Shaving Horse vs wood vise

[PaulP]

I am very new; so this may have been answered some time back.   

I am in the process of gathering basic bow building tools.

Would I be ahead building or buying a wooden shaving horse or would my shop vise do the job.

Thanks,

Paul

[david w.]

i use a vise for everything. it suits me fine but I am new to bowbuilding so i would wait till someone else reponds for an answer

[Beleg813]

I am very new; so this may have been answered some time back.   

I am in the process of gathering basic bow building tools.

Would I be ahead building or buying a wooden shaving horse or would my shop vise do the job.

Thanks,

Paul

Well, considering I don't have a vise or the money, or the space...I'm feeling pretty primitive...I just sit on my board and go crazy. This is also perhaps why I may finish my bow hopefully before I'm too old to shoot it (or crack it tillering )

I would assume either one would work great--whatever floats your boat and you are comfortable with, can afford, have room for, etc.

[Loogster]

I would just use a vice to get started then as happens to most people you will get addicted and then it might be time to invest in a shaving horse. If you dont have a vice already I would recommend just using a few C clamps on a rail if possible. Most of the time when starting a bow, thats my first step on getting the general shape before moving on to a vice for tillering and all that fun and time consuming things 

[Dane]

I'm still kind of new to all this, but not totally a greenhorn, and thus far, I have been totally happy with c clamps and those wooden clamps with the screw handles on each side (I forget what they are called). You know, the Uncle Fester clamps, if you remember watching the old Adams Family show. Dates me a bit, I guess I do really prefer to work standing up if possible, so clamps suite me fine in that way, too.

[George Tsoukalas]

I like the bench and vice. I like to stand up and work. There's a bench on my site. jawge
http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html

[Mark Smeltzer]

I mounted a vice near the the end of a picinic bench and I stradle the bench seat.  I can swivel the vise to the position I want.

Mark

[Hillbilly]

Everybody has sifferent takes on stuff like this, just boils down to what you like. I prefer a shaving horse for chasing rings, roughing out bows, and such- a lot quicker and easier to adjust. For rasping and scraping, a vise is a bit more convienient. Either one will get the job done. I have a small vise mounted on the end of my shaving horse.

[PaulP]

A lot of great answers; but still difficult to decide.

Paul

[1/2primitive]

Shaving horse, but I havn't used a vise much at all.
    Sean

[Badger]

   Ditto Hillbilly answer, I also use my scraper a lot for tillering, I do this sitting in a chair with the bow in my lap.  I prefer sitting when I work, many prefer standing, I like the quick adjustments and turns my shaving horse allows. Steve

[Pappy]

I have both but mainly use the vice mounted on a portable bench.It is kind of like
Hillbilly said it all boils down to what you like or what you get use to.
   Pappy

[MattE]

It doesn't take long to shape a stave into a bow. Any holding device is fine.You arn't going to be workng long enough to get tired. I have used every method mentioned some worked better than others. My personal choice is a shaving horse.Ironically, I do not have one at the present time.I will build one soon.

[ber643]

Build two of them, Matt ol' friend, and I'll buy one of them (reasonably, of course - LOL). That way I might get one sooner (I never get started on one) and also perhaps I might just get to see you one more time, before one or the other of us cashes in our chips - 

[MattE]

Bernie I just may do that very thing. I hope you like the horse with the off set head?