Construction
While you can build this horse using only hand tools, I hope you can use a power band saw at least. I also recommend a router, a drill press, a table or radial arm saw and an electric sander or two. A complete shop will speed construction, but you can build this horse with very few tools. Here is a list of the tools I use.
My Tool List for Horses
Power tools
Bench mounted belt sander
Inflatable drum sander
Table saw
Band saw
Electric hand circular saw
Drill press
Table-mounted router
Hand tools
2 bar clamps
2 large C-clamps
Hammer
Shallow sweep gouge
Minimum Tool List
These will get you a horse, but with more work.
Power tools
Table mounted router
Saber saw or band saw
Drill press or electric hand drill
Hand tools
2 bar clamps
2 large C-clamps
Hammer
Spoke shave and hand plane
Nearly any woodworking project can be accomplished with only a sharp knife. As generations of toolmakers and craftspeople have added refinements and fixtures to hold various cutting edges, our work has gotten much easier. The point at which you start along this tool evolutionary line determines how long a project will take, not the quality of your finished work. Whether you have a dream shop or just a space in the basement with a few tools you can take pride in your work. Quality work comes from many differently equipped craftspeople.
The cabinetmaker's first task was to see that all his tools were in excellent working order and that he had every tool he would possibly need. Each of the many tools in his shop had its own special function, and the cabinetmaker had to know just how, where, and when to employ each one.
The Cabinetmakers
Leonard Everett Fisher
There were a few tools in a corner of the cellar–a vise, files, a hammer, chisels, etc. that father had brought from Scotland, but no saw excepting a coarse crooked one that was unfit for sawing dry hickory or oak. So I made a fine–tooth saw suitable for my work out of a strip of steel that had formed part of an old–fashioned corset, that cut the hardest wood smoothly. I also made my own bradawls, punches, and a pair of compasses, out of wire and old files.
John Muir – 1912
...and it was after long searching that I found a carpenter's chest, which was indeed a very useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a ship loading of gold.
Robinson Crusoe, 1719
Daniel Defoe
