Word of the Day
17 February 2026
shaving horse
nounWoodworking
A device that allows a woodworker to sit astride it while it clamps onto a piece of wood which is being worked.
Why this one
The clamp is powered by the worker's own leg, so grip tightens as the drawknife pulls and releases the instant the foot eases off. Chairmakers and coopers relied on it long before bench vises were common.
In use
Grab a shaving horse and rough those spindles down to round before you take them anywhere near the lathe.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.