Don Weber’s Slides (Part 2)

This is the second post in a three-post series featuring images from a carousel of Don Weber’s slides, which he found while working with us on a profile for The Stick Chair Journal No. 4. These images show chairmakers, Don’s journey to the Wycombe woodlands, Don’s pole lathe and his Welsh left-handed writing chair. Captions from Don are in quotes. Does anyone know the function of the board hanging around his neck at the shaving horse? At first I thought it was to protect his chest from the drawknife, but what might be a center indentation makes me think that maybe it’s used to push sticks into the horse or put pressure on them for some reason? My dad had and used (what we called in New England English) a “schnitzel-bunk” but I never saw him or anyone wearing something like that. Of course, it could be entirely unrelated (maybe he likes big wooden bling?) but it reminds me of the guards umpires wear under their face shields to protect their necks. Reading up a bit on Don Weber, it might also be a rest for the butt end of a long chisel while he’s working at the pole lathe, but I can’t find any evidence of that. Does anyone know the function of the board hanging around his neck at the shaving horse? At first I thought it was to protect his chest from the drawknife, but what might be a center indentation makes me think that maybe it’s used to push sticks into the horse or put pressure on them for some reason? My dad had and used (what we called in New England English) a “schnitzel-bunk” but I never saw him or anyone wearing something like that. Of course, it could be entirely unrelated (maybe he likes big wooden bling?) but it reminds me of the guards umpires wear under their face shields to protect their necks. Thanks! Reading up a bit on Don Weber, it might also be a rest for the butt end of a long chisel while he’s working at the pole lathe, but I can’t find any evidence of that. Curious as to where the “Bodger’s Pub” was located. I couldn’t hardly read the sign of the name of the place from the picture… “The Hampden Arms” it says on the sign: https://www.thehampdenarms.co.uk/ Sure looks like the place.