In the above video, Windsor Chair maker, Elia Bizzarri, shows how to use a drawknife and shaving horse to work green wood while making Windsor chairs.

A shaving horse (or shave horse) is essentially a foot-operated vise used to clamp green wood while making greenwoodworking projects with a drawknife or spokeshave.

Greenwoodworking shave horses come in many different designs, but Elia’s uses a discarded Windsor chair seat, which makes for a more comfortable “ride”.

You can see many different types of shaving horses in our GreenWoodworking tools guide here. That article also shows what to look for when buying a vintage drawknife and other greenwoodworking hand tools.

Elia Bizzari is an expert Windsor Chairmaker and teacher based in North Carolina.  The above video is an excerpt from our popular video: “Build a Traditional Windsor Rocker with Elia Bizzarri” which you can buy here.

Here are some of our other articles & videos featuring Elia Bizzarri:

You can visit Elia’s website to learn more about his workshop, his Windsor Chairs, and his classes.

Here are some photos of Elia’s chairmaking shop and his Windsor Chairs: