How to Build Your Own Wooden Horse

How to Build Your Own Wooden Horse How to Build Your Own Wooden Horse If you remember your childhood days, then you can surely remember your first experiences with a wooden rocking horse. It was so much fun to be able to sing your rhymes while swinging to and fro on the horse. It is much the same today. Although the design of the wooden horses has undergone a sea change, the pleasure is still the same. You can make your child’s life memorable too by making a wooden horse for him too. It requires some kind of mastery over crafting wood but the trade can be learnt easily. But let us learn how to build your own wooden horse in a step by step manner.

The very first thing you need to do is select the pattern of the horse. There are many books and magazines which will give you the patterns. The website is also a very good place to gather knowledge. The patterns can be very simple and some can be very difficult too. Depending on your skills to craft wood, you can choose the pattern.
The next step is to choose the quality of wood. It is best to choose wood which is sturdy and can also be crafted easily. Black walnut and red oak are very suitable for this purpose. Quite interestingly, this wood develops a special sheen over the years which make the horse still more beautiful. Take care to see that the moisture content is about 6-7 percent. You can check for yourself with a hand held moisture meter.
Find out the tools and parts which will be necessary to complete the project. Keep them close to you so that you have total access to them.
Then comes the part of cutting the wood according to the pattern you have selected. You can make impressions with a pencil. The grain is another important factor in the making of the wooden horse. If you go along the direction of the grain then you can fashion the head, tail and mane with great perfection. If it helps you, then you can even tape the pattern on the wood while drawing.
Use a saw to cut the wood according to the pattern. If you have the required proficiency, you can even use electric tools for cutting but hand tools are equally good.
After cutting out the different parts, you can assemble them and glue them together. Clamping them together will make them stick together. Leave it to dry and then unclamp it.
You can then sand the coarse surface so that it appears to be very smooth. Then you have the option to apply varnish on the surface. You can also paint the surface or stain the wooden horse.

It depends on your skills to make a perfect horse. Don’t make the horse very large or tall so that your kid can balance himself easily. You can even inscribe the horse with your name so that it can be preserved for ages also. Well, your kid now has a great rocking horse to look forward to.