Another Do-It-Yourself Project from Georgia-Pacific

“Georgie” the Rocking HorseHardwood Plywood

Page 1 of 2 (“Georgie” the Rocking Horse)

Georgia-Pacific Corporation makes no warrantiesexpressed or implied, regarding this plan andspecifically disclaims the warranties of mer-chantability and fitness for a particular purpose.Check with an architect or a building expert tomake sure that this plan is appropriate to yoursituation and meets local building codes.

Materials Checklist• One 4�x 8� sheet of 3⁄4� hardwood plywood

• #10—11⁄4 � screws

• Carpenter’s glue

• Two feet of 1� dowel

• Dowel plugs or filler (to mask screw heads)

• Varnish or oil to finish

Tools Checklist• Saber or band saw

• Wood rasp

• Assortment of wood clamps

• Electric drill, plus a 1⁄4� spade bit (for countersinking), a 1� spade bit (for dowelpegs), and a 1⁄8� drill bit (to start screws)

• Electric sander with coarse, medium andfine grade paper

• Screwdriver

• Straight edge

• Pencil

• Paint brush

• Electric router with 1⁄2� rounding over bit

Instructions1. Trace a grid of 2� squares on

lightweight cardboard.

2. Draw outlines of the shapes on thecardboard (as in the diagram) and cut them out.

3. Trace these shapes onto the plywood,clamping two pieces of wood togetherwhere identical shapes are to be cutout. Cut the shapes using a saber sawwith a fine tooth blade. Fit a router witha 1⁄2� round over bit and rout all theedges. Sand the surfaces of each piece.

4. Position the head and tail piecesbetween the two body parts. Drive fourscrews through each side of the bodyinto the head and tail sections. Makesure the screw heads are driven flushwith the surface of the wood.

5. Place the front and back legs on theoutside of the body section. Secure withwood clamps, being careful to use padson the clamps to avoid marring the wood.Stand the horse up to be sure the hoovesare level.

6. Drill pilot holes using a 1⁄ 8� drill bit intothe legs. See photo and diagram forlocation of the three screws for eachleg. Countersink the holes so that thescrew heads will sink beneath thesurface. Screw the horse together.Sand all the edges smooth. Attach theseat with three screws placed asshown on the diagram.

7. Sit the child on the horse and measurefor hand and foot rests, mark positions,and take horse apart to drill 1� holes forthe dowel inserts.

8. Now reassemble the horse using glueand screws, clamping where necessary.Insert the 1� dowel for hand and footrests. Allow the glue to dry overnight.

9. Turn the horse upside down and centerthe cross bars on the front and backhooves and attach with two screws foreach hoof driven through the cross barsinto the hooves.

“Georgie” theRocking HorseThis classic rocking horse is a durable toy

children love—one that doesn’t need

batteries! Pay careful attention while

building it and “Georgie” just might last

another couple of generations.

Did you know?Hardwood plywood is much like traditional

softwood plywood.Both kinds are made

from layers of wood veneers that are

bonded together,with the grain of each

layer running perpendicular to the next.

This cross-grain construction makes

hardwood plywood stable and increases

its strength and durability.

The most noticeable difference between

hardwood plywood and traditional ply-

wood is in the two outer layers or veneers.

The outer layers of traditional softwood

plywood take paint well and are generally

used for construction and structural

purposes.Hardwood plywood allows the

natural finish of the wood to be exposed

and is usually used for decorative purposes.

The most popular face veneers are oak,

birch and maple.The veneer varies with

the species,producing unique color and

grain characteristics.This real wood

veneer gives the appearance of solid wood

without the cost.Hardwood plywood is

a product well-suited for clear finish

treatments which enhance the natural

beauty of the wood grain. It is easily

machined, is resistant to splitting and

impact and can be scored and bent for

special curved applications more readily

than solid wood.

Page 2 of 2 (“Georgie” the Rocking Horse)©2005 Georgia-Pacific Corporation. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A. 8/05.

Georgia-Pacific CorporationBuilding Products55 Park Place, N.E.Atlanta, GA 303031-800 BUILD GPwww.gp.com/build

10. The cross bars sit on top of cross barsupports attached to the sides of eachrocker. Before attaching supports, fitthe horse between the rockers so thatthere is an equal distance from theback tips of the rockers to the back legsand from the front tips of the rockers tothe front legs.

11. Cut two cross bar supports for eachrocker. These 4� x 31⁄2� supports may be made from plywood or solid wood.Attach them to the rockers with glueand four screws for each support asshown in the photo and on the diagram.

12. Center the cross bars over thesupports. The photo shows only onescrew attaching each side of eachcross bar, but two screws per side arerecommended for active children.

13. Screw holes can be covered withdowel plugs or with wood filler. Checkto make sure all edges and surfacesare sanded smooth. Stain and finishwith polyurethane varnish.

Body

Seat

RearLegs

FrontLegs

Tail

Head

Rocker

Crossbar

Cutting Pattern; Scale = 2�