Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Print out and enlarge the templates for the wood pieces from the link in Resources.
Trace the enlargements onto poster board using a pencil and cut them out with scissors.
Place the rockers, body, head and saddle shapes onto the 2-inch board piece and cut them out with a band saw. If the board is too cumbersome, rough cut the pieces into chunks on the wood and then follow up with a fine cutting of the traced images.
Place the legs and rocker support shapes onto the 3/4-inch board. Cut out the shapes with a band saw.
Smooth out the edges of each piece with a spindle sander.
Plane the remaining portion of the 3/4-inch board down to 1/2 inch and trace the ears onto the board. Cut and sand as above.
Sand all the pieces with an orbital sander and progressively finer sandpaper.
Rub each wood piece down with a tack rag to remove the sawdust residue.
Drill two corresponding holes into the body and head. Attach them with wood glue and wooden dowels. You may need to gently hammer them into position using a wood mallet.
Glue the ears into place and clamp them onto the head with hand clamps while the ears dry. Do the same with the legs and body.
Position shims at the bottom of the legs to spread the legs out further than at the top.
Drill holes into the bottom of each leg. Glue and tap dowels into the holes.
Align the rocker support pieces and drill holes to match the holes on the feet. Place glue on the bottom of the supports and attach the supports.
Screw the rockers into the rocker supports with the No. 8 screws.
Attach the saddle to the body with holes and dowels spaced 2 inches from the rear of the horse and 6 inches apart.
Fill any holes with wood dough by pressing it into place with a putty knife.
Sand the wood dough areas with the 120-grit sandpaper until it is flush with the wood.
Stain and finish as desired.