This sturdy, attractive toy is an ideal project to make and put by for Christmas. It is made from 6mm particleboard or plywood and 13mrn particleboard and allows you to try your artistic skills if you wish, in drawing the eyes, mane, tail and harness. Alternatively, the whole horse can be painted in bold colours.
Cutting directions.
For the horse shape, use the grid as a guide to transfer the side shapes onto tracing paper. Position the pattern on one sheet of 1200 x 600 x 6mm particleboard as shown in Photo. Cut out horse shape using a jigsaw. Use the first shape as a template to cut the second shape from another sheet of 1200 x 600 x 6mm particleboard.
The seat and back are cut from 13mm particleboard as follows:
- Seat B 1 – 400 x 20Omm
- Back rest C 1 – 400 x 220mm
- Footrest D 1 – 400 x 18Omm
- Cut 1 handrail E, from 400 x 18mrn diam. dowel.
For cleats – F – to attach seat and footrest to horse sides, cut, 6 180 x 18 x 18mrn from solid timber.
When you have all the materials assembled (see ‘What you will need’) follow the 6 steps below to make the rocking horse pictured.
Assembling the horse:
Step 1,
Set out the position of pieces B, C and D onto the inside of one of the cut-out horse shapes (see seat detail drawing). Transfer these position marks to the inside of the other A piece either by marking the paper pattern or by placing both A pieces together with all edges matching and driving panel pins through the marked A panel. Separate the panels, withdraw the pins and use the holes in the second panel to mark positions for B, C and D pieces.
Step 2,
Glue and pin the timber cleats F to A pieces at the marks you made in step 1, using PVA adhesive. Allow the adhesive to dry before going on to Step 3.
Step 3,
Use medium sandpaper to sand the front edge of B and D sections, and top edge of C.
Step 4,
Using PVA glue and 25mm x 8 gauge countersunk wood screws, glue and screw parts B, C and D to the cleats F.
Step 5,
Glue and screw handrail E between the panels A as indicated in the illustration.
Step 6,
Fine sandpaper all edges and surfaces ready for painting. If you wish, try drawing on tracing paper the outline of eyes, mane, tail and harness then trace the drawing onto each horse shape. Paint the horse white, with black mane and rail and bright red harness. Alternatively, paint the horse in one or more bright colours all over.
