Odin's Toy Factory

  My Etsy Shop While it may appear simple, this project involved significant work. It took several weeks working a few hours a day to get to this point, and it will take two hours to get them packed for shipping.    This is my first time working with black limba wood. It was easy to cut with my scroll saw; however, the hardness of the wood varied quite a bit, so I had to pay close attention to stay on the pattern lines when the cut transitioned from hard to soft wood. When finishing some parts, the wood soaked up shellac like a sponge, and most of these areas required two coats of shellac.

My Ornament Collection The holiday season is just around the corner, and that means it's time to get crafty! This year, I've taken on an ambitious project: creating a large collection of Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of hippopotamuses. It sounds whimsical, right? However, the process is far from simple, especially when it involves sanding 283 of these little beauties! Sanding one ornament isn’t a big deal. You can typically get it done in a few of minutes. However, when you're facing a daunting total of 283 ornaments, the task can quickly become overwhelming. After some calculations, I’ve figured that each ornament takes about 2 minutes for each of the four sanding steps. So, when you multiply that out, it comes to a whopping 2264 minutes of sanding! That’s over 37 hours of work dedicated solely to sanding. The ornaments are crafted from black limba wood, chosen for its beautiful grain and dark hue that adds an elegant touch to the holiday decoration. I can already ...

  My Ornaments To decide which finish to use, I did some tests. I finished these with clear shellac straight out of the can, applied with a brush. I also dipped three of three hippo ornaments in diluted clear shellac. I did not like the results of the dipped hippos, so brushing on shellac is the way to go.   Advantages of Shellac Fast drying time: Shellac dries quickly, allowing for multiple coats in a short period and enabling a finish to build up rapidly. Ease of application: It is simple to apply , often by wiping or brushing , and forgiving for beginners, with mistakes that can be easily corrected. Repairability: Shellac is highly repairable; scratches and damage can be fixed seamlessly without stripping the entire finish. Non-toxic and natural: As a natural resin, shellac is non-toxic, making it safe for use on items such as children's toys and food-contact surfaces. Beautiful appearance: It provides a gorgeous matte or glossy finish that enhances the wood's grain without...

My Ornaments Installing small screweyes can be challenging, especially since they are nearly impossible to install by hand. After experimenting with various techniques, using a hemostat has proven to be the most effective method. When it comes to materials, stainless steel screweyes are the best choice. They offer superior strength compared to other materials and are less prone to breaking. Additionally, stainless steel is harder and withstands potential damage from installation tools. A significant advantage of stainless steel is that it does not react with any of the woods I have used.  In the past, I used gold-colored screweyes, but they often broke easily, and the colored finish could be easily damaged. Over time, those screweyes would also change in color, leading to an inconsistent appearance. Choosing stainless steel for screweyes ensures durability and reliability in any project.

  My Ornaments   When using tiny drill bits, they can easily bend and break, and the small screw eyes I use for ornaments are also prone to breaking. These require pilot holes for proper installation. Currently, I am using a cheap pin vise to drill the holes by hand, applying only light pressure. The pin vise pictured came with a set of bits, but it doesn't work as well as I would like for this purpose. It uses a miniature drill chuck that lacks precision, and the handle lacks bearings, causing it to turn roughly and wobble a bit.  I have ordered a replacement that features dual ball bearings, along with a complete set of collets and carbide bits. This new tool should perform significantly better than my current pin vise. I didn't know such a thing existed until today, when I searched for a pin vise with ball bearings. Behold, there were a bunch of pin vises with ball bearings.

My Ornaments To find the location for the screw eye, I balance a hippo on the edge of a steel ruler. This balancing act helps ensure that the ornament hangs evenly on the tree. Once I determine the center, I use an awl to mark the spot and then drill a pilot hole for the tiny screw eyes I'll use to hang the ornament. I complete all of this by hand, without using power tools. The drill bit and the screweyes I use are very easy to break.

My Ornaments After removing the labels and allowing the solvent to dry, I sand the sides of the ornaments using my Shopsmith 6x48-inch belt sander. Each side should be lightly sanded for a few seconds with a 120-grit sanding belt. This sanding process eliminates tool marks, residual adhesive, and any minor tear-out created by the scroll saw. Sanding small pieces with a belt sander requires your undivided attention to avoid sanding my fingertips. I have tried many sanding methods over the years and never found a way that works better than my sanding belt.

My Ornaments  If you’re into woodworking or crafting, you know that the details really matter, and removing patterns cleanly is a crucial step in the process. I have developed a method for removing the patterns that’s both efficient and effective. Here’s how I do it: First, I wet each pattern with mineral spirits. It’s essential to let the spirits sit for a short period, allowing them to soften and dissolve the glue. This step is key because it means that when I finally pull the patterns off, most of the adhesive comes off with them.  After removing the patterns, I often find some residue left behind on the wood. Not to worry! A quick wipe with a blue paper towel takes care of that little bit of leftover glue. And any stubborn adhesive remaining in the wood will be sanded away during the finishing of the flat surfaces.  With 283 hippopotamus ornaments in this batch, it takes me about 4 hours to complete the entire removal process. While I could technically do this without...

    My Ornaments For this project, I am using shipping labels for the patterns. Half-sheet shipping labels are the perfect size for the hippo ornament project and require only minor trimming to fit the maximum number of hippos on each board. While I could attach one hippo pattern at a time to fit more on a board, that approach is very time-consuming.  I created the patterns using Inkscape, setting the page size to match the label dimensions to determine the best arrangement. Once the arrangement was finalized, I changed the page size back to standard letter size and copied the patterns to the bottom half of the page. All my patterns are printed on a Brother laser printer. The best method I have discovered for removing patterns after cutting is to soak the paper label with mineral spirits. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, the patterns come off easily without damaging the wood. While I can peel off the patterns without using mineral spirits, the adhesive tends ...

 My Ornaments All edge sanding is now complete. I've managed to fit 283 hippopotamus ornaments neatly into four Sterilite 2.5-quart Snap Lock boxes. I have many of these boxes in various sizes in my workshop, and while they are excellent for storage, I primarily use the 2.5-quart box for production purposes. In this instance, the hippo ornaments will be moved to a different box as they are processed. When I run a production line of toys with precision-fitted parts, I rely on these boxes to keep everything organized. Handmade wooden puzzles are a prime example of this; each puzzle is unique, and the pieces only fit with the ones they were originally cut with. If the puzzle pieces become mixed up, it is challenging and time-consuming to fit them back into the correct puzzle.    

My Ornaments  After cutting out all the hippopotamus ornaments, the sanding process begins. The first step is to sand the edges. There is usually a slight bump at the beginning of the cut that needs to be smoothed out, and sometimes some shaping is required. I perform this step before removing the labels so that I can maintain the shape while sanding the edges. While sanding, I closely inspect the edges of the hippo ornaments under bright lights to identify any imperfections. In this batch, I discovered several ornaments I had neglected to cut the tails. I sent them back to the scroll saw for a quick cut. Sometimes, feeling the edges can help me locate imperfections that I can't see with my eyes. The sander I am using is a Delta 1x42-inch belt sander that I've owned for about 40 years. It operates at a single speed, so I have to be very gentle when using fine-sanding belts; otherwise, it can overheat and burn the wood. Similar to using a scroll saw, mastering this sander requir...

My Ornaments There is well over a five-gallon bucket of designer kindling left from cutting out 283 hippopotamus ornaments. Most of my leftover wood gets burned and used as kindling to start backyard fires. I have thought about composting these materials and adding them to my garden. However, some types of wood can harm garden plants, and I'm uncertain how my plants will react to black limba from Africa. For example, black walnut can kill tomato plants. Therefore, I will be using it as kindling.    

My Ornaments I have cut a significant amount of wood on my Excalibur EX-21, which is evident from the wear on the table. Before this project, I had never seen the sawdust accumulate like this. The pile shown is less than half of the total sawdust generated. Some of the sawdust ends up on the floor, while most of it gets collected by the dust collection system under the table. My dust collection system for most of my shop relies on a Ridgid vacuum and a separator that effectively removes all but the finest dust particles. The vacuum is equipped with a Gore CleanStream Pro HEPA filter, which captures the remaining dust. Additionally, I have a Wen air filter mounted on the ceiling that captures a significant amount of fine dust, although it still doesn't eliminate it all.

 My Ornaments   All the Hippopotamus Ornaments have been cut, and the eyes have been drilled. There are approximately 280 hippos. I spent 14 hours cutting and drilling all of these. Now, the sanding process starts. There are several steps involved in sanding these pieces. The first step is to sand them with the patterns still attached. Usually, there is a small nub where the saw began cutting, and if I'm lucky, that is all that needs to be sanded. However, some pieces may require slight adjustments to their shape or occasional rough spots that need smoothing. Every time I pick up a piece, I conduct a quality assurance check to identify any issues. If I come across something I don't like and it can be fixed immediately, I address it right away. I set aside a few pieces for additional work, but so far, I haven't had any rejects. However, I dropped one piece and couldn't locate it, and the shop gremlins seem to have taken it.

  My Ornaments The first small batch of hippopotamus ornaments has been drilled and cut out. It may not seem like much, but this initial small batch takes about three hours to reach this stage, and they are still a lot of work to be done. 

  My Ornaments I could cut all the wood to size before applying the patterns, but my previous experience has taught me that this is a significant waste of time. If I cut the wood first, I would need to attach the patterns individually. This process requires cutting out each pattern, peeling off the backing, and securing the patterns one at a time. Using spray adhesive would only prolong the task.  The patterns are printed on half-sheet labels, with nine Hippopotamus ornament patterns on each label. Three labels fill one board, allowing for a total of 27 Hippopotamus ornaments per board. I used my computer with Linux Mint and Inkscape to determine the most efficient way to arrange the labels, maximizing the use of the wood.  

My Ornaments  If possible, I always drill any necessary holes before cutting out parts. Small pieces, like these Hippopotamus ornaments , are easier to hold, and the risk of the wood splitting is reduced. I purchased a used Grizzly drill press , refurbished it, and set it up for drilling small holes. As a test, I used it to drill a hole through a toothpick. The specifications for the Wen keyless chuck indicate that it can hold bits as small as 1/64 inch. While it can accommodate even smaller bits, I specifically need to use wire gauge bits for that purpose. For drilling smaller holes, I also have a Dremel drill press and several collets available. When drilling holes, I set up the drill press so that the bit barely goes through the wood, just enough to create a visible bump or small hole. I drill from one side, then turn the piece over and finish drilling from the other side. This method minimizes tear-out . While it's much easier to use a brad point bit , you can also accompli...

My Ornaments   I am using black limba boards that are 24 inches long for my hippopotamus Christmas tree ornament project. However, 24 inches is too long to cut on my Excalibur EX-21 scroll saw . I needed to separate the patterns, but there wasn't enough space between the patterns to use my miter saw . Smaller pieces are easier to cut on my scroll saw and drill holes for the eyes, so I use my scroll saw for the cross-cutting .

My Ornaments  With the patterns applied, step two in my 275 Hippo Christmas tree ornaments project is trimming the wood to size. Black limba is expensive, so I carefully ripped one-inch strips from the edge. While one-inch-wide strips alone are of limited use, wood glue and clamps can effectively join them together. For example, if I face glue two of the strips together, I will get a 1x1-inch square. I can compound cut square pieces on my scroll saw into small birdhouse ornaments or turn them on my Shopsmith lathe . Five-inch-wide boards would have been the perfect width for this project. However, it was not available in five-inch widths. I used my Shopsmith table saw with a thin kerf 7.25-inch Freud blade and a zero clearance insert to do the cutting. I also used two Microjig GRR-RIPPER push blocks to feed the wood through the saw.

 Custom Orders I applied the pattern labels to the black limba boards , placing three labels on each board. Each board accommodates 27 hippos, and I have also started on a part of another board. This setup will yield a total of 275 hippos, plus four extras. I always aim to create some additional pieces in case something goes wrong. If all the hippos turn out well, I will ship the extras to the customer. I wanted to crosscut between the labels with my miter saw , but I couldn't get the sticky labels aligned straight enough to ensure clearance across the entire area. In hindsight, I should have placed one label on each end and one label in the center. This arrangement would have given me enough room to use the miter saw.