shaving horse

English

Man working at a shaving horse

Noun

shaving horse (plural shaving horses)

1. (woodworking) A device that allows a woodworker to sit astride it while it clamps onto a piece of wood which is being worked.

   Synonyms: shaving bench, shave horse

   • 1929, Henry C. Mercer, Ancient Carpenters' Tools, page 13:

     It took about three long-pull shaves (right, left and middle) of the draw knife, upon the shingle, clamped in the shaving horse, to thin its top surface and straighten its long sides. Numerous missplits were thrown away.

   • 1990 May-June, Don Weber, “Bodger's”, in American Woodworker, number 14, page 36:

     Of the vises and devices used to hold wood while it's being worked, the shaving horse, or "mule," is among the most basic you can find.

   • 2004, Lon Schleining, The Workbench: A Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Bench, page 189:

     Harkening back to a time when men like David Wright made furniture under a shady tree, this shaving horse could have been made centuries ago.