Shaving Horse

A shaving horse, also called a shave horse, shaving bench or schnitzelbank, is a combination of vice and workbench used for green woodworking, including coopering and bowyery, to create a round profile along a square piece such as a chair leg or to prepare a workpiece for the pole lathe. The operator straddles the tool like sitting on a horse and works a foot-operated treadle that clamps the workpiece, freeing both hands for a drawknife or spokeshave while the legs and body weight supply the clamping force, reducing fatigue compared with standing work. Most shaving horses are built from a vertical bar or bars hinged on a pivot through the bench top with an enlarged head that grips the wood, and most are made of wood and can be built by their own users.