Well, I am started down the road now to creating a rocking horse for my granddaughter, Emma.
She will be two years old this Christmas, and has now just begun to walk. So I figure, if I start it now,
I’ll finish in time for this Christmas… This horse is being created loosely from the Woodsmith Rocking Horse, issue #65, with a little creative flair this time around. I last built one of these some 16 years ago, for my oldest granddaughter, who is going to graduate from high school next year! My how time flies…
Anyhoo, the core of the body is 1+ 1/2” very spalted white oak, while the legs will be Ash, and a little pine here and there…
I use this photo as my desktop screensaver, so that I have to look at it every day, to remind me to get to work !
I’ll post several photos along the build process, hoping to make progress in the next several months, 
And here are the legs taking shape…
Glue Ups for the 1 1/2” stock for the Legs…3/4” Ash…
Rough draft to see how the legs are going to look…
Here come the final pieces, all from 3/4” Ash.
Head, neck and belly pieces fill it out nicely.
Cleaned up a little more… I’m trying now to finalize the body parts,
and will finally put it all together once and for all…
Some rounding over of the legs and body parts, and its starting to look a little better…
this is what it should look like:
July 8, 2011…I added the neck pieces, and rounded over the sharp edges on the head.
Now on to the sanding…and sanding…and eventually the bottom rocking portion of this project…
Here is the finished horse as of December 19, 2011…Just in time for Christmas!
And this is the last post of this year, when my Granddaughter Emma
rode the horse on Christmas Day. She is elated with this toy…
Happy New Year to everyone,
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
10 comments so far
~Julie~
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526 posts in 1206 days
#1 posted 740 days ago
Great to be planning this far ahead…
I look forward to the progress!
-- ~Julie~ followyourheartwoodworking.blogspot.ca
SteveW
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#2 posted 733 days ago
Bump:: May 22, 2011 I’m gluing up 3/4” ASH creating 1 1/2” stock for the legs…
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
SteveW
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269 posts in 1030 days
#3 posted 732 days ago
Bump::May 23, 2011 I finished cutting out the outer head pieces, neck pieces, and belly pieces.
These will fill out the rocking horse to almost a full 5 inches wide, and makes it not so skinny looking…
I’m going to try to glue and screw it all together this week, but
with Memorial Day coming up this weekend, I probably won’t get much more done to it
till after…see you then.
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
SteveW
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#4 posted 714 days ago
I finally got back around to working on the horse again after a week or so off doing outside stuff…
I have a lot of sanding to do yet, and found that there were too many laminated pieces not quite the same, so I have to sand em all down…So I found an easier way with a power carver/ grinder, that allowed me to kind of “sculpture” the head somewhat, and bring it to looking like one solid piece now. Now on to sanding the legs…
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
SteveW
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#5 posted 706 days ago
It’s June 18th weekend, and I’ve done a little more sanding, and rounding over of the legs,
and body parts…not too much more to go though.
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
pommy
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#6 posted 706 days ago
i dont want to put a downer on your thread but i looks more dog tham horse my friend
Andy
-- cut it saw it scrap it SKPE: ANDREW.CARTER69
SteveW
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#7 posted 706 days ago
Yeah, it does look kinda canine at this point, its not a horse, until the face carving starts…
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
SteveW
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#8 posted 521 days ago
Done! Christmas 2011 is here, and Dusty, as my wife named him, is finally ready to be ridden into the sunset.
-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! SteveW
helluvawreck
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#9 posted 521 days ago
That’s a fine looking horse and you did a great job on it, Granddad. Your Granddaughter, Emma, will love it.
helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau
~Julie~
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526 posts in 1206 days
#10 posted 521 days ago
Steve you did a great job! Lucky Emma and her friends who get to ride on that beauty.
Merry Christmas…
-- ~Julie~ followyourheartwoodworking.blogspot.ca
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