Book Review - Building Childrens Wood Toys ISBN 0897212142



Building Childres Wooden Toys Front Cover



I buy lots of used books about toymaking, mainly for the ideas I get from them. I don't pay more than $5, including shipping, unless I know it is special. I buy mostly on eBay because I can set up a search that will find the cheap books for men and send me an email.

I bought this book on eBay because I have several Ortho books on my bookshelf that I have thoroughly enjoyed and referred to repeatedly over the years. This one was a disappointment. Unlike my other books that are mostly on gardening, I'm not exactly pleased with this one. Most of the toy designs are crude; although they may be suitable for I first-time woodworker, these toys are not what I would consider quality designs.

The patterns are miniatures laid out on grids that you must enlarge to scale. I expect this in older books. I have a scanner, software, and computer skills to make the enlargements.  If you don't have a scanner, enlarging these patterns is very tedious. I have done it many times with a pencil and paper. I do not recommend it.

The advice the book gives on tools is not up to date, maybe useful to a beginner. The book was copyrighted in 1990. It's not going to have up to date tool information 40 years later.

The book was not a total loss. I picked up a couple of ideas for modifications to some of my toy designs. I only paid four dollars and change for the book on eBay, but if I had picked this up at a yard sale, I would be hard-pressed to give up a dollar.

I do not recommend this book.

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