I wanted to make a wedding gift instead of buying one. The lucky couple are horse people, so why not a horseshoe. It is made from one board of oak wood with a walnut accent piece. While routing the names, it became apparent that but jointing the two pieces together was not sufficient to hold together, so I added the heart to the front which was a perfect place to include the wedding date. For added strength, I carved out a heart shape on the backside along the joint and glued in a piece of walnut for contrasting color. I routed over the edges and finished it with a clear spray coat. If I was to make this again, I would use a different joint for better strength, probably a lap joint. Another option would be to use dowels for strength. I used braided twine to hang it for display, but it could easily have the bottom sanded flat for display on a shelf.
I wanted to make a wedding gift instead of buying one. The lucky couple are horse people, so why not a horseshoe. It is made from one board of oak wood with a walnut accent piece. While routing the names, it became apparent that but jointing the two pieces together was not sufficient to hold together, so I added the heart to the front which was a perfect place to include the wedding date. For added strength, I carved out a heart shape on the backside along the joint and glued in a piece of walnut for contrasting color. I routed over the edges and finished it with a clear spray coat. If I was to make this again, I would use a different joint for better strength, probably a lap joint. Another option would be to use dowels for strength. I used braided twine to hang it for display, but it could easily have the bottom sanded flat for display on a shelf.
