Wooden Toys From Scrap Wood - More Covid-19 Boredom Projects

by Stephen Taylor

2 Materials

1 Hour

Easy

So Auntie Cindy (Jacinda Ardern) has decided that New Zealand will be locked down for 4 to 5 weeks due to Covid19

As we were slightly forewarned, I managed to buy in some supplies to do a few jobs around the property, building a sheep press, sorting the orchard, clipping the hedges etc.

That covered the first week so now what?...

Well once I had tidied the shed, I decided that I might use some of the scrap wood up that I found and make some toys

wooden toys from scrap wood more covid 19 boredom projects

I made several different toys, so will just demonstrate one, similar techniques were used for all

Step 1: The Wood and Marking Out

For this toy, I was going to make a batmobile

I chose 2 pieces of mahogany decking to sandwich a piece of pine

The design was drawn on the mahogany and the two pieces were screwed together through the axle centers ready for cutting out (so they would be the same shape)

Step 2: Cutting Out

The main upper body shape and rear were cut out on the band saw, a basic center shape was also traced and cut from pine

Step 3: Cutting Out the Wheels

The two mahogany sides were unscrewed from each other and the wheels cut out using a hole saw.

Step 4: Wheels

The wheel centers were drilled out then the wheels were bolted together, mounted in a pillar drill and sanded to ensure that they were perfectly round, of equal size and smaller than the wheel arch size

Step 5: Assembly

The three body parts were then glued together and clamped and when dried the base was cut off to open the wheel arches.

A hole was drilled in the center pine piece to represent a windscreen.(shown in later pics)

The wheels were then mounted on long M6 bolts and the whole thing was preserved with a food safe oil

Some other toys I made

Obviously I wasn't going to leave it at that so made some other toys too, a dragster, a tank and a couple of planes. Will have to find someone with kids to give to I guess

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5 of 7 comments

Thea on May 19, 2020

Love the look of the raw wood!

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- Stephen Taylor on May 19, 2020
  
  I have oiled them with food safe (olive) oil
  
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Gigyrlopen on Dec 28, 2021

it looks really cute

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- Gigyrlopen on Dec 28, 2021
  
  I am always touched when I see that parents diligently make toys for their children independently. For me, it has always been a kind of expression of great love and care on the part of parents. I am now preparing to become a father, and so far, I do not know whether to buy toys made of wood, as one woman scared me that the child may have a severe allergy or have a splinter. Therefore, I have already read a million articles by type https://bopto.com.au/blogs/news/is-it-safe-to-give-wooden-toys-to-babies to figure it out. If I make a toy on my own, it will definitely not harm the child.
  
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- Stephen Taylor on Dec 28, 2021
  
  I'm a grandad to 4 but they live in the UK while I'm in NZ so too far to gift them, I gave them to the local women's refuge for the kids that go there. Have since made a lot more as had 16 weeks in lockdown
  
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