Horseshoes anyone?

 

 

Rout the rough-cut horseshoes to
shape using a flush-trim bit and
template horseshoe. Take it slow,
and keep a firm grip as you rout
around the ends.

Shape the Shoes

1. Make four copies of the full-size horseshoe pattern found in the Free Downloadable Plan on the last page of the end of this plan and cut the paper patterns to rough shape. Use spray adhesive to adhere the patterns to a sheet of 1/2" plywood, where shown in the Cutting Diagram.
   
   Note: We used a special thin-veneer birch plywood that offers high strength and stability. See the Shop Tip on for more information. You can substitute standard birch plywood if you prefer.
2. Cut blanks for the horseshoes (A) to rough shape using a bandsaw, scrollsaw, or jigsaw. Make your cuts about 1/16" outside the layout line on the pattern.
3. Set three of the rough-cut horseshoes aside for now. Sand the remaining one up to the line to create the final horseshoe shape. You'll use it as a template for the others.
4. Temporarily affix one of the rough-cut horseshoes (A), using small pieces of double-faced tape, to the template shoe you just sanded. Now chuck a flush-trim bit in your table-mounted router, and trim the rough-cut shoe to match the shape of the template shoe, as shown in the Photo. Repeat these steps for the two remaining horseshoes. This pattern-routing technique is faster than shaping each horseshoe by hand, and it ensures that each of the horseshoes is an exact duplicate.