In The Toymaker Shop - Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Torpedo

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo Testing Wheel Fit

 

 This wood toy car is going together very nicely and I think it will go weel with the panel truck.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo Patterns Ready For Drilling

The patterns are attached to blue painter's tape with 3M77 spray adhesive. The pattern on the back piece above is for a jig to locate the fenders. I will save the jig for future use. Is it worth the trouble to make the jig for one car. Yes, absolutely. Trying to get the fenders aligned on both sides without a jig is difficult at best.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo  Cutting The Body On A Scroll Saw

I can cut this on my bandsaw, and it is much faster, but this is offset by the significantly increased amount of sanding I would need to do.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo Body Fresh Of The Fire

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo All Of The Parts Are Cut Out And Ready To Sand

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo Front Fender On A 1-Inch Belt Sander

There is always some sanding to do. This is especially true when using softwoods.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Torpedo Fenders Glued And Clamped

Fenders are aligned and glued on using a jig. Using the jig assures the fenders are as close to the same on both sides as possible. It is much easier to do this way.

In The Toymaker Shop - Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Roadster

 

Handmade Wood Toy Car Roadster Complete Except for the Wheels and Paint

 

Handmade Wood Toy Car Roadster Test Fitting Fenders Before Glue Is Applied

Making a jig for mounting the fenders assures they will be in the same place on all cars, and it is much easier to install them. To get them in place and clamped. The jig openings must be larger than the fenders and allow for some wiggle room. Fenders don't always come out the same size. 

Handmade Wood Toy Car Roadster With Fenders Mounted, Glued and Clamped

The photo shows the last pair of fenders being installed. I only install one side at a time and let the glue set for at least 20 minutes before removing the clamps and the jig. Gluing and clamping one side at a time, keeps the fenders from moving around. After 20 minutes, the glue will have cured enough to hold them in place.

The little light-duty Harbor Freight trigger clamps are ideal for this type of work. I got this with a coupon for $0.99 each.

In The Toymaker Shop - Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Panel Wagon

Handmade Wood Toy Panel Wagon/Truck Testing the Wheel Fit

I'm building a set of Fat Fendered Freaky Ford toy cars from pine wood. The Panel Wagon is probably going to be my favorite.

Handmade Wood Toy Panel Wagon/Truck Patterns Applied and Holes Drilled

I use blue painter's tape on the wood so I can remove the patterns easily. The painter's tape sticks a bit too well and will sometimes damage the wood by pulling off some fibers. However, it is fast and easy.  

Handmade Wood Toy Panel Wagon/Truck Assembled Without the Wheels

Here the panel truck is ready for finishing. I haven't yet decided what finish to use. I'm not too fond of stains. I'm leaning toward a polyurethane or clear shellac. Polyurethane has a long cure time, but it does a fine job of bringing out the grain.

Other options include my oil and beeswax blend, Watco Danish Oil, or acrylic paint. These are very smooth, and I'm tempted to leave them bare wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday in the Shop - Bandsaw vs Scroll Saw - Fat Fendered Freaky Fords

Handmade Wood Toy Car Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Coupe

 I have a Shopsmith bandsaw equipped with Carter Guides and started this project to compare cutting out these 1.5-inch thick bodies on the scroll saw with cutting them on the bandsaw. So far, my results have been inconclusive.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Coupe

Cutting on the bandsaw is faster, but not as much as I had expected. The additional speed is offset some by the rougher cut. The rough cut made by the bandsaw requires quite a bit more sanding to get the smooth surface that I like. I'm using construction grade 2x4s for the car bodies, so I don't get a perfect cut on the scrollsaw, it is just better.

Handmade Wood Toy Car Glueing On Fenders  With A Jig

Handmade Wood Toy Car Glueing On Fenders Harbor Freight Clamps

Handmade Wood Toy Car Coupe Body and Two Fender Glueing Jigs

Handmade Wood Toy Car Coupe Body With Fenders Mounted

Handmade Wood Toy Car Fat Fendered Freaky Ford Pickup Truck Body With Fenders Mounted