Object number
87/73
Description
Shaving horse, a low wooden bench used by woodworkers as a vice. Worker sits astride the bench.
The shaving horse is a low wooden bench used by woodworkers as a vice for gripping wood to be shaved. The worker sits astride the bench, with the wood he is using lying in front of him, gripped at the far end by the clamp block. This shaving horse is missing two of its three legs. It has a two iron tooth plates for holding the wood in place. It belonged to a chair bodger and was used to shave billets before they were turned to form chair legs and stretches. It was found in a shed in Beacon's Bottom, Buckinghamshire.
Physical description
1 shaving horse: wood; metal; fair condition- two legs under seat missing
Label Text
6. Shaving horse. This particular example came from a chair bodger's cottage in the hamlet of Beacon's Bottom, near Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire. The bodger used it for shaving billets before they were turned on a lathe into chair legs and stretchers. The two iron toothed plates held the billets tight while they were being shaved. 87/7.
Archival history
MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Recorder: JMB // Date: 14.12.87 // Description: Wooden shaving horse with central pillar. It should have three legs but the two under the seat are missing. One large iron bolt holds the main seat to the central pillar. There are two iron toothed plates for holding the billets while they were being shaved. Also an iron strip to strengthen narrow end of bench. // Dimensions: Length: 130.0 cm Height: 49.0 cm Width of seat: 34.0 cm Width of bench: 11.0 cm // Associated information: This shaving horse came from a chair bodger’s cottage. It was found in an outshed at Beacon’s Bottom, Studley Green, Nr. West Wycombe. // Used for shaving billets before they were turned to form chair legs and stretches. // References: MERL 5850 ‘Dictionary of Tools’ by R. A. Salaman // Neg. 60/3363 A Shaving horse from Stoke Row, Oxon, 1961 O/C’
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