Handmade Wood Toy Airplane Experiment Second Attempt

For my second attempt at making my wood toy airplane, I switched to 3/4-inch stock for the fuselage. I prefer the look of the thicker wood. It adds some dimension to the toy, and it is easier for me to make.

In this version, the stabilizer is mounted in a slot. This method is much easier to mount and fit. I mark the center on the stabilizer as an alignment aid. After I dry fit and make any required adjustments, I put a small amount of glue in the slot and slip the stabilizer into place.

I lowered the wing to the bottom of the fuselage and mounted it in a dado-sized to fit the wing. The dado is cut square, and the snug fit makes mounting the wing a piece of cake. I first dry-fit and center the wing marking it with a pencil, making it easy to align after the glue is applied. The pencil marks are sanded off after glue cures.

Attaching the wing in this manner will allow for easy reinforcement if it is needed. However, if the fit is good, reinforcement is not required. I did not use it on this version of the airplane.

I did not add wheels because the toy is too small for any available wheels. Instead of wheels, I glued two small (1/4-inch) skids to the bottom of the wings. The skids worked well, but one of them was broken during testing by my grandson and needed to be reaired. Some reinforcement or making the skids longer might be a good idea.

The circles on the fuselage sides are there because I started to make slots in the body and changed my mind. Rather than cut a new body, I plugged the holes with some dowels and sanded then flush. The dowels turned out to be a design feature. Most people who have seen the airplane think the dowels are windows.