A Craftsman's Legacy

>> There is more than one way to leave a legacy.

For some, it means plaques, monuments, and halls of fame, but for others, legacy comes from a place more simple.

>> Snip off the ends.

We're building a tepee shape.

>> The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

>> I'm in Oklahoma visiting with a woman who loves horses.

Jackie Wilson has been creating these wonderful wooden rocking horses since the late '70s.

Today, they're sought after and shipped around the world.

It's been about a year since I've been on a trail ride.

So I'm pretty anxious to get back in the saddle.

Jackie.

>> Good morning.

>> How are you?

I'm Eric Gorges.

>> I'm pleased to meet you.

You want to come on in?

>> Sure.

Sounds good.

>> Okay.

A craftsman battles for perfection, never willing to give in or walk away.

I'm Eric Gorges.

I build custom motorcycles using skills passed on by countless generations before me.

I used to work 9: 00 to 5:00, chasing money and titles, and it nearly broke me.

So I started over.

I decided to work with my hands to feed my soul.

Please join me on a quest to uncover the skills that build our society.

We'll discover what drives the men and women who I call my heroes.

We'll learn their craft and maybe even find some inspiration along the way.

There's a part of you in everything you create, your legacy.

"A Craftsman's Legacy."

>> So, I've got to say, I love these horses.

They're so cool.

>> [ Chuckles ] Oh, good.

I do, too.

>> How did you get into it?

>> I think I was born loving horses.

I just think they're beautiful animals.

>> Yeah.

>> They are very special to me.

>> So you've been a horse lover your whole life?

>> Yeah.

All my childhood, I would draw pictures of it.

And then we got a horse when I was 12, and I spent all my time with her.

>> Aw.

>> And she was my best friend.

I mean... >> Yeah?

>> ...she was the love of my life.

So, when I ended up being married and pregnant with our first child, I ran into an article in a magazine that told how to make a rocking horse.

And I thought, "Oh, I've got to make a rocking horse for this baby."

>> Okay.

>> So I had already had a little experience using some tools.

My dad had a band saw, and he had taught us how to use different tools.

So I read the article and I was like, "I can do that.

I can do that."

>> Sure.

>> I went ahead and built the horse.

Actually, the man I worked for at the time gave me a saddle.

So I did the pattern to fit the saddle, made my first horse, and it was like, "It worked!"

It was great.

It was perfect.

So I loved it.

>> A lot of years of use out of it?

>> Yeah, in fact, it has a Western saddle.

It has the little leather straps hanging off of it.

My daughter used to tie her belongings onto it and take long rides.

So it had a lot of mileage on it.

>> Oh, that's nice.

>> Yeah.

>> That's got to be a pretty special feeling for you.

>> Very gratifying.

I think, when you build something with your own hands and you see it getting used and appreciated, it's very gratifying.

>> Are there certain models that you make?

>> Yeah.

I have four different models -- a pony size -- I call it a pony size, named the Tonka model because my little sister had a beautiful pony named Tonka.

I have a glider horse, which is a little larger.

I call it the Secretariat because he's stretched out, and his tail is wooden, and it's going out back, so he looks like he's racing.

>> Oh.

>> So that's the Secretariat model.

And then the Chiquita model.

My first horse was Chiquita.

And that horse is big enough to have a little Western saddle on it.

So it's my biggest model that I make regularly.

And then I have a small horse just for decoration.

It's the Mantel horse.

You can put it wherever you want when you're decorating your home.

>> How many do you think you've made over the years?

>> People ask me that, and I don't know.

>> No idea?

>> I might guess 100, which doesn't sound like all that many.

But they take a while to make, and I'm not going for numbers.

So I really don't know.

>> And you ship them all over, right?

>> I do.

They go all over the United States.

>> That's crazy.

>> Yeah.

[ Laughs ] I got a call one summer in 2013, and it was the State Department.

And they said, "I'm from the office of protocol, something like that, and one of our responsibilities is to supply gifts for dignitaries," you know, if somebody happens to have a baby or something.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And I said, "Oh, okay."

So we talked back and forth.

And they were interested in getting one of the horses.

And I asked, you know, who this might be for, and, "Well, we can't tell you."

But they wanted a polo mallet to go along with the horse.

And I said, "Well, I'm sure I can make a polo mallet."

And I was telling my husband, "You'll never guess who called today!

The State Department."

And I told him about the polo mallet, and he said, "That sounds like British.

They just had a baby over there."

I was like, "Oh."

So, in the conversation after that, I said to the lady I was talking to, I said, "Is this, by any chance, for the prince?"

Long pause.

"It could be."

It was a year later that the news came out that Obama had given a rocking horse to the prince.

And, that year, there was an exhibit at the royal palace, 250 years worth of memorabilia from royal children, and the rocking horse was going to be in that exhibit.

>> Wow.

>> And so, what a privilege.

What a privilege.

>> Now, is it hard for you to let them go?

>> No, no.

They don't belong here.

My house is full of horses.

I want them to go.

I want them to go into their homes and... >> Go to a new home.

>> Yeah.

These are heirloom types, so, you know, they're probably not going to get sold in a garage sale.

Hopefully get passed on... >> Yeah.

>> ...down the generations maybe.

That's my hope.

>> I mean, that's got to make you feel special yourself, though, that what you're creating is, you know, starting those special memories for so many other people.

>> Yeah.

I do.

I love that because I never had a rocking horse as a kid.

My horse was a tree that had turned over and the whole ball of roots was...

I would climb up on that, and that was my horse.

And so, man, if I could've had a rocking horse when I was a kid, it would've been awesome.

so I think, yeah, that kids that get to own these horses that I make, I think of the memories they're making.

>> I would think that this also gives you an opportunity to think about your legacy.

>> And I've never really thought about that.

>> No?

>> No.

I never was out to make a name for myself.

>> Sure.

>> That was not important.

But I would like people...

I would like for somebody, someday, to say, "Yeah, a Wilson rocking horse is a good horse to have."

>> And do you think of yourself as a craftsman or an artist ever?

>> You know, I didn't used to.

But I've come to understand that, yeah, by golly, I'm an artist.

>> Yeah.

What do you think?

You about ready to make a rocking horse?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah?

>> I'll teach you all I can.

>> I'm excited.

I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

>> Okay.

It will be.

>> The earliest known rocking horse was a crude wood carving thought to have been made for a young King Charles I.

As they gained in popularity, the rocking horses became more intricate.

Bow rockers were added, and they were used as training tools to teach young children how to sit on a horse properly and maintain balance.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the rocking horse became a mainstream, popular toy bringing hours of happiness to thousands of children across Europe and the United States.

Jackie Wilson has combined her love of horses and her woodworking skills to create carved masterpieces that are thrilling a new generation of children.

So, what kind of rocking horse are we going to make?

>> We're going to make a Tonka.

>> Tonka.

>> Yeah.

>> I like that name.

>> I do, too.

This is my smallest ridable horse.

>> And this is the pattern for it here?

>> Yep.

Here is the body.

>> Okay.

>> I make nine of those.

>> And this is 1-by...?

>> This is a 1x10.

>> 1x10 pine?

>> Yep.

>> Oh, and it's very clean.

>> Oh, this, actually, I've just discovered, it's from New Zealand.

It's called Select Pine.

And it has no knots.

>> Yeah, it is... >> Beautiful.

>> ...really, really clean.

And you've already prepped quite a few different stages for us, right... >> Right.

>> ...because of the amount of time it takes and the different dry times for the glues and everything else, right?

>> Right.

>> Okay, and that's what we have here?

>> Uh-huh.

>> How come we have two different stacks?

>> Because it takes nine for the horse, but my band saw can only cut a maximum of six at a time.

>> Right.

>> So I have to do two batches.

>> Two different batches.

So we do one batch of five, one batch of four.

>> Right.

>> So what are the holes here for?

And you've got some dowels in place.

>> Yeah, that's to hold the wood secure so that it doesn't move when I'm trying to put it through the band saw.

>> Oh, I've got you.

So it all stays together.

You cut it as one whole unit.

>> Right.

>> And it's pretty important to keep them right around the same size so you're not... >> Yeah.

Absolutely.

It's got to be perfect... >> All right.

>> ...as perfect as I can get it.

>> Once these are cut on the band saw, then what would the next step be?

>> Gluing it.

>> You have to glue all nine pieces together?

>> All nine pieces together.

>> All right.

Well, why don't we get started on the band saw?

>> Okay.

Let's do it.

>> Now, this is the body, right?

>> That's right.

>> All nine pieces?

>> All nine pieces.

>> Glued up, dried and ready to go.

>> Ready to go.

>> And how do you have it set up here in the vise?

>> It's upside down right now.

I'm going to start grinding on the bottom side.

>> Okay.

>> This is the back end.

This is where the legs will go.

>> That's what those pockets are for?

>> Yep.

>> Okay.

>> They're for the legs.

And then I'm going to grind a V here for between the hind legs, and then we'll round the sides for the belly.

>> All right.

>> Then we'll turn it over.

>> All right.

So this is the tail.

This is the head.

>> That's right.

>> And this is the tool we're going to use?

>> That's...Yep.

It's a grinder.

>> It looks pretty aggressive.

>> It's great for grinding off that wood.

Yeah.

>> Now, have you always used power tools?

>> [ Laughs ] No.

For years, because I was never in a hurry to do a horse, I hand-chiseled them.

>> You did?

>> It took hours and hours.

And then a woodworker walked into my store one day, and he said, "Oh, you ought to use this tool."

And he introduced me to that.

And... [ Gasps ] The moment I tried it, it was like, "Oh, my gosh.

This is awesome!"

So, yeah.

It cuts the time in, you know, one-tenth.

>> All right.

Well, I'll watch you, and then maybe I could try.

>> You can.

I'll let you.

>> Awesome.

>> So I have a question for you.

>> Yeah?

>> How do you keep it symmetrical?

>> I'm constantly looking at it to see.

Like, here, it looks like it's pretty good... >> Uh-huh.

>> ...and then I'll have to get down there and check.

>> I got you.

>> So we're just sort of going to cut back in here... >> Yeah.

>> ...Then knock this over?

>> We're just going to start grinding this way and just rounding, rounding, but you don't want to take it to the edge... >> Right.

>> ...of either of these.

>> Okay.

>> And you'll do it on both sides.

>> Okay.

>> Okay.

>> It's really starting to look like... >> It is.

>> ...the body of a horse.

>> It's very much coming along.

>> And do you have one that already has the head on it?

>> And I do have a larger horse that's all ready for a face.

>> Oh, okay.

So we're going to work on the face a little bit?

>> Yeah.

>> Sweet.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> This is much further along in the process.

>> Yeah.

The head is on, glued on.

I've already got the nostrils, the mouth, and the ears... >> Okay.

>> ...all done.

and I just have the eyes left.

>> And the eyes, I mean, that's the window to the soul.

>> It is, the eyes.

>> Do you find the eyes are the most difficult part to do?

>> They are the most difficult but, I think, the most critical because the character, you know, the character of the horse is in the eyes.

>> Sure.

>> And so I'm always aiming to make friendly eyes.

>> Yeah.

>> That's my goal.

>> So I'll watch you do this then.

>> Okay.

>> Sound like a plan?

>> That's a good plan.

>> That looks really nice.

>> Thank you.

>> Very friendly.

>> Thank you.

>> That's what I'm aiming for.

>> That's awesome.

So do we have a model that we can put some legs on?

>> Yes, we do.

That comes next.

And it's going to be the Tonka model like we were working on before.

>> Oh, look at that.

So tell me a little bit about these legs.

>> That's European beech.

>> Okay.

And why do you use a different type of wood?

>> Because it's a hard wood, and I want the legs to be real strong.

The rockers are made out of the same wood.

They're so strong, I can ride this horse when it's done.

>> [ Chuckles ] All right.

And these aren't a laminate, meaning they're not multiple pieces glued up.

>> No, I can get it in wide enough, you know, width, that I can just make one piece.

>> They look like they're almost done, really.

I mean, they're all shaped up and sanded and everything.

>> Yeah.

They are.

I can see ridges from the saw marks right now... >> Okay.

>> ...and I could've taken that off before I did this.

But I can also do it after it's on the horse, so -- >> I got you.

And these just sort of go on like that?

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

>> And then, once they're in place, you have to grind this and smooth it into the body?

>> Right.

Make it all blended.

That's fun.

>> So I guess we're ready to glue them up?

>> Yep, get our fingers all messy.

>> Have you always used wood glue, like, just yellow glue?

>> Yeah, definitely.

And it's okay if you let the glue set just a couple of minutes.

If it starts to get a little tacky, that's good.

That's something I used to think that you had to get it on there right away.

But I have found out that it's actually beneficial to let it get a little bit tacky.

Oh.

We'll set it on there.

I've already got the screws in place.

Sometimes I don't screw it in all the way, in case I need to make adjustments.

I want it to be as smooth as possible.

And so that's always a part that, it's a little bit, "Okay.

I hope I did it."

Okay.

Now I'm going to measure because I want... they have to be the same on the rockers because the rockers are going to be equal parts.

This is 13 1/2.

>> And you're measuring from outside to outside?

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

It's 1/8 inch off.

Okay, so I want to see if I can...

I'm going go ahead... We'll put these screws in and make sure they're tight.

I can accept 1/8 inch, but I'd like it to be better.

>> I got you.

>> And this is... that's 13 1/2, so what I could do... No, that's right on.

>> There you go.

>> Yeah.

I'll let it set overnight.

>> Let the glue set up?

>> Yep.

Let the glue set overnight.

>> Well, more and more, it's starting to look like a rocking horse.

>> Yeah.

>> It's just upside down.

>> Yep.

>> And our next step for this would be putting it on the rockers?

>> Right.

>> All right.

So she's ready to go on the rockers.

>> Right.

>> Yeah?

And the legs have been attached.

And it looks like this has already been ground out and finished, shaped in here.

>> Yeah.

>> And then we've got some filler dough that's put in here, too.

>> Yeah, any place where there are little cracks where the wood isn't perfectly snug together, we just add a little bit of filler.

>> Is it hard to find the right placement of the horse on the rocker?

>> No, because I want the horse centered on the rocker.

Even though the horse is front-heavy, it wouldn't look right if it was anywhere but centered on the rockers.

>> Sure.

And this has already been notched out for us, right?

>> Yeah.

That's so that the hoof will, you know, come to the outside of the rocker.

>> Okay.

So I noticed, the first thing you did was prop this rocker with these blocks.

Why is that?

>> Because when I put the glue here, I don't want it running downhill.

>> [ Laughs ] Simplicity, right?

>> Yeah.

>> Okay.

Are we ready to glue her on?

>> Yeah.

Here we go.

>> A little bit of glue down.

There we go.

Right.

There we go.

>> If you'll hold it slanted... >> Sure.

>> ...I'll do the same thing back here.

>> This rocker is really, really nice.

>> And the glue just keeps coming out.

I have to keep coming back until it stops.

>> [ Chuckles ] That's beautiful.

>> Yeah, at this point, it's starting to look like... >> That sure is.

>> ...on the rockers.

>> And this rocker base, like you said, it's the same design you use for all of them... >> Right.

>> ...pretty much?

>> Right.

>> Has it changed much over the years?

>> No, the first one, I did not have any slats on.

>> Oh, okay.

>> But, after that first one, I decided to put slats on.

That made it a nice base for the kids to step on that and climb on the horse.

And it solidified the rockers, too.

>> I got you.

Well, it's beautiful.

Now we've got to let it dry, though.

>> Yep.

Yeah.

That'll have to wait overnight before I can screw the...

I will screw the hooves from the outside.

>> Oh, okay.

>> And you won't be able to see the screws because I'll countersink them and fill it.

>> Right.

>> But that has to wait overnight.

>> All right.

>> Now, this is about done, isn't it?

>> Just about.

>> I mean, it looks beautiful.

It's all painted and finished.

Do you paint most of your horses the same way, like this?

>> Actually, I have all sorts of colors.

>> Yeah?

>> This is the only one that gets painted, but I stain different colors of brown like a palomino or a bay or a buckskin.

>> Well, that's beautiful looking.

>> Yeah, thank you.

>> So what's left?

>> Well, the horse has to have a tail.

>> Is that real horse's hair?

>> It is.

It's real horsehair.

>> Really?

>> Yeah.

>> Can I see it?

>> Yeah.

>> You have to be sort of careful with it?

>> Well, yeah, you don't want to mess it up too much.

>> Look at that.

That's pretty neat.

>> Looks like about the right color.

>> what do you think?

>> I think it's the right color.

>> Do you think anybody would notice?

>> Well... >> I've been thinking about growing it out.

>> [ Laughs ] You'd get a few stares.

>> So how do we start?

>> I want the hair to come out of the tail and be up.

So I have to put this on... >> Okay.

>> ...to hold that.

>> And this is just going to prop the hair up... >> Yeah.

>> ...so that it doesn't fall flat?

>> Right, so that it comes out and it doesn't just pull out or fall down on the rope.

I like it to have a little bit of lift to it.

>> Right, right, right.

>> Yeah, now it's ready because that tail will come out and lay up here.

>> And now you're going to set that with glue?

>> Yeah, I'm going to insert glue into the hole here.

And I'll also spread the hair all out and work glue into the top.

This is a critical part to me trying to get the glue so that every hair has glue.

And then getting it to work into the hole there in the horse is also... >> You want me to put some glue in the hole for you?

>> Yeah.

Why don't you go and do that?

>> Sure.

>> And that looks to me like it's pretty good there.

>> There you go.

>> Now I will work this in there.

>> It looks like it's taken you some time to figure out how to do that properly.

>> I'm always trying to find if there's any better way to do it than what I'm doing it.

And I usually...

I try to feel... >> Really set it in.

>> Yeah, and make sure it's all the way in.

I want to try to keep as much glue off the hair as possible.

>> Do you always use the same color hair?

>> No.

I have white hair.

I have black hair.

This is called a dark mix.

>> That looks really, really nice.

>> Yeah.

>> What a huge detail that brings to it.

>> Oh, you can't have a tailless horse.

>> Sure.

And then you let this set up for overnight?

>> Overnight.

Here we go.

>> Well, Jackie, thank you so much.

>> You are so welcome.

>> I had such a great time.

>> I had fun teaching you.

>> Oh, this is wonderful.

>> Jackie found a way to share her love of horses with others.

She relies on that love and knowledge to craft memories while nurturing the skills taught by her father.

What an amazing legacy to live.

>> There is more than one way to leave a legacy.

For some, it means plaques, monuments, and halls of fame, but for others, legacy comes from a place more simple.

>> Snip off the ends.

We're building a tepee shape.

>> The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

>> To discover more about "A Craftsman's Legacy" and the craftsmen we feature, please visit our website.

And you can also follow us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.