2017-10-12T16-24-45

Today I was cutting some 8/4 black cherry with my Ryoba and was finding that holding the stock on my saw benches was too high; I stepped on some 4x4’s and felt more comfortable; however, it is only once I stood on top of the saw benches that I was able to easily cut straight and perpendicular to the board. That is a bit hard on your back, so I think the pair of #JapaneseSmallHorses I am going to build with this cherry might be the perfect height :-) #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-12T16-48-22

Just finished cutting the pieces for the #JapaneseSmallHorses to rough dimensions; the main pieces are about 20” x 6” x 2” and the feet are 9” x 3” x 2”. I am planning to follow Japanese tradition and put the sap wood side of the black cherry facing away (down and out) from the core of the action. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-23T16-56-40

Just completed the simple joinery for the first of the #JapaneseSmallHorses; both feet and main board got a 3/4” notch; the notches are not very deep but the horse seems super solid even without glue. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-25T12-42-57

I am working the joinery on the feet of the #JapaneseSmallHorses in tandem so I am sure both notches end up at the same depth; it is faster too. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-25T14-57-03

The joinery for the #JapaneseSmallHorses in complete; I also rounded the top corners and chamfered all the edges of the top pieces with a block plane; next is shaping the feet. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-26T12-12-08

After I drew up a template for the feet of my #JapaneseSmallHorses and transferred its outline to my pieces, I started wondering how to go about roughing out the shape with a few saw cuts. Should I start with a diagonal cut or a square notch? In the end I found it easier and more precise to start with cutting away a square piece and following up with a diagonal cut removing both left-over triangular pieces at the same time. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-30T16-31-15

More progress on shaping the feet of the #JapaneseSmallHorses. After trying a few approaches, I ended up chamfering the edges up to the pencil line with a carving knife (background piece), shaping the curve by using a shoulder plane across the grain at a slight upward angle to avoid blowout on the back edge (middle piece), and smoothing things up with a small file (foreground piece). #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-31T15-42-22

I installed a wooden sole extension to my router plane so I could clean up the bottom notch on the feet of the #JapaneseSmallHorses; it made the job really easy; I am really glad I took the time to make it. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-10-31T15-43-07

I installed a wooden sole extension to my router plane so I could clean up the bottom notch on the feet of the #JapaneseSmallHorses; it made the job really easy; I am really glad I took the time to make it. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-11-01T16-00-39

The #JapaneseSmallHorses are finally ready (minus buffing and a second coat of Danish oil). After the glue-up, one of the horses was rocking slightly; I put it upside down in the vice and put my winding sticks on the bottom of the feet and found a small twist; a few strokes with the Jack plane took care of that. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-11-01T16-01-26

The #JapaneseSmallHorses are finally ready (minus buffing and a second coat of Danish oil). After the glue-up, one of the horses was rocking slightly; I put it upside down in the vice and put my winding sticks on the bottom of the feet and found a small twist; a few strokes with the Jack plane took care of that. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-11-01T16-03-34

The #JapaneseSmallHorses are finally ready (minus buffing and a second coat of Danish oil). After the glue-up, one of the horses was rocking slightly; I put it upside down in the vice and put my winding sticks on the bottom of the feet and found a small twist; a few strokes with the Jack plane took care of that. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking

2017-11-01T16-05-29

The #JapaneseSmallHorses are finally ready (minus buffing and a second coat of Danish oil). After the glue-up, one of the horses was rocking slightly; I put it upside down in the vice and put my winding sticks on the bottom of the feet and found a small twist; a few strokes with the Jack plane took care of that. #WorkbenchAppliance #handtoolsonly #woodworking