The shaving horse is a sort of work station used traditionally by coopers and chair bodgers. The identifying feature is the foot operated clamp. It allows for easy and intimate use of drawing tools, like spokeshaves, drawknives and scorpers.

Here are plans for two versions of the shaving horse.

The first is more of a traditional one.

I have made and used both with no outright favourite.

 

The second version could be modified from this plan: the proportions of the lever arm aren't ideal, and an engineer friend agrees. As shown, the portions below and above the pivot are equal in length,which means no mechanical advantage. Compare it to the lever arm on the traditional version. Huge mechanical advantage...

 

Using a shaving horse for the first time is an eye opener. The natural movements of the upper body when pulling on a drawknife or spokeshave apply force to the feet, subsequently tightening the clamp on the workpiece. It is all in line, which makes changing back to a normal vise-and-bench setup very awkward, as this forces you to work offset. You can very rapidly move the workpiece around in the shaving horse, with no screw thread to undo.

A comment I often hear from people confronted with this devise for the first time is "You'll cut your stomach (or worse) doing that!"  I haven't even got close, because the arms get pushed back far enough with elbows right behind and you run out of movement. I have, however, seen photos of old timers wearing a wooden or thick leather pad suspended around their neck. It sits on the chest, but this is more to prop the workpiece against as they work, either for delicate control or security.

I have tried making my ones with foldable legs for ease of transport. They are still cumbersome and a bit wobbly when I'm underway, but I haven't had one collapse yet. They are great for working on site in the bush, quietly whittling away, and all you leave behind is a pile of shavings.