Back in 2012 when I purchased my Shopbot, I started drawing a rocking horse in Aspire, which I planned to build for my then 1 yr old son, Joseph.

Well, as time carried on (Joe's now almost 5) I never did get to it.

A few weeks ago, I found the file I started, and thought it was time to actually finish it up and make one for my other boy, Max, who's approaching 1 1/2.

The whole rocking horse is cut from a 1/2 (48" by 48") sheet of 12mm (1/2") Baltic birch plywood. The rockers are two layers, the head is three, and the body is kerfed from underneath, with a 1/8" bit, to bend neatly around the radius. There is one other rectangular piece of ply set into a groove where the radius stops. The body is very strong.

The only other part is a few lengths of maple dowel I turned on my big copy lathe.

I have to make a few small tweaks to the file (want to move the placement of the holes in the body a wee bit to have the horse sit a bit more towards the rear at rest). But if anyone wants the file let me know, I'd be happy to share. I cut it out with a 1/4" bit and did the kerfs with a 1/8" bit. WHen you bend the ply the kerfs close up, and I got the spacing bang on.

Here is my older son, Joe, testing the thing out before Christmas...