Make a Forked-Limb Bootjack

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ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
It's a good idea to cobble up one of the practical bootpriers and station it conveniently outside your back door.

Building a forked-limb bootjack makes history of tussling with tight-fitting footwear.

Make a Forked-Limb Bootjack

It used to be that almost any farm house or stable was considered ill-equipped unless it had a bootjack . . . a little hardwood wedge that allows a person to slip off muddy or tight-fitting footwear without having to sit down and wrestle with it.

Nowadays you seldom see the handy devices except in riding apparel shops or on the pages of old-timey catalogs. However, if you’ll be tromping through clay-caked pastures–or shoveling out some stalls –this summer, it’s a good idea to cobble up one of the practical bootpriers and station it conveniently outside your back door.

First, find a stout green hardwood branch with a fork that’s just a little bigger than one you’d use to make a slingshot. Try the notch out for size by fitting it around the heel of your boot . . . the “V” should grab the back of the footgear snugly.

  • Published on Jul 1, 1982
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