final tiny bit off with a second cut. On my second attempt I wound the tape the right way round the bit so it didn’t unwind when I turned the router on.

The bit went through the ply like a hot knife through butter, so no need to trim with the bandsaw first.

It did make quite a lot of saw dust though (okay strictly speaking it is router dust).

It wizzed round the outside in no time.

The finish with the masking tape on was not too bad.

I then drilled a 15mm hole to start the inside.

Again it went round no problem.

Finally I cleaned up both sides without the masking tape on in a couple of minutes.

And there it is done.

And the edge looks really quite good.

I then managed to get the template off with the use of a wooden wedge and mallet.

For the next layer I marked out areas I could cut off on the bandsaw so I could clamp the first layer to it.

It left me with this shape ready for the glue up.

And there it is gluing up so that then I can trim it to match the first layer. Hopefully I can get some time in the evenings this week to get a few layers on as it needs to be ready for my Nephew’s birthday later in the month.


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[Mike G]

Why wouldn't you just screw the template to the ply?

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Knowing my luck I’d screw it on the wrong side and have holes where I don’t want them. Other than that no reason.


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[Malc2098]

I have found the masking tape/CA glue/masking tape sandwich to be more secure that DST, so long as you burnish the masking tapes well.

Looking good.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Malc, I have had issues in the past with normal double sided tape, but I found this stuff on Amazon:

XFasten Double Sided Woodworking Tape, 1-Inch by 36-Yards, 3-Pack - Double Face Woodworker Turner's Tape for Wood Template, Removable & Residue Free

It is slightly thicker and therefore works better with things if they are not perfectly flat.

 

[Malc2098]

Malc, I have had issues in the past with normal double sided tape, but I found this stuff on Amazon:

XFasten Double Sided Woodworking Tape, 1-Inch by 36-Yards, 3-Pack - Double Face Woodworker Turner's Tape for Wood Template, Removable & Residue Free

It is slightly thicker and therefore works better with things if they are not perfectly flat.

Not seen that before, maybe I'll give it a try.

 

[AJB Temple]

Just a thought. You don't need to make the whole base wider if it is unstable. You could run some wooden anti tip dowels through in a couple of strategic places low down. These would also prevent little fingers from getting squashed under a sharpish edge.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Adrian, that’s an interesting thought. I think I am inclined to try it initially as is and then modify if needed.


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[Weekend_Woodworker]

Disaster strikes!

I had thought I would see if I could get the next layer routed out tonight and new layer glued on to keep things moving. The routing at the weekend was really quick, so what could possibly go wrong?

So this is it glued up with the clamps off.

I drilled a 15mm hole to be able to route out the inside.

A rough cut round the outside with the masking tape on made lots of mess but was quick and easy. Then I went for the inside and disaster struck.

I didn’t quite center the router bit in the hole I had drilled so whilst it was spinning up it bit the wood and started rattling the wood. I hit the stop button, but before it finished spinning it snapped! I was quite surprised that a 1/2” solid carbide bit snapped. A lesson for me to be more careful when starting a router bit like that.

I then made the mistake of trying to carry on with a 1/4” bit. It didn’t cut as cleanly and didn’t clear the waste well so it started smoldering!

Not good. So at that point I decided I really should have stopped a bit earlier so called it a night.

This is what the router bit looked like.

Time for plan B.


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[Mike G]

Ooooh, bloody hell. I'll bet that gave you a moment.....

 

[AndyP]

Wow, did that bit go pinging around the workshop? Methinks you were lucky not get hit.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Surely it would be easier (and less strain on the router cutter)to rough cut the shape on the bandsaw/with a jigsaw first and then use the router to tidy it up?

 

[NickM]

Wow. That's not good! I guess tooling like that is brittle because it has been hardened.

As above, I think I'd be drawing around the template and then cutting as close to the line as I dared with a bandsaw and jigsaw, leaving the routing just to take a very small cut. I once template routed some solid oak for an archway door I was building and took too big a bite against the grain. A large chunk of oak broke off and flew across the workshop which was not nice...

 

[Malc2098]

I have to agree with the other chaps, I'd never use my router to 'cut' a whole thickness shape. I'd do the bandsaw or jigsaw cuts first and then clean up with the router.

Inside a slot like that the cutter is pulling in both directions. Cleaning up an edge, it's only pulling in one.

Even on my CNC, to cut/mill a shape like that, I program the tool path to pass a depth of half the diameter of the cutter at a time till it mills all the way through. E.g. for a 24mm thick piece of wood, I'd pass through 3mm at a time with a 6mm cutter, therefore doing 8 passes to get to the whole depth.

Anyway, lesson learned, like we all do at some time.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Luckily no metal went flying, otherwise it could have been very nasty. When cutting the first time it seemed to cut very nicely with no great force. The problem here was contact whilst coming up to speed causing the work piece to chatter. Trimming the outside off with the bandsaw is fairly straightforward. Taking the inside out with the jigsaw is not quite so easy.


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[AJB Temple]

Suggestion:

Plunge cuts with a 1/2" router bit (or a drill) In each corner of the curves. Router is cleaner.
Get one of the thick "no wandering about" two sided clean blades (Bosch Expert are very good ime) for your jigsaw, and cut close to the line very slowly using no reciprocal forward and back motion. Ideally get someone to hold an extraction hose close to the blade as you will get a better cut if you can see what you are doing.
I've done this in deep oak beams (to shape decorative ends) and it works fine. No blade wander even with long blades specially bought for the job. Was using an ordinary Milwaukee electric jigsaw with slow speed and no forward and back movement set. Very little pressure in the cut. Take it very easy on sharp curves - may take a few cuts to get round tight corners without wander. If in doubt cut more holes in tight spots.
Then trim to the line with the router, again using extraction. If you go too slowly with the router it will burn and make cleaning up a proper nuisance.

As you have some straight lines linking up with the corner curves, I would be tempted personally to cut most of it with a tracksaw (if you have one), just using the jigsaw to do the bits where the saw blade curve stops
you going further. I use this method a lot for panel work.

Good luck. It will be lovely when finished.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

So I now have a new router bit and have gradually been adding a layer once a day.

I started by marking round the horse on to the new boards with chalk.

So I had an outline like this.

I then trimmed off the edges with the bandsaw.

Having glued a layer on and let it dry overnight I drilled some holes so I could cut the middle out with a jigsaw.

Starting with my dot to dot pattern…

I cut inside the chalk lines

Leaving a rough cut layer.

I was then able to route round the inside and outside to get the shape again.

Which wasn’t looking too bad once it was cleaned up.

I could then glue on another layer and rinse and repeat.

This time I went round the outside first.

Then drilled by hand (with an electric drill) but not on the pillar drill. Drilling this way if there was anything breakout from drilling I could be sure it would be trimmed off.

Then route out the inside so I could glue the last layer on.

I am now starting to think about handles and foot rests. I want to make something out of wood and am wondering about whether I could do anything sensible with the ply off cuts or whether to use a bit of oak. I don’t have a lathe to make nice round lengths.

I am not sure I want to try drilling a large
diameter hole all the way through as the pillar drill won’t be long enough to get through in one go. I want to make sure I have a nice clean hole.

I was wondering about drilling a smaller hole for some threaded bar and putting some nut inserts in the ends of the handles and foot rests to screw them on with.

So any good ideas?


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[Malc2098]

It's coming along nicely.

 

[AndyT]

Here's a couple of random thoughts about handles.

For a through handle, you could use a piece of square section hardwood. Leave a central part square but shape either end round/oval using spokeshave/ rasp/ angle grinder/ belt sander as preferred.

Drill a central hole of whatever size you are confident of getting straight. Then enlarge it by chiselling to be a square mortice, into which the square central part of the bar is a sliding fit. Glue it in place.
The square shape will resist any twisting that mighten loosen the handle.

Or, alternatively, use a piece of steel or aluminium tube, fitted with a pair of child sized handlebar grips from a bike shop. Glue with epoxy or a construction adhesive.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Thanks for the ideas about handles and foot supports. I am still weighing up what I think I can make a decent job of.

In the meantime I have been finishing the layers off.

This is the last layer with the glue drying.

I trimmed off the outside with the router but to get this

Drilled some holes to be able to cut the worst out with a jigsaw.

Then routed out the middle to be left with this.

Next lots of sanding to try and get a smooth finish. I am not sure I am going to be able to get out all the burn marks where I slowed with the routing. I’ll see how long before I get fed up and decide enough is enough.


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[AJB Temple]

Looking lovely.

You may perhaps find a little work with a file or fine rasp deals with the burn marks much more quickly than glass paper.