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Thread: Rocking Horse Documentary

  1. #106
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    Interesting tidbit Pam...

    ...and Pam? You're not going to like this...

    It's just the beginning of a series of butchering cuts to the neck...among other things....and I'm rehashing the body and legs as I'm not happy with their current state...
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  2. #107
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    OK...we're getting closer to the painting stage.

    The neck is essentially done (the back, that is...the front still needs a bit of work) and the chest is coming together slowly. This is still an area of contention for me...difficult access makes it really tough to sand properly...but I will persevere!!!

    I added a few details to the legs and did a bit more fine tuning to the overall body. You may notice that the upper thighs of the legs have changed shape somewhat...or not. I'll add a "before" pic for comparison.

    I'll probably put the eyes in tomorrow and drill a hole for the tail. I was also going to cut the mortise for the mane, but I noticed that I don't have a 3/8 mortice chisel. The one that was coming to me from Fleezay (seller in England) hasn't reached me...8 months later. Guess I'll have to do it the hard way.

    I'm still hopeful for the deadline...but I won't be devastated if I miss it. I'd rather come out of this with something I'll be able to live with.

    I'll hopefully have more tomorrow night...but as a famous author once said, "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

    Cheers.
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  3. #108
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    ...once more into the breach, dear friends...
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    Last edited by Louis Bois; 01-06-2007 at 8:51 PM.
    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  4. #109
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    Today saw a shift of focus from the horse to the stand. I milled the base components to size and chamfered the edges using a low angle block plane and a nifty, indispensible gizmo from LV...a chamfer guide that replaces the throat adjusting mechanism. If you don't have one of these, I highly recommend it. I set the guide for a 1/2" chamfer (on 1 1/4" base stock) and shaved away until the plane would shave no more. Voila!!!

    I couldn't resist posting a few pics of the shavings, both long grain and end grain.
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  5. #110
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    The next step was to notch the hooves to receive the hoof rails. I made a few sacrificial rails to hold the horse during the next steps (final sanding, painting and adding the saddlery) to prevent damaging the actual rails.

    The following photos depict the techinque I used to mark and cut the hoof notches. Once cut, they were bolted to the temporary rails. Not sure if I'll get to do anything else this evening...but I'll post pics if I do.

    Abscheid
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  6. #111
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    a few more...
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  7. #112
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    LOL! Those "curlies" are really great works of are, Louis! Especially in the mono-tone! You really need to frame them...
    ---

    That chamfer guide is interesting, too. Will it only work on LV planes or is it "adaptable"?

    I have to imagine notching the hooves for mounting was pretty scary...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #113
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    Well, Louis, even though you tried to kill my fun via neck mucking, you failed.

    Pam

  9. #114
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    LOL! Those "curlies" are really great works of are, Louis! Especially in the mono-tone! You really need to frame them...

    Jim, walk away from the Cheech and Chong tapes...I repeat, WALK AWAY!!! I tried to keep it out of the gutter...but NOOOOoooo. You couldn't resist taking us down that road, could you?!? er...I'll have 8x10 glossies available for distribution in a few weeks!!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    That chamfer guide is interesting, too. Will it only work on LV planes or is it "adaptable"?

    I'm not sure, but I suspect it may be specifically for the LV planes. I'll measure it up against my old "65" and see how close it is.


    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    I have to imagine notching the hooves for mounting was pretty scary...
    For a man of my skill and confidence, scary never entered the equation...although I was frightened poopless!!!


    ...and Pam?!? I'll keep trying...I'm thinking of modifying the face next...
    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  10. #115
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    Yeah, the face needs fixing, too angular or something, too chiselled.

    Pam

  11. #116
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    Hang in there Pam...it's coming...and it's going to be a doozy!!! mmMMWWWAAAHhhhhaaaaaahaaaaa....

    I'd like to mention a few things that were neglected in the base preparation photos above.

    When chamfering a board as shown, it is best to start with the end grain. I clamped a sacrificial piece of wood to the far end of my cut to avoid blowing out the wood fibers on my actual board. I then finished up the long sides. This is probably obvious to most, but it works really well...and saves lots of cleanup later.

    Cheers,
    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  12. #117
    I am glad we are only hearing you talk about the quality of the work and no more of that nonsense about deadlines Louis.

    Pffft. Deadlines. I just delivered a furniture piece one hour before my wife's birthday.... 5 years after I began.

    Give those cheeks a third dimension!

  13. #118
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    5 years Tom?!? Sounds like a good project average...that's what my bench is turning into. You build a base and start using it...until you need a solid top...then you build that...add a vise as clamps fail to do the task...and before you know it? Voila!!! A bench! Oh wait...there's still the issue of top caps on that tail vise...grrrr...

    Those cheeks have been bugging me ever since the head started to take shape. I made them according to the book...and the horse is supposed to be "stylized", but I'm having a difficult time swallowing the look of it. My next horse will be different!! Did I say that out loud?!?

    I've been doing some sanding but time has been limited due to other commitments and time constraints. I drove home at lunchtime to do something about the cheeky look of the face and started to round them off a bit more. I think I may be able to save this one. I was actually considering just chopping off the head and starting to carve a new one. Common sense prevailed in the end. I'm going to blend the features of the face, especially around the eyes, ears and neck...but I think I'm on the right foot. See the before and after pics below (they're actually opposite sides of the head as I've only modified one side so far) and all comments are welcome...as well as name suggestions since my son is still thinking on it.

    Cheers,
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    Louis Bois
    "and so it goes..." Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  14. #119
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    Oh, yes, now that's a head to go with that body.

    Pam

  15. #120
    Nice improvement on the cheeks, although being a city lad I cannot tell you what a horse cheek really looks like. I'd have photos and drawings taped up all around me if I were doing this.

    It could drive you crazy though; at some point you have to admit that this is a rocking horse. Like at the point you realize horses don't ever splay their legs fore and aft like that. Do they? Maybe when jumping... Better build a wall underneath the belly....

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