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More Rocking Horse Plans

A few of the rocking horse plans for sale at Wooden Toy Plans

Free Rocking Horse Plan Andy

After designing and making the first one, I
thought there must be an easier way.
Stronger, faster, longer lasting.

Free Rocking Horse Plan Oscar

The one that started it all, and still a favourite.
 Rocking Horse Plans Pinto

Tools and materials.

This rocking horse plan uses 19mm or ¾ inch radiata pine stock that is readily available from your
local hardware or timber supplier. The handle is a piece of dowel that just happens to be the same
size as a broom handle.
For the eyes, you can use wiggle eyes (aka google eyes) from your local craft or novelty store. Use
ribbon or imitation leather about 10mm wide for the bridle.
There is really no need for expensive machinery such as table saws and thicknessers. This is a very
short list of tools that I used.

Power tools:
• A jigsaw or a bandsaw for rough cutting the curved shapes.
• Power drill - corded or battery powered.
• Router mounted in a router table.
• 6mm round-over router bit.
• Flush trim router bit also known as a pattern bit.

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Hand tools:
• Smoothing plane.
• Tenon saw - also known as a back saw.
• Combination square - a tool that I use all the time.
• Builders square.
• Sliding bevel.
• At least 3 bar clamps or F clamps with a capacity of at least 12 inches unless you have a
board wide enough to make the head.

Construction Notes.
Rather than make instructions, here are a few construction notes that may prove to be helpful.
My preference is to use templates made from 3mm thick material such as Masonite or MDF. There
are a few reasons for this idea: first I find it much easier to cut out the shapes for the rocking horse
because the material is that much easier to work with. I generally use a jigsaw and clean up the
rough edges with a half-round file. Once I have all my templates I can easily lay them out on the
work-piece avoiding knots and other faults, make best use of grain direction and maximise the use
of the precious timber.
A note about making the head – it may be necessary to butt join two or more pieces of timber to
make up a piece wide enough. To do this, you will need at least 3 bar clamps or F-clamps with a
capacity of 12 inches, or use a simple jig similar to that used for clamping the legs as noted on page
5 below.

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After making a rough cut about 1.5mm (or 1/16”) clearance, I temporarily attach the template to the
work-piece using foam backed double sided tape.

The photo above shows the flush trim bit in action with the template attached to the work-piece.

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Making the legs.

Clamp a pair of legs in a woodworking vise and use a smoothing plane to true up the butt joint.
Although a simple butt joint is quite adequate in this instance, you may want to cut a groove down
the middle and use what may be called a loose tongue (or spine) to achieve what is effectively a
tongue and groove joint. You could also use a biscuit joiner if you have access to one.

A simple jig to clamp the legs by clamping one leg to a board and wedging the other against a piece
of timber, as shown by the red line in the photo.

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Using a builders square to mark the notch for the rockers.

A builders square is also useful for setting out angles using a sliding bevel.

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Photo showing the body, legs and rockers ready to be assembled. Not shown is the seat, the backrest
and the tail.

The top of the legs have to be bevelled to match the angle of the body. Here I am using the body to
set the angle.
Although a 12” disc sander is not absolutely essential for this project, I have found it to be a very
useful machine. It does take a fair amount of skill and patience to achieve the same effect with a
smoothing plane.

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Photo showing how to use the builders square to line up the rockers to the legs.

Detail showing method of attaching the rockers to the legs. In this photo I used the screws to mark
the position for pilot holes for the screws, in order to minimise the chance of splitting the wood.

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Showing the sub-assembly, ready for the seat, head and tail to be attached.

Drilling pilot holes for the head and seat assembly attachment. It is important to line up the angle to
the legs.
Note that the front legs are not attached in this photo, it was only to be able to hold it in the vise.

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In this photo showing the underside, I am drilling more pilot holes to attach the tail. One screw on
each side at different heights.

Using the sliding bevel to obtain the angle for the bevel on the backrest.

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More pilot holes! This one on the edge of the seat, just past the top of the legs. Once the backrest is
secured in place, there is one more screw into the tail.

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Preparation for painting.

Fill all the holes and imperfections (if any) with your favourite wood filler or spackle. Once that has
dried give it a good sanding over with a 220 grit sand paper, dust it off, and apply a coat of primer
according to the instructions on the tin.
A final sanding with a 400 grit sandpaper and your rocking horse is ready for its coat of your
favourite colours.

Conclusion
I certainly hope you will enjoy making this rocking horse. I would appreciate your feedback,
comments and suggestions using this form to contact me.
Share photos of your project in the Photo Gallery
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A few words about toy safety.
Full size template patterns are available as an optional extra. Price only US$2.99

Copyright 2016 wooden-toy-plans.com Page 12

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