Started Cutting Horseshoe Layers

I'm finally back to building. Today I started cutting horseshoe layers from 1/8" MDF.

First, I had to make a 1/4" master template for both the large and small horseshoe layers. I did this in two phases. First, for the outside perimeter of the horseshoes, I used my original leg template that I hadn't touched since last summer. I used this template so that the outer perimeter of the horseshoes would perfectly match the shoulder area of the legs that are already built from the same template.



Next, I needed to form the inner perimeter of the horseshoe template. This was done using the PVC horseshoes that I purchased from Alex and Andy. Note that the outer perimeter of the PVC horseshoes are not an exact match of the legs, due to differences in the way they were made, otherwise I would have used the PVC horseshoe for the whole template.



Using these new MDF templates, I knocked out four small and four large horseshoe layers, enough for one leg (kind of, one of the small layers needs to be cut a bit more to serve as the shim layer against the leg). I traced outlines onto the MDF, rough-cut them with a jigsaw, and routed them down to size using the pattern cutting bit.



Finally, I cut the holes in the template for the shoulder buttons and hydraulics, and stacked the layers to see how they looked. This turned out a lot better than I was guessing it would. A little wood putty and sanding, and I think they just might work!